Jeb Bush, one of just two GOP hopefuls wooing evangelicals at the Southern Baptist convention this week.
This is practically apocalyptic: only two of the 17 GOP presidential hopefuls
attended the Southern Baptist Conference forum Tuesday to woo evangelicals: Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.
The event seems like standard fare for a Republican primary, as it’s certainly not unusual for GOP candidates to court evangelical votes. But while evangelicals have a long history of mixing faith and politics, the seemingly innocuous Southern Baptist conference — which will only include appearances from two presidential candidates amid a field of almost 20 GOP hopefuls — might be indicative of something else: The decline of the Religious Right.
Gulp. Could it be? Is the GOP finally getting the message that evangelicals alone can't deliver the White House?
Whereas the political altar calls of the Religious Right used to attract a flood of confessing candidates, this year’s Southern Baptist event — which represents the largest Protestant denomination in the country — is triggering high-profile snubs in both directions, even among fellow faithful.
Jack Jenkins
reports that not every candidate was invited—only those that polled at 10 percent or higher in a Real Clear Politics
average of polls from May 1 to July 4. That would mean Scott Walker, son of a preacher man, snubbed 'em. But it also suggests that Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee weren't even courted.
As for Bush and Rubio's attendance—it appears they're still struggling to connect with the fundies. Hard to believe that Terri Schaivo overreach wasn't enough to solidify Bush's bona fides as solidly wing-nut enough for this crowd.
Head below the fold for more on this story.
A July Quinnipiac poll found that among likely Iowa caucus voters, Bush, Rubio, and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) claimed just 6 percent of “born again Christians,” which — while not terrible in a crowded field — still shows ample room for growth when compared to Ben Carson (9 percent), Ted Cruz (11 percent), Scott Walker (18 percent), and even Donald Trump (8 percent).
What's perhaps most fascinating is the internal evangelical strife—they seem as ambivalent about their continued involvement in the political system as the GOP candidates are about their influence.
Some conservative Christians recently began calling for the group to recuse themselves from politics, arguing that it’s better to reject the system than be repeatedly disappointed on Election Day. Moore himself says as much in a new book, which reportedly asks evangelicals to abandon the culture wars “of red states and blue states, Republicans versus Democrats, conservatives versus liberals.”
Others are less eager to leave the political game, but most are skeptical a candidate that fully represents their views could even win the presidency, much less enact their agenda after election.
Talk about a revelation.