by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Donald John Trump, the only twice-divorced President in United States history and a man who has faced multiple sexual abuse allegations by multiple women, is the Messiah incarnate as far as many evangelical Christians are concerned - or at least he was. According to an article in yesterday's on-line Politico, Trump had been counting on an increase in his vote totals this November from evangelicals and white Catholics to offset slips in his approval rating among women as well as voters in suburban America.
But a pair of recent surveys from what Politico refers to as "reputable outfits" seem to have thrown White House assumptions about support from some religious communities into a cocked hat. The Politico news report said that the surveys found a "staggering decline" in Trump's favorability among certain religious groups, and it stated that an unnamed GOP official had confirmed that a dip in Trump's support among evangelicals was also evident in the party's internal polling.
One of the surveys being cited was conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and was conducted in April. That survey showed an 11% drop in support for Trump from white evangelicals, a 12% drop from white Catholics, and an 18% drop in support from white mainline protestants over the previous month.
Politico cited a lack of confidence in the administration's coronavirus response as the key element in the sudden drop in religious support for Trump.
The new numbers represented a shrinking of Trump's political base, and that was very concerning to Trump and his political minions. To compensate for this religious slide, Trump, a man who has rarely been observed in a church and likes to play golf on Sundays anyway - but has autographed a few Bibles in his time - suddenly got religion!
Yesterday Trump stepped before the White House Press Corps, made a quick announcement that painted many of America's governors as anti-religion, dropped a threat that he can't back up, and then quickly ran for cover, leaving his new press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, to deal with the mess.
In what was easily some of his sleaziest political maneuvering since moving into the White House, Trump declared:
When Trump left the podium without answering questions, the press secretary was bombarded by journalists wanting clarification. McEnany, a former producer for "Huckabee" on Fox, had a snark rebuttal ready and loudly lamented, "Boy, it's interesting to be in a room that desperately wants to see these churches and houses of worship stay closed."
Trump had declared state governors to be the enemy of religion, and McEnany expanded the list of heathen to include journalists. It would be difficult to get more Trumpian than that.
According to an on-line article in The Guardian yesterday, after the press secretary made her snide rejoinder, Jeff Mason, a reporter from Reuters replied: "Kayleigh, I object to that. I go to church. I'm dying to go back to church. The question that we're asking you, and would like to have asked the president and Dr. Birx, is - is it safe?"
Indeed. Is it safe?
Another reporter, according to an Associated Press article, asked the press secretary what authority Trump had to supersede governors, and she replied that she would not answer a "theoretical" question.
The Associated Press article, again posted on-line yesterday, also contained some feedback from religious sources as well as governors.
Rabbi Jack Malone, the president of the Interfaith Alliance, labeled Trump's call for a mass reopening of churches as "completely irresponsible." He added:
The governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, said that it would be at least another week before churches reopened in her state, and she said that she was skeptical that Trump had the authority to impose his requirement for immediate openings of churches. Governor Raimondo said:
Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, seemed to drift from party ranks when he said he would review federal guidance, but insisted that the decision for his state rested with him. Governor Sununu said:
The Associated Press article also discussed the guidance that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) had drafted for the reopening of various organizations including churches. It said that the draft had gone to the White House more than a month ago, but the Trump administration had "dragged its feet" on implementing the plan because it did not want to give the appearance that it was "interfering" in church operations.
The initial draft of CDC recommendations for reopening churches talked about doing it in steps with a first phase limiting gatherings to video-streamings and drive-in services. Later small gatherings could begin occurring with social-distancing requirements. It also stated that all attendees should wear face masks.
Yesterday, after Trump's surprise announcement, new guidance was posted which had no mention of a phased reopening, and only said face coverings should be used when social-distancing cannot be achieved. The new guidance recommends keeping worshippers six feet from one another and imposing limitations on singing. Singing can cause aerosolized droplets which can spread the virus.
In summation, the Trump administration, which had no announced plan for reopening churches, suddenly posted one in coordination with Trump's demand that governors quit interfering with religion and allow all church services to resume. In addition to Trump making the point that many governors, especially Democrats, are godless, his press secretary was quick to point out that journalists are godless as well.
And there will be a helluva lot of confusion this holiday weekend as some governors try to keep their citizens safe in spite of Trump's cynical and extremely dangerous re-election ploy! There will likely even be morons with guns roaming around some of the churches insuring the worshipers god-given right to pray in crowded settings instead of in the safety of their own homes.
Pass those collection plates and praise Jesus!
But through it all Donald John Trump will remain secure in his firm conviction that he is God's man on Earth.
Fore!
Citizen Journalist
Donald John Trump, the only twice-divorced President in United States history and a man who has faced multiple sexual abuse allegations by multiple women, is the Messiah incarnate as far as many evangelical Christians are concerned - or at least he was. According to an article in yesterday's on-line Politico, Trump had been counting on an increase in his vote totals this November from evangelicals and white Catholics to offset slips in his approval rating among women as well as voters in suburban America.
