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March 07, 2007
Motes and Beams
The Southern Baptist Convention says Rudy Giuliani's divorce will be a problem.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A Southern Baptist leader said Tuesday that evangelical voters might tolerate a divorced presidential candidate, but they have deep doubts about GOP hopeful Rudy Giuliani, who has been married three times.Emphasis mine. If this were truly about moral issues, why raise political ones? I'm especially curious to see him try to find in scripture where Jesus talks about the importance of firearms in personal self-defense. And why, later, does Land find no problem whatsoever with the more conservative candidate for the exact same thing? I wasn't aware some divorces were worse than others.Richard Land, head of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, told The Associated Press that evangelicals believe the former New York City mayor showed a lack of character during his divorce from his second wife, television personality Donna Hanover.
"I mean, this is divorce on steroids," Land said. "To publicly humiliate your wife in that way, and your children. That's rough. I think that's going to be an awfully hard sell, even if he weren't pro-choice and pro-gun control."
Maybe the Southern Baptist Convention should quit issuing press statements about those pesky specks in the lives of political candidates and start paying attention to the redwood-sized problem in the church's eye.
Just a thought.
UPDATE - Said this in the comments below, but it just gets me so irritated, I've got to put it on the main page. McCain is also divorced, but Land says:
"It's a molehill compared to Giuliani's mountain," Land said. "When you're a war hero [like McCain], you have less to prove on the character front."Well isn't that conveeeeenient! The more ideologically acceptable candidate just happens to get a pass for his marital failure. I know McCain supporters will say that Giuliani is on his third marriage, which proves that he's a really bad person. That point would have had a lot more credence if Land had not invented this stupid "war hero" defense for McCain's divorce.
This isn't about Giuliani's character. It's about the SBC's fear that Republicans, even conservatives, are warming to a candidate that has liberal views on some issues. If a liberal is able to win the Republican nomination against the wishes of political evangelical groups, it weakens the influence of those groups.
The way I see it, though, if that happens and Giuliani is the nominee, these groups are toast if they don't support Giuliani. Two scenarios:
One, they don't support him and he wins anyway. Hello, irrelevance. Giuliani will show that it doesn't take ideological fealty to win a national election, and will likely feel free to ignore the concerns of that group.
Two, they don't support him and he loses. Hello, irrelevance again! Republicans will blame evangelicals for the loss and the powers that be will likely ignore them for a few election cycles. Evangelical political groups like to pretend that sitting an election out and losing it "sends a message." I guess in a way they're right - it says "We're petulant. Ignore us."
If evangelicals support Giuliani should he be the candidate, they will likely get concessions out of him on some of their issues. After all, they've given him a reason to move slightly right.
This story just makes me crazy.
UPDATE II - Land and the SBC may want to start mending fences with Rudy.
Posted by slublog at March 7, 2007 10:31 AM
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Comments
And why, later, does Land find no problem whatsoever with the more conservative candidate for the exact same thing?
Please be more specific here, I must be dense or something.
Posted by: MainiacJoe at March 7, 2007 02:40 PM
McCain is also divorced. But Land says:
"It's a molehill compared to Giuliani's mountain," Land said. "When you're a war hero [like McCain], you have less to prove on the character front."Personally, I wasn't aware of the 'war hero' exemption for divorce in the Bible.
Honestly, the more I read this story, the angrier I get. This isn't about Giuliani's character. It's about the SBC's fear that Republicans, even conservatives, are warming to a candidate that has liberal views on some issues.
Unbelievable.
Posted by: Slublog at March 7, 2007 02:43 PM
You forgot three, they don't support him and the Dems win. Now they are really irrelevant.
Posted by: Peter's Dad at March 7, 2007 03:42 PM
In the quotes provided, Land doesn't have an issue with Rudy's divorce, but with the public humiliation of his wife and kids by prancing around with a girlfriend while he was still married. Seems reasonable to raise questions about his character based on such behavior.
Posted by: slatz at March 7, 2007 05:23 PM
But McCain did the same thing - marital infidelity.
Why should Land give one guy a pass while criticizing the other?
This is not entirely about morality - I believe a large part of it really is just about political power and the fear that the Republicans are getting more liberal.
Posted by: Slublog at March 7, 2007 07:26 PM
It's been my experience that McCain is deeply distrusted by conservatives, whether they are evangelical or not. Both are RINOs to me but Rudy seems to be at least somewhat of a principled RINO, whereas JM takes whatever position pleases the press most. I would be shocked if evangelicals in general backed him over Rudy and I'm speaking as one.
In your link to radaronline, Sam Brownback beat McCain in the straw poll!
Posted by: slatz at March 7, 2007 09:38 PM
In your link to radaronline, Sam Brownback beat McCain in the straw poll!
I didn't see that. That's gonna leave a mark!
Posted by: Slublog at March 7, 2007 09:39 PM
testing for commenting capability
Posted by: geoff at March 7, 2007 11:43 PM
testing for commenting capability
by geoff
looks like only filling in the name didn't work - let's try filling in nothing.
Posted by: Anonymous at March 7, 2007 11:44 PM
Hotay, tried no entries in the fields, and just entering something in the "Name" field. Now I'll try Name and Email
Posted by: geoff at March 7, 2007 11:44 PM
Another try with a different email address
Posted by: geoff at March 7, 2007 11:46 PM
test
Posted by: Jeff in the OC at March 8, 2007 02:56 PM