When you’re on God’s team, you don’t lose. Keeping this in mind, we can better understand how the GOP, the party of the Evangelicals, even if they’re led by a lying, boasting, adulterer, can embrace lies such as we’ve been hearing of late concerning the special election in PA-18. From the conservative Washington Times:
“The president’s engagement in the race turned what was a deficit for the Republican candidate to what is essentially a tie,” said White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah. “Also the Democrat in the race really embraced the president’s policies and his vision whereas he didn’t really embrace [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader.”
But as Jon Favreau points out:
Conor Lamb campaigned:
- For universal health car
- Against Trump’s tax cut
- For expanded background checks
- For stronger unions
- Against cuts to Social Security
- For a woman’s right to choose
- For medical marijuana
Why the ridiculous claim? A mature secular voter knows that this isn’t a horserace – that there’s no financial cost or gain depending on whom you vote for. But the GOP base isn’t made up of mature secular voters (no offense), but rather, to a substantial degree, they’re Evangelicals on God’s team.
Or at least this is where they’d like to see themselves.
But Trump went into PA-18 and campaigned in a district which went for him in 2016 by 20 points, and his most excellent candidate, who was going to win easily (or so Trump pronounced on the eve of the election), lost by a feather – less than 700 votes.
Left to consider it, an Evangelical voter should be appalled that God couldn’t push just a few more votes into the Republican column, let alone give losing candidate Saccone a twenty point victory. Since there must be a God, well, either Saccone (who called his opponent and those supporting him God-haters) isn’t favored by God, despite the blessings of Party leader (and thus favored by God) Trump.
Or God isn’t with the Republicans.
The Republican leaders, despite a lot of foolishness, know their base. What’s the most efficient way to convince their base that God is still with them? By co-opting the victorious Lamb (fortunate name for the Republicans, BTW). I suppose God recognized his innate Republican-ness, and helped him to a wonderful victory.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays with the base, although it may be hard to discern. The next Presidential Approval poll might yield something, but then again it might not. Since there are so many other incidents that can affect that poll, it’s hard to know how to interpret it in this context.
But this loss may chip away a few more Evangelical voters from the Republicans. When you’re in a team sport and your team gets blasted, it has to make you wonder if you’re doing things the right way.
