…in a year where many voters see nothing but bad choices, many evangelicals feel deeply torn. Long a reliable Republican voting bloc, many are appalled to find Donald J. Trump their only alternative to Hillary Clinton. They say he has taken positions all over the map on same-sex couples and abortion and does not have the character to be president. Others are still bewildered that Mr. Trump defeated not only Mr. Cruz ”” a pastor’s son who made “religious liberty” a signature issue ”” but also half a dozen other conservative Christian contenders they would have gladly supported.
The silence in that article from the evangelicals on Mr. Trump’s signature issue is deafening. In the conservative circles I move in, people just got tired of the shell game being played regarding illegal immigration by mainstream Republicans beholden to Big Business.
Back when Trump’s candidacy was still just a punch line, that issue was out there waiting for someone to pick it up and carry it over the goal line for the touchdown and the nomination. Evangelicals have only themselves to blame for not taking a stand.
It’s bigger than one issue. It’s a complete lack of trust by a large segment of the population (much of the middle class – the working class may be a more fitting description) in the country’s institutions. I wouldn’t say that they believe in nothing and no one anymore, but it’s not that far from where they are. I’m tempted to use the term “circle-of-trust” a la “Meet the Fockers,” but it’s not a comedy.
BlueOntario, I agree, but I do think that immigration is emblematic of the trust issue more than anything else. It ties into so many other issues (the economy, crime, national security) while being the most visible issue that Republicans have come so close to selling out on. Middle and working class folks saw that and reacted accordingly when Trump came out and staked his claim (building the wall, etc.) while the others were toeing the line and trying not to commit to anything before the general election season.
The question is why evangelicals were caught so flatfooted? Were they just so focused on their core issues that they weren’t able to adapt to national trends and make themselves relevant (not by sacrificing their positions, but by realizing the conversation for this election had changed)? Do evangelicals need to realize they’re overrated as a political force as seniors have died off and been replaced by fewer Boomers and younger people who are truly hard-core Christians?