Conservative Christians catch flak from both sides in this election. Their usual political allies tell them they must vote for a charlatan for president. Then the left ridicules them as hypocrites for considering it.
These voters' dilemma either got much worse Friday or, for many, finally broke. A 2005 audio recording of Donald Trump bragging about groping women and trying to seduce someone's wife came out.
As people are reminded constantly -- especially if they're wavering conservatives -- the next president will set the majority on the Supreme Court. Democrats repeated that a lot when they were trying to convince their own idealists not to take reckless chances and vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the primary. Both parties spent time convincing their most devoted to compromise their principles for the sake of the court in this election.
To liberals, not getting the court they want this time means decades of delay for their causes. Such a setback would be severe for them. But to religious conservatives, losing the court now would look like final defeat. Consider recent events, such as acceptance of same-sex marriage. Conservative Christians see the U.S. Supreme Court as the last island they might still be able to swim to before they are swept down the cultural river.
Unlike the fondest hopes of Sanders' supporters, the limited conservative goal was within easy reach. Republicans would be winning this race and getting their court nominees if the GOP had a functioning, sane primary system that had nominated just about any qualified person. Christian conservatives can be criticized for many things, but wanting Trump is not one of them. They do deserve some blame for pushing too hard for the harsh Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a prospect few others could abide, but their man was the last to give up.
Republicans hold a majority in the U.S. House and Senate, 31 of 50 governorships and the majority in 70 out of 99 state legislative chambers. The Democrats are a minority party hanging onto the presidency and hoping for a narrow majority in the Senate. Yet that situation would allow Democrats to get the judicial picks -- picks Republicans can't delay forever. Eventually, that will give Democrats control of two of government's three branches.
The situation is made much, much worse by the fact Republicans can't even manage the one branch of the federal government they should. Republicans in Congress suffer the same dysfunction that plagues their party's primaries.
To many conservatives religious and otherwise, "saving" the court is the last rationale to vote for Trump. There are big problems with that view. On the strictly practical level, I doubt anything could be worse for the Republican Party than electing Trump president. The party needs to fix its dysfunction, not validate its worst blunder.
More to the point for the GOP's religious voters, voting for Trump just for his court picks places too much faith in an institution of man. The type of America conservative Christians want no longer exists. It can't be retained by government and the courts. The only thing that could reverse the tide would be a religious counter-reformation. Abandoning principle for an expedient vote for Trump -- a man whose life mocks every value "old time religion" professes -- wouldn't help such a revival.
The more worldly problem for these Christians is: Trump is losing. Barring a miracle -- excuse the pun -- he won't win. Selling a birthright for a bowl of stew is a bad deal. Selling one for an empty bowl is worse.
Suppose I'm wrong. Suppose conservative Christians give Trump a narrow election win. Conservatives get the presidency, the court nominations they want, and even bills through Congress. Then the Republican Party will know they own the conservative Christian vote. That bloc can be safely relied upon no matter who the party nominates. They can be taken for granted.
Trump is a man for whom self-worship is a way of life. Now imagine if he wins, prevailing over all foes and ending with victory over Hillary Clinton herself. No one who watched the GOP hierarchy fall in line before any such triumph can rationally believe Trump won't rule the party's roost after it. If Trump goes over a cliff, they'll jump right along.
Conservatives need to ask themselves a tough question: Do they want Clinton presiding over a traditionally Republican country, or do they want a vainglorious, victorious President Trump who will then get to define what being a Republican means?
Now there's something to pray about.
Commentary on 10/08/2016