LOS ANGELES TIMES STORY SUGGESTS EVANGELICAL FOCUS ON RADICAL ISLAM COULD REDEFINE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
Dobson to air interviews with me on May 14-15.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., April 11, 2007) -- I don't say this often, but a story in the Los Angeles Times is actually on to an important and intriguing trend, as witnessed by this headline: "A new Crusade for GOP evangelicals: Defeating Islamic radicals has become a priority for religious conservatives."
The column -- written by U.S. News & World Report correspondent Dan Gilgoff (author of The Jesus Machine, a book about the enormous influence of evangelical Christians in American elections) -- describes "a major development within the GOP's evangelical base: that the war on terror - and, more broadly, the confrontation with Islamic radicalism - have become 'values' issues."
Notes Gilgoff: "Such a change would turn the conventional wisdom about the 2008 GOP presidential primary on its head. No longer would front-runners Arizona Sen. John McCain and ex-New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani find their moderate (or inconsistent) records on abortion or gay rights a looming liability. Under a 'terror values' rubric, both could win over evangelicals with their tough-on-terrorism credentials. [Gov. Mitt] Romney, meanwhile - who's been courting the Christian right most fervently - would suffer from his lack of experience with national defense and international issues. Same goes for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, current darling of the right.
"Polls show that evangelicals support President Bush's 'kill the terrorists over there so they don't kill us here' vision in greater numbers than other Americans. A survey by the Pew Research Center in December found that 63% of white evangelicals supported Bush's handling of the terrorist threat, while fewer than half of all Americans expressed similar support.
"What explains that gap? 'It's that evangelicals often look at the world in terms of good and evil because of their understanding of the Bible,' said Joel Rosenberg, a Jew-turned-evangelical-Christian who writes novels dealing with terrorism. His books, including The Last Jihad, have sold millions to a largely evangelical readership. 'Because we understand that there's evil present in some foreign leaders,' Rosenberg said, 'we understand they are capable of committing acts that most people think are impossible.'
"Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, holds a similar opinion. 'This is a fundamental clash of world views,' Perkins said after he and other Christian-right activists met with [Sen. John] McCain at the NRB convention. 'More than any other segment of the American population, the evangelical movement understands that because they operate from a biblically-centered worldview.'
"Terrorism and Islamic extremism are likely to gain even broader resonance in the American evangelical universe as the 2008 primaries close in. This month, Focus on the Family founder James C. Dobson has devoted five episodes of his hugely popular daily radio program to the subject of Islamic radicalism. Through a spokesman, Dobson said that terrorism isn't yet on par with abortion and same-sex marriage as a values issue - but that it will be if there's another terrorist attack on the United States. Dobson also said recently that he could never support Giuliani or McCain for president. Other Christian-right leaders, such as the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land, say that evangelicals will stay home on election day if Giuliani is the nominee.
"But Rosenberg, the evangelical novelist, is not so sure. 'With [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad's nuclear weapons program, a lot of evangelicals are going to have to say, 'Look - we need somebody who can defend Judeo-Christian civilization,' Rosenberg said. 'If the election comes down to [Rudy] Giuliani against Hillary [Clinton], the evangelical base…will have to ask who they want sitting in the chair if we go to war with a nuclear Iran.' For many evangelicals, that question could deem Giuliani not just the lesser of two evils but a national savior."
Important notes:
First, the Focus on the Family's series of broadcasts on the threat of radical Islam to America has actually been rescheduled to mid-May. The Dobson interviews with me are now expected to air May 14th and 15th. More details will be available soon on the Focus radio website.
Second, Gilgoff asked me for political analysis of the '08 campaign. That's what I gave him, as I described on my weblog on March 23. I did not offer an endorsement of any candidate in any way, shape or form. I've gotten a lot of emails in recent weeks asking me who I'm backing and why. Let me reiterate, various rumors notwithstanding: I haven't endorsed anyone. I don't plan to endorse anyone in the primaries or caucuses. But given the high stakes of this election, I will certainly keep commenting on the race as it develops. Giuliani and McCain, for example, face a very tough road ahead and many evangelicals and other conservatives are passionately opposed to them. This could potentially open up an opportunity for Romney, Brownback, Huckabee or one of the others -- possibly Fred Thompson, who could jump in the race as early as this month -- depending on how the base perceives their policies and national security credentials. Bottom line: the GOP primaries are going to be a real battle, as they should be.
