Why are politically minded evangelicals not supporting Tim Scott over Donald Trump?

[WolfGate]

Looking at it objectively, from what I was in the past told by many of my fellow evangelicals and read from evangelical leaders in the media, it should be a very easy decision to place their support behind Tim Scott instead of Trump for 2024. Yet that isn't happening. Why?

Tim Scott, a Christian 'above all other things': How a Ten Commandments fight shaped him

Here's how a 1997 county council fight over the Ten Commandments shaped Tim Scott's political career.

www.usatoday.com

Things that the evangelical voters who supported Trump should find very attractive.

1) Tim Scott is an evangelical like they are, not somebody who has only promised to support them "I see myself first as a biblical leader and not as a Republican or conservative leader," Scott said during a 2020 video conference with students at Bob Jones University, which is known for its conservative cultural and religious positions. "I am first a Christian," he added. "And it is the thing I have chosen to be above all other things."

2) Tim Scott supports many of the policies (religious freedom, pro-life) that Trump supporters claimed drove their Trump support (over the supposed dislike of Trump's immorality and narcissism) to the point that "Democrats have signaled that their plan is to cast Scott, who at times was critical of Trump, as a disciple of his policy pursuits. They called attention to his social views, calling him a "MAGA Republican"."

3) His whole theme of personal responsibility and that we need "more victors and not victims" aligns with the worldview of that group.

4) Tim Scott's demeanor shows love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

4) Scott consistently beats Biden in hypothetical general election polls and doesn't have strong negatives in polling, which is a solid foundation to grow his lead over an unpopular incumbent as he gets more exposure.

My current conclusion is that evangelicals have gone tribal and now identify as Trump supporters first and Christ followers second. Sticking it to the Democrats for the way they treated Trump is more important to that group than anything else. They could support a man in Scott who has a long history that shows he looks to our God and Savior; instead they are so far sticking with Trump who Dobson had to try and defend as a "baby Christian" and who years later was unable to answer Sean Hannity's question about how his faith had grown.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

My current conclusion is that evangelicals have gone tribal and now identify as Trump supporters first and Christ followers second.

BINGO!

 

[DaisyDay]

Look at how Evangelicals were with Carter - a sincere Christian - and Ronald Reagan - divorced, remarried and full of conspicuous consumption.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Look at how Evangelicals were with Carter - a sincere Christian - and Ronald Reagan - divorced, remarried and full of conspicuous consumption.

It is about the money honey.

 

[DaisyDay]

It is about the money honey.

That's a robust explanation.

 

[wing2000]

...because character and morality are values that don't matter for a good chuckk of today's so-called "evangelicals". They made that clear in 2016, 2020 and again this year.

 

[keith99]

Look at how Evangelicals were with Carter - a sincere Christian - and Ronald Reagan - divorced, remarried and full of conspicuous consumption.

Let's not forget the part astrology played regarding Reagan!

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Let's not forget the part astrology played regarding Reagan!

Right! I forgot about that.

 

[RoBo1988]

Looking at it objectively, from what I was in the past told by many of my fellow evangelicals and read from evangelical leaders in the media, it should be a very easy decision to place their support behind Tim Scott instead of Trump for 2024. Yet that isn't happening. Why?

Tim Scott, a Christian 'above all other things': How a Ten Commandments fight shaped him

Here's how a 1997 county council fight over the Ten Commandments shaped Tim Scott's political career.

www.usatoday.com

Things that the evangelical voters who supported Trump should find very attractive.

1) Tim Scott is an evangelical like they are, not somebody who has only promised to support them "I see myself first as a biblical leader and not as a Republican or conservative leader," Scott said during a 2020 video conference with students at Bob Jones University, which is known for its conservative cultural and religious positions. "I am first a Christian," he added. "And it is the thing I have chosen to be above all other things."

2) Tim Scott supports many of the policies (religious freedom, pro-life) that Trump supporters claimed drove their Trump support (over the supposed dislike of Trump's immorality and narcissism) to the point that "Democrats have signaled that their plan is to cast Scott, who at times was critical of Trump, as a disciple of his policy pursuits. They called attention to his social views, calling him a "MAGA Republican"."

3) His whole theme of personal responsibility and that we need "more victors and not victims" aligns with the worldview of that group.

4) Tim Scott's demeanor shows love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

4) Scott consistently beats Biden in hypothetical general election polls and doesn't have strong negatives in polling, which is a solid foundation to grow his lead over an unpopular incumbent as he gets more exposure.

My current conclusion is that evangelicals have gone tribal and now identify as Trump supporters first and Christ followers second. Sticking it to the Democrats for the way they treated Trump is more important to that group than anything else. They could support a man in Scott who has a long history that shows he looks to our God and Savior; instead they are so far sticking with Trump who Dobson had to try and defend as a "baby Christian" and who years later was unable to answer Sean Hannity's question about how his faith had grown.

