The Kingmaker’s New Subject (Pat Robertson's Rudy endorsement)

Newsweek ^ | Nov 19, 2007 Issue | Michael Gerson

[2ndDivisionVet]

There is an old hymn written by Fanny Crosby, sung at generations of camp meetings, which exclaims: "Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!" Since the emergence of evangelicalism as a cultural force in the 1950s, three approaches to politics, represented by three personalities, have emerged. They are the prophet, the priest and the kingmaker.

The prophet has been psychologist James Dobson, who dispenses child-rearing advice on the radio from his Colorado ministry, Focus on the Family. On family issues, Dobson's counsel is moderate and broadly appealing. On politics, his tone sharpens. He rails against compromise on social-conservative issues and seems continually poised to storm out of the Republican Party in protest, threatening to carry his millions of listeners with him.

The priest has been Billy Graham, nonpartisan confessor to presidents from Harry Truman to George W. Bush and presider at public events from Inaugurals to services of national mourning. His commitment to preaching the simple, undiluted Gospel has been total, but his approach to politics has sometimes been naive; his uncritical ties to the powerful have occasionally left him subject to manipulation. The priest was burned by a misplaced trust in Richard Nixon.

The kingmaker has been Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Robertson has a history of odd and disturbing public statements on issues from the causes of hurricanes to the assassination of foreign leaders. But as the son of a senator, he has generally taken a pragmatic approach to politics, with the goal of being a player rather than a prophet. After his own bid for the White House, Robertson founded the Christian Coalition to give the religious-right grass-roots clout within the Republican Party.

Graham's priestly role in American politics is gradually passing. But both of the other evangelical tendencies have been recently on display. Already in the current political cycle, Dobson has declared he could never support Rudy Giuliani, John McCain or Fred Thompson because of their various personal and political shortcomings. And a few weeks ago he participated in a Council for National Policy meeting which threatened to bolt the GOP if Giuliani is its nominee.

The kingmaker has gone in the opposite direction. Robertson's public endorsement of Giuliani last week surprised many. It should not have. His predisposition has always been to influence Republican politics from the inside. He has doubtlessly received assurances from Giuliani on the appointment of conservative judges and is calculating he can maintain influence within a Giuliani administration. But Robertson's endorsement of a pro-choice candidate has exposed deep political fault lines within religious conservatism. Add to this Paul Weyrich's endorsement of Mitt Romney, and Sam Brownback's support for McCain, and religious conservatives are fragmented as never before.

One effect has been to deprive former Arkansas governor (and former pastor) Mike Huckabee of support. He is the natural candidate of religious conservatives—strongly pro-life, pro-family, but also with a populist economic message. Huckabee is a candidate with Bill Clinton-like political skills, and he has fared well in straw polls. But religious-right leaders have calculated that Huckabee is not electable. Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani particularly irked him. "Our Web site went nuts with people saying they will never give money to Robertson again," Huckabee told me. "There is a disconnect," he said, "between past generational leaders in Christian conservatism and their own followers."

The use of the word "past" is purposeful and accurate. Leaders such as Robertson mainly exercise broad influence in the imagination of liberals. Evangelicals, particularly younger evangelicals, are undergoing a shift in attitudes. Many have little interest in the self-destructive purity of the prophet or the raw pragmatism of the kingmaker. They remain culturally conservative, but uncomfortable with a harshly judgmental tone in their politics. They find the model of the religious right too narrow and are increasingly motivated by a broader range of social concerns, from disease in Africa, to the environment, to racial reconciliation. And they want to be a witness to these values instead of a tool in the power games of others.

A recent article in The New York Times Magazine termed this trend "the evangelical crackup." But perhaps it is just maturity and a renewed appreciation of the way social change has taken place in the past. "The Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next," argued C. S. Lewis. "The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English evangelicals who abolished slave trade, all left their mark on earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world, that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."

Evangelicals are not retreating from politics, but they are moving beyond the religious right. The form that engagement will take is still uncertain—but it is likely to see politics as a means to social justice, not an end in itself, and to agree with the final line of Fanny Crosby's hymn: "Power and glory unto the Lord belong."

[Lexinom]

Huckabee is preachy and fits too closely the stereotype of the “Relgious Right”. He’s also rather liberal on most issues besides abortion. We can do better.

[penowa]

"You just can’t trust an outsider..."

That's right. Who knows? They might be honest and where would that leave them? Without anyone THEY could trust to do their bidding. Imagine what a disaster that would be. /s

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Isn’t it funny how the media is almost universal in their admiration and praise of Mike Huckabee? “

Huckabee AND Rudy......two empty suits in search of a clue : )

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Huckabee is a vote splitter and is being pushed in the media because he is the most able to split votes form Thompson and Romney in order to protect Giuliani.”

BINGO!!

[Porterville]

hello, hello... hello????

Echo...echo...echo....

[2ndDivisionVet]

Yes?

[Marysecretary]

What nonsense you spout here. He’s not pro gay rights or pro abortion. He is pro keeping terrorists out of our country and he thinks Rudy’s the best man for the job. Period.

