During his 2000 presidential campaign, then-Republican Senator John McCain told voters he had no use for the religious right movement, denouncing prominent evangelicals as “agents of bigotry.” His party’s far-right base was unimpressed, and it contributed to McCain losing to George W. Bush in the Republican Party primaries.
Eight years later, McCain decided to forge partnerships with religious right radicals and welcomed support from evangelicals like Rev. John Hagee.
It didn’t take long, however, for McCain to run into a problem: The Arizona senator began facing questions about whether he agreed with Hagee’s record on radicalism, including the preacher’s arguments that the Holocaust was a divine God’s plan and Hurricane Katrina were God’s punishment. for Pride parades, and women are “only meant to be mothers and have children.” (He also described the Catholic Church as “the great whore,” although he later apologized.)
McCain, reluctant to be associated with such madness, felt he had no choice but to publicly repudiate Hagee’s support and reject the preacher’s views.
Sixteen years later, Republicans at the national level apparently no longer have such concerns. On the contrary, right-wing evangelicals with radical reputations can take solace in the fact that in 2024, national Republican candidates won’t make much of an effort to keep them at bay.
On Saturday, for example, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance appeared at an event hosted by an evangelist who claimed Vice President Kamala Harris is demonic. The Washington Post reported:
The event’s host, Lance Wallnau, who moderated the live event and introduced Vance’s first town hall on the campaign trail, is a leading figure in the burgeoning New Apostolic Reformation, a movement that preaches Christian supremacy through a mix of prophecy and harshness. right politics.
For those unfamiliar with Wallnau, Right Wing Watch has published excellent research on the evangelist’s views, making it clear that he is the kind of man GOP officials should probably avoid. As the Post’s report summarized, “Wallnau has previously depicted Harris as both a demon and Jezebel, the Biblical symbol of female wickedness.”
Wallnau, who calls herself a Christian prophet, also claims that Vice President Kamala Harris relied on “witchcraft” during her recent debate victory.
Just as importantly, NBC News reported ahead of Saturday’s event: “Since 2016, Wallnau and his allies have portrayed former President Donald Trump as a flawed but anointed leader – like the Biblical figure King Cyrus – chosen by God to bring Christian power to restore. in America. After denying Trump’s 2020 election defeat and telling his followers that God had a plan to keep him in office, Wallnau joined pro-Trump demonstrators in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, to pray for divine intervention to prevent Congress from certifying the election. count when rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol.
“In recent months, Wallnau — with support from right-wing activist Charlie Kirk — has organized a series of get-out-the-vote worship rallies in swing states, where he and other evangelicals have organized a mix of pro-Trump political actions. commentary and prophetic warnings about the coming end times, describing the 2024 elections as an epic battle between forces of good and evil.”
Then again, it wasn’t that long ago that GOP candidates looking for a national audience weren’t answering calls from a man like this. Nevertheless, Vance seemed more than happy to attend the Wallnau-hosted event.
In fairness, I must emphasize that Vance’s spokesperson told reporters that the Ohio senator did not actually share the stage with Wallnau, and that the two have reportedly not met. I have seen no evidence to the contrary.
But when a right-wing evangelist claims that Harris is literally demonic hosts an event and a Republican candidate for national office accepts an invitation to attend, whether the two literally shake hands or not is completely irrelevant.
Moreover, this came after Vance spoke to Tucker Carlson about the far-right media personality and praised a Holocaust revisionist.
A New York Times report shortly thereafter summarized: “Not long ago, candidates running for national office spent much of the general election distancing themselves from their parties’ margins. But on Saturday, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will share the stage with someone close to him.”
Oddly enough, those identical phrases still applied a week later, as the line between the Republican fringe and the Republican mainstream blurred.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
