Every so often someone will assert that one of the reasons Christianity is bad is because Christians voted overwhelmingly for DJT.
I keep looking for polling that and surprisingly, it is hard to find.
If you go now and try to find the information, look very carefully at the crosstabs of what you find.
The vast majority of polling on this matter that claims to be polls of “Christians” actually turn out to be polling of white self-identified (protestant) evangelicals.
It makes me suspicious when they have to narrow it down that much.
Does anyone measure how the mainstream Christians voted? The Presbys and Episcopalians and Lutherans and UCC? OK some of those people would call themselves evangelical too. But it is interesting how they get screened out.
And the other thing that is interesting is a weird completely unspoken assumption that “Christian” = “white.” Something tells me that Black Christians did not vote overwhelmingly for DJT, even though many of them are relatively conservative as compared to the predominantly white liberal mainstream denominations.
In political speak, it can be eye-opening to notice when people remember to indicate “oh by the way, I am only talking about white people” and when they don’t.
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) stepped in this with his now-famous tweet about “somebody else’s babies”:
White is still the default assumption in this country, and nowhere is that more evident than in politics.
When King talks about culture, he means white culture.
When he talks about civilization, he assumes you agree with him that white people are the center of civilization.
During campaign season, when politicians go on and on about rural America, they are generally not thinking about black folks in rural areas, even though lots of black folks in the south do not live in cities.
In fact, when people refer to “The South”, they generally mean the white south, especially when they wax rhapsodic about “preserving southern culture”. But black folks were an integral part of building southern culture and southern heritage.
My favorite two though are “working families” and “working class”. Lately we have seen the acronym WWC (white working class) a lot more, but until 2016 “working class” had an invisible “white” adjective that was understood in political-speak.
And when politicians and pundits talk about “working families” they are not referring to the folks Jesse Jackson described who “take the early bus” and work very VERY hard at multiple jobs to keep food on the table. They are not talking about the migrant workers who work VERY hard to feed their children.
So there is a translation constantly going on, of filling in the missing words in the face of ignorance and resistance, and reminding people of the following:
Some black people live in heartland rural areas. (For that matter, some white people live in cities, so watch and notice when “urban” is another watchword understood to be a synonym for black. And poor.)
Not all black folks are living in poverty. Some are working class and some are middle class (and some have more money than that).
Black people in the South are part of Southern culture. Their heritage is not represented by the dixie swastika in a positive way.
I went to a progressive school that taught me about the thriving civilizations in Asia and Africa and South America when Europe was still considered relatively barbaric, so “civilization” is not a word I am prepared to cede to white folks either.
Of course Steve King is sticking by his tweet. In his world what he said was perfectly appropriate.
I was taught to be grateful when people are up front about who they are. So this whole flap just proves I already knew who Steve King was.
Previous TRUE BLUE REPORT diaries
Mar 12: The Rcon definition of Christians is as wrong as the Rcon definition of Democrats.
Mar 11: Ribbons: A Day Without a Woman, Native Nations Rise, Voting Rights Act still lives
Mar 10: How to talk to people who have trouble understanding actions have consequences
Mar 9: Where’s the fire? The real reason Rs are trying to rush TrumpCare through Congress
Mar 8: Message Discipline 101: TrumpCare, RyanCare, GOPCare, DonTCare—what’s in a name?
Mar 7: How very hard it is for a woman to go a day without paid (or unpaid) work
Mar 6: Can DJT really be stumbling into the exact investigation we want?
Mar 5: How is it even possible that deplorables see a man of faith when they look at DJT?
Mar 4: Blue Ribbon Winners—Chris Hayes, Malcolm Nance, Cierra Fields
Mar 3: I’m glad Bannon, Conway, Carson, Sessions, Miller, et al. are in the DJT Administration
Mar 2: “In every major fire it always starts with smoke. And smoke is what kills you.”
Mar 1: Am I the only one whose skin crawled at the Carryn Owens BIRGing moment?
FEBRUARY
Feb 28: Spinspotting 101: Special Prosecutor for what? It’s so easy to answer that question
Feb 27: Spinspotting 101: I’ve seen no evidence because I haven’t looked for any evidence!
Feb 26: If Neil Gorsuch were a man of integrity, he would decline the S.Ct. appointment
Feb 25: True Blue Ribbons: Russia Flag trolling, Dixie Swastika grabbing, District Days demonstrating
Feb 24: There is no such thing as a compassionate conservative
Feb 23: Chief of Staff, Nat’l Security Advisor, GOP Head, President Bannon—too many hats!
Feb 22: DJT has a few questions for you—SMURF THIS POLL!
Feb 21: The end of “access journalism” means it’s time to #sendtheinterns
Feb 20: KAC lying low for now… can we banish her (and all her ilk) from the airwaves completely?
Feb 19: DeVos cartoon, Ruby Bridges, unearned unhappiness and childlike faith
Feb 18: Blue Ribbon Winners—Vice Adm. Harward, Melissa McCarthy, and intel whistleblowers
Feb 17: And Ain’t I an American?
Feb 16: Please tell your family and friends—If you regret your DJT vote, speak up NOW
Feb 15: R-supported forced childbirth laws deny the autonomy of women
Feb 14: What did the president know? Everything. When did he know it? From the beginning.
Feb 13: Coping with The Madness of King Donald by hoping political comedy will save us
Feb 12: The Poverty and Justice Bible
Feb 11: Blue Ribbon Winners: Swastika removers, Ninth Circuit Panel, and the Persisterhood!
Feb 10: The first three words of the Constitution are “We, the People” not “I, the President”
Feb 9: Who first inspired your political activism? Who inspires you now?
Feb 8: We cannot and will not be silenced—Here’s what to do if they try to silence you
Feb 7: Plain Talk Tuesday: Tell people the Affordable Care Act is the same as OBAMACARE
Feb 6: Interview Skills 101—Internalized oppression and what Ryan Lizza did right. BRAVO!
Feb 5: These protest signs with Bible cites will confuse and befuddle RWNJs
Feb 4: Blue Ribbon Winners: Temple B’Nai Israel, Judge Robart, CNN, Senate Phone Callers
Feb 3: Not rich, not smart, not a good businessman, not a winner—DJT is NOTHING he claims to be
Feb 2: Thursday action—Encouragement, thanks, and apologies (pick one or more)
Feb 1: July 7, 2009 to August 25, 2009 and September 25, 2009 to February 4, 2010
JANUARY
Jan 31: If you’re on overload that’s part of their plan—there’s more than one way to #resist
Jan 30: Interview Skills 101 for reporters attempting to interview KAC and other Rcons
Jan 29: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jan 28: Blue Ribbon Winners: Women's March participants and #NoMuslimBan demonstrators and...
Jan 27: I wish Steve Bannon would tell me to keep my mouth shut
Jan 26: Thursday Action—Have you ever written a letter to the editor? Here’s how to start
Jan 25: The Asch Conformity Study, inauguration crowds, and the importance of speaking out
Jan 24: #ResistTrumpTuesday—good news day or another paying dues day?
Jan 23: Spy the Lie 101: How to enjoy watching Rcon spokesbot interviews, even KAC!
Jan 22: Why I prayed for the President* today
Jan 21: The only silver lining in the midst of these clouds
Inaugural (!) diary: Stop expecting Republicons to make sense