[GinaLolaB]

Pat Robertson worships money. He always talks about Armageddon but he is always padding his portfolio. He is filthy rich. He wants to keep the tax cuts going for his Capital Gains and he must think that Juliannie has the best chance to win.

I think that Juliannie is the only Republican who does not have a chance to win against Hillerbeast. He has already proved that in his run for the NYSenate.

[tear gas]

What nonsense you spout here. He’s not pro gay rights or pro abortion.

There is no better way to advance the gay rights or pro-abortion agendas than to endorse Rudy. No one could do that unless they felt some sympathy for those agendas.

Like I said, Robertson could be in the closet and that would explain everything. He's always seemed a bit light in the loafers to me.

Yeah, I know, "How could Pat Robertson be a closet homosexual?" I'm sure you've asked the same question about a lot of these closet queens lately.

He is pro keeping terrorists out of our country and he thinks Rudy’s the best man for the job. Period.

Well, THAT much we KNOW is bogus. Nobody in their right mind would believe that Rudy's "weak borders" strategy and draft dodging background qualifies him to even offer an opinion on national security.

Rudy is a cross-dressing poof!

[Schwaeky]

Billy Graham is a minister first, he is primarily apolitical, esp after his cozying up to Nixon. To fail to provide pastoral counsel to Clinton, or any President, would be a betrayal of his duties. Regardless of what we may think of him, he is duty bound to believe that anyone coming to him does so in good faith (ie Clinton).

[Schwaeky]

No it says what the article says, that Robertson is pragmatic.
Remember, our icon, the man that our devotion to is called by Bill Maher to be gay in nature (that line made me want to barf when I heard that), Ronald Reagan signed into law the most liberal abortion law in the nation as Governor of California...

That being said, Pat Robertson is cozying up to the wrong guy... The only thing Rudy has going for him is the number of electoral votes he can put into play that otherwise might be safe for the Democrats, which is enough to put him second on my list of preferable candidates. Fred Thompson can lock up the south, most of the west, put more midwestern states in our column than any other candidate, and maybe pick up some northeastern states—with his Hollywood connections, he may even pick up California.. The Democrats have NO strategy to win that doesn’t include winning California and at least three or four southern states (namely Florida, Georgia and Texas)..

[SoConPubbie]

His comments about Bill Clinton were beyond the pale and exhibited a Spirt that was not Christ-Like.

God does not wink at sin.

His Son died on a cross for sin.

Don’t try and dismiss what was an un-Christian act by Billy Graham.

His voting for Democrats with all the moral baggage (Abortion, Gay Agenda, etc) also should put a question mark in peoples’ minds about Billy Graham.

Luke 6:43-44
43: For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44: For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

[SoConPubbie]

"No it says what the article says, that Robertson is pragmatic."

I would disagree with you.

It says that Robertson was willing to compromise his most sacred principles to back a man that he believes (on little or no credible evidence) can win the nomination.

Mind you Rudy has no experience in foreign affairs and cannot poll above 25% with Most Likely Voters (See Rassmussen), and is guarenteed to split the base and hand the election to Hillary.

So with that all being said, it would also lead the intelligent voter to the conclusion that Robertson is also senile or losing his mind!

[RasterMaster]

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[RasterMaster]

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[longtermmemmory]

Giuliani is ABSOLUTLY pro-abortion.

Giuliani is ABSOLUTLY pro-gun control even going to the extreme suing gun makers.

Giuliani also supports civil unions which are marriage in all but the M word in accordance with the subterfuge pushed by family law divisions of the ABA at their legal conferences.

Giuliani IS Hillary in the GOP primary.

No Giuliani, NO PROBLEM.

[angkor]

You have to assume from this endorsement that Robertson is pro-gay rights and at least neutral on abortion.

No, you have to assume that with Robertson's 25+ years of support for Israel (on theological and moral grounds), he sees a dire and predominating threat from Islamists, and he presumably he believes Giuliani may be capable of stopping that menace.

I'm neutral on G., but he is the only candidate whom I've ever heard directly addressing "The Big Lie" that Arab Muslims love to spout about "Palestine", Israel, and Jews.

And I don't mean "only candidate this election", I mean "only candidate, ever".

[tear gas]

I suspect Robertson is a closet case like Ted Haggard, Larry Craig, etc. Most people thought they were straight, too.

I think he sees a "spiritual soulmate" in Rudy.

[angkor]

So with that all being said, it would also lead the intelligent voter to the conclusion that Robertson is also senile or losing his mind!

It leads this intelligent voter to the conclusion that Robertson is properly concerned that Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Bombay (Mumbai) might become craters by 2012 if we don't get a president who sees the obscene gravity of Arab Muslim (Wahabbi, al Qaeda, Taliban, Qutub) threat and is prepared to take serious preventative measures.

He's doing what 90 percent of Social Conservatives and Values Voters seem incapable or unwilling to do, which is to put things in proper perspective.

I guess he's figured that we don't presently have the luxury of voting for a Bishop.

[Dante3]

The moment Pat endorsed Rudy, I figured he was a closet liberal.