Although he’s something of a Jan. 6 hero in some people’s eyes (actually, he only refused to be a coup lotter), Mike Pence is what he’s always been: A religious right conservative.
Televangelist John Hagee (photo, left; profile here) is one of the most repulsive figures of the religious right. He’s said gays caused Hurricane Katrina, called the Catholic Church “the great whore,” and claimed Hitler was part of God’s plan to send Jews to Israel. After Trump was elected, he lobbied for a war against Iran.
Let’s get something straight: This guy can call himself anything he wants, but he’s not a Christian. Hatemongering and warmongering are as un-Christian as it’s possible to be.
When John McCain ran for president in 2008, he called Hagee “crazy” and refused his endorsement. But Pence, with his eye on 2024, is courting him (see story here). With evangelical votes apparently up for grabs (see story here), Pence is making his move. This isn’t surprising; Pence has always been tight with evangelicals.
If you’re going to them, there are less toxic ones to cozy up to than this stomach-turning fanatic. Pence isn’t hobnobbing just with Hagee; he’s also sucking up to Robert Jeffress (profile here), another televangelist who mixes politics and religion with a large serving of anti-gay hate.
But Mother Jones says (here) that Pence is “undeterred by the troubling records of Hagee and Jeffress,” and is “actively attempting to lure them away from backing Trump again,” meaning he wants their backing. That might get him the 700 Club vote, but that’s a pretty small tent.
Just yesterday, I noted (here) that Americans are abandoning religion in droves, not least because it’s been hijacked by extremists with hate agendas. If Republicans are unpopular, evangelicals are even more unpopular among the general population, in large part due to “pastors” like these.
If Pence believes he can win the presidency by allying himself with people like them, one has to ask: What is he thinking?