So, I take it that you are supporting senator Scott for president.
I like Tim Scott, if he's the nominee, I will most definitely vote for him over anyone from team blue

 

[JustOneWay]

"4) Tim Scott's demeanor shows love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."

I suppose this one reeks of pacifism and weakness. They want a hammer not a feather.

 

[RoBo1988]

Look at how Evangelicals were with Carter - a sincere Christian - and Ronald Reagan - divorced, remarried and full of conspicuous consumption.

Good Christian, not so good of a president.

 

[WolfGate]

Look at how Evangelicals were with Carter - a sincere Christian - and Ronald Reagan - divorced, remarried and full of conspicuous consumption.

In fairness, there were some significant policy differences between Reagan and Carter; those don't exist with Scott and Trump. Also the Iran Embassy situation had hurt morale (as I remember it; I was a teenager then). Economic issues Carter was handed required some pretty hefty interest rate raises to combat which pushed the US into a recession that really harmed ordinary blue collar and middle class workers. Reagan offered an alternative which was attractive to lots of groups, evangelicals included, and influenced them to choose a change in policy over any Christian sympathies.

That type of dynamic is not relevant to this Republican primary.

 

[WolfGate]

So, I take it that you are supporting senator Scott for president.
I like Tim Scott, if he's the nominee, I will most definitely vote for him over anyone from team blue

I donated to two Republican candidates who are focused on policy in order to help them meet criteria to be at the debates. They are not candidates who are running to be like Trump or simply to oppose Trump. I would enthusiastically welcome either of them as the nominee. Tim Scott is one of those two. Personally, while theologically evangelical, I do not identify with the political evangelical group, and I do not understand how they justify supporting Trump over Scott given their supposed goals.

 

[chevyontheriver]

1) Never heard of him.

Who?

Trump has inhaled all of the Oxygen in the Republican party. Pity, because there are some good candidates again this year. Scott being one of them.

If only we could decide collectively to do away with these two guys bordering on senility and get some common sense again. Biden's best campaign claim is that only he can defeat Trump. Trump's best campaign claim is only he can defeat Biden. Neither claim is true, but they are believed to be true by enough voters that we're stuck with both of them.

2) Maybe Evangelicals don't like him because he's black?

They must have REALLY hated Alan Keyes, a Republican ended up running as an independent in 2008, who was both Black AND Catholic.

I would consider voting for Tim Scott. The main reason I'm no longer a Republican is Donald Trump.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Look at how Evangelicals were with Carter - a sincere Christian - and Ronald Reagan - divorced, remarried and full of conspicuous consumption.

In fairness though, Evangelicals at the time--and that includes Carter himself--were hardly as politically uniform as today. The 1980's through the 2000s were major decades of Evangelical politicization. It began much earlier, but it's really in the Reagan-Dubya era. Obama's presidency became a testing ground of that concentration of Evangelical right-wing political activism, in which Obama was viewed as an existential threat to American democracy; with Obama cemented as a political antichrist a major antithesis was required--and that was found in Donald Trump. Trump became a symbol of taking America back from the evils of the Obama era. Though, in all factualness, there wasn't much difference between the Obama and Bush presidencies--both carried on the period of perpetual war and maintained a pretty strong policy of corporate welfare and American militarism. But Obama's presidency did upset the deep underbelly of the American social psyche--which allowed the white nationalists to start coming from under the rocks, and influencing the shape of Trump-era conservatism.

Now Biden, arguably the most ineffectual, do-nothing, milquetoast establishment president in my lifetime, is apparently the absolute worst thing those on the right can conceive.

And so now, somehow, the only savior for America against the legions and hordes of militant people gathering at the southern border is our lord and savior Donald Trump, the stable genius.

This isn't the Evangelicalism of the Carter era. This isn't even the Evangelicalism of my youth in the 80's and 90's. This is a brand new Evangelicalism. It even has its brand new Evangel to preach. An evangel that is completely absent of Jesus Christ.

-CryptoLutehran

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I do not understand how they justify supporting Trump over Scott given their supposed goals.

I don't understand it either. It seems to me that the narcissist of 45 has infected the Body of Christ. I think what we are seeing is a winnowing process . You know, separating the wheat from the chaff.Some people are wheat. Some people are tares.

 

[durangodawood]

Theres a whiff of fascism emanating from Trump. "Only I can do....X, Y Z."

These guys seem to come along whenever a population segment is feeling desperate or resentful, and ready to sacrifice religious principles in service of restoring themselves to the center of cultural and political gravity.

 

[SarahsKnight]

4) Tim Scott's demeanor shows love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Well, there's the reason why they wouldn't support Scott over Trump. Half the fruits described there are pretty much anathema to them these days. Peace, longsuffering, gentleness, and meekness all reek too much of caving in to the demands of 'dem Evil