But a pair of recent surveys from what Politico refers to as "reputable outfits" seem to have thrown White House assumptions about support from some religious communities into a cocked hat. The Politico news report said that the surveys found a "staggering decline" in Trump's favorability among certain religious groups, and it stated that an unnamed GOP official had confirmed that a dip in Trump's support among evangelicals was also evident in the party's internal polling.
One of the surveys being cited was conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and was conducted in April. That survey showed an 11% drop in support for Trump from white evangelicals, a 12% drop from white Catholics, and an 18% drop in support from white mainline protestants over the previous month.
Politico cited a lack of confidence in the administration's coronavirus response as the key element in the sudden drop in religious support for Trump.
The new numbers represented a shrinking of Trump's political base, and that was very concerning to Trump and his political minions. To compensate for this religious slide, Trump, a man who has rarely been observed in a church and likes to play golf on Sundays anyway - but has autographed a few Bibles in his time - suddenly got religion!
Yesterday Trump stepped before the White House Press Corps, made a quick announcement that painted many of America's governors as anti-religion, dropped a threat that he can't back up, and then quickly ran for cover, leaving his new press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, to deal with the mess.
In what was easily some of his sleaziest political maneuvering since moving into the White House, Trump declared:
"Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It's not right. So I'm correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential. The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now. For this weekend. If they don't do it, I will override the governors. In America we need more prayer, not less."
When Trump left the podium without answering questions, the press secretary was bombarded by journalists wanting clarification. McEnany, a former producer for "Huckabee" on Fox, had a snark rebuttal ready and loudly lamented, "Boy, it's interesting to be in a room that desperately wants to see these churches and houses of worship stay closed."
Trump had declared state governors to be the enemy of religion, and McEnany expanded the list of heathen to include journalists. It would be difficult to get more Trumpian than that.
According to an on-line article in The Guardian yesterday, after the press secretary made her snide rejoinder, Jeff Mason, a reporter from Reuters replied: "Kayleigh, I object to that. I go to church. I'm dying to go back to church. The question that we're asking you, and would like to have asked the president and Dr. Birx, is - is it safe?"
Indeed. Is it safe?
Another reporter, according to an Associated Press article, asked the press secretary what authority Trump had to supersede governors, and she replied that she would not answer a "theoretical" question.
The Associated Press article, again posted on-line yesterday, also contained some feedback from religious sources as well as governors.
Rabbi Jack Malone, the president of the Interfaith Alliance, labeled Trump's call for a mass reopening of churches as "completely irresponsible." He added:
"Faith is essential and community is necessary; however, neither requires endangering the people who seek to participate in them. The virus does not discriminate between types of gatherings, and neither should the president."
The governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, said that it would be at least another week before churches reopened in her state, and she said that she was skeptical that Trump had the authority to impose his requirement for immediate openings of churches. Governor Raimondo said:
"It's reckless to force them (the churches and houses of worship) to reopen this weekend. They're not ready. We've got a good plan. I'm going to stick with it."
Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, seemed to drift from party ranks when he said he would review federal guidance, but insisted that the decision for his state rested with him. Governor Sununu said:
"Obviously we'd like to get to the point where we could have those open, but we'll look at the guidance documents and try to make some decisions rather quickly, depending on what it might say. It's the governor's decision, of course."
The Associated Press article also discussed the guidance that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) had drafted for the reopening of various organizations including churches. It said that the draft had gone to the White House more than a month ago, but the Trump administration had "dragged its feet" on implementing the plan because it did not want to give the appearance that it was "interfering" in church operations.
The initial draft of CDC recommendations for reopening churches talked about doing it in steps with a first phase limiting gatherings to video-streamings and drive-in services. Later small gatherings could begin occurring with social-distancing requirements. It also stated that all attendees should wear face masks.
Yesterday, after Trump's surprise announcement, new guidance was posted which had no mention of a phased reopening, and only said face coverings should be used when social-distancing cannot be achieved. The new guidance recommends keeping worshippers six feet from one another and imposing limitations on singing. Singing can cause aerosolized droplets which can spread the virus.
In summation, the Trump administration, which had no announced plan for reopening churches, suddenly posted one in coordination with Trump's demand that governors quit interfering with religion and allow all church services to resume. In addition to Trump making the point that many governors, especially Democrats, are godless, his press secretary was quick to point out that journalists are godless as well.
And there will be a helluva lot of confusion this holiday weekend as some governors try to keep their citizens safe in spite of Trump's cynical and extremely dangerous re-election ploy! There will likely even be morons with guns roaming around some of the churches insuring the worshipers god-given right to pray in crowded settings instead of in the safety of their own homes.
Pass those collection plates and praise Jesus!
But through it all Donald John Trump will remain secure in his firm conviction that he is God's man on Earth.
Fore!
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