TV preacher Pat Robertson, himself a former Republican presidential candidate, bucked the religious-right trend and threw his official support to Rudy Giuliani today.
Pat Robertson, one of the most influential figures in the social conservative movement, will announce his support for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid this morning in Washington, D.C., according to sources familiar with the decision.
Robertson’s support was coveted by several of the leading Republican candidates and provides Giuliani with a major boost as the former New York City mayor seeks to convince social conservatives that, despite his positions on abortion and gay rights, he is an acceptable choice as the GOP nominee.
At first blush, this may appear ridiculous. Giuliani, as mayor, supported abortion rights, gay rights, gun control, and lax immigration laws, all issues on which Robertson takes the opposite position. Perhaps more importantly, Giuliani is a thrice-married serial adulterer, who is largely estranged from his own children, a lifestyle choice Robertson would likely find offensive.
And yet, it’s really not that strange at all. Giuliani has been trying to circumvent religious-right leaders all year, but Robertson has been the exception. Giuliani has been to Regent University, he’s been a regular on the Christian Broadcasting Network, and he’s sat down a few times with CBN’s David Brody. For those of us who’ve been watching these two, Giuliani and Robertson have been like two peas in a pod for quite some time.
Some of the media reports this morning have suggested this undermines the for Giuliani’s campaign among leading evangelicals. These reporters don’t appreciate the fact that the religious-right movement has serious schisms — and Robertson hasn’t been in the mainstream for years. His principles are malleable, his ideas are embarrassing, and his goal is to have a seat at the table. Robertson goes where the political winds take him.
Dobson, Wildmon, Weyrich, Land, and others are ideologues, not partisans. Robertson is the opposite.
As for Giuliani, today’s endorsement could prove to be more of a curse than a blessing.
Chris Cillizza argues that Robertson is “one of the most influential figures in the social conservative movement,” which necessarily means that Giuliani will get an important boost out of today’s announcement. Don’t count on it.
Robertson, even in religious right circles, is considered something of a clown. He has a cult following that keeps the Christian Broadcasting Network afloat, but Robertson’s Christian Coalition has practically been driven out of business, and other leading evangelicals are embarrassed to be seen with him. You’ll notice, for example, that at last month’s “Values Voter Summit,” the largest gathering of the year for the movement, Robertson wasn’t invited and played no role whatsoever.
With that in mind, Giuliani shouldn’t expect a sudden rush of support from Christian fundamentalists. Indeed, as far as the threats about a third-party move go, today changes nothing — Robertson wasn’t part of these talks before, and his endorsement won’t mean anything now.
Indeed, I think the more meaningful trend to watch here is whether Robertson’s support actually becomes a hindrance for Giuliani. The former NYC mayor is cozying up to someone most reasonable people find to be stark raving mad.
Ideally, reporters would start to ask Giuliani about whether he agrees with some of the comments made by his buddy. For example, on Sept. 13, 2001, 48 hours after the Twin Towers fell, Robertson said Americans “deserved” to be attacked. Does Giuliani agree with this? If not, why is he trumpeting Robertson’s endorsement as a major development?
For that matter, Robertson believes the U.S. federal judiciary is more dangerous than “a few bearded-terrorists who fly into buildings.” Does Giuliani have any problem with that?
Robertson told a national television audience a couple of years ago that he’d like to see terrorists hit the State Department headquarters in DC. Does Giuliani find that to be an acceptable comment in our public discourse?
Robertson has said mainline Protestant denominations are “the spirit of the Anti-Christ,” and insisted that he has the ability to move hurricanes with his mind. Is Giuliani comfortable with all of this?
Inquiring minds want to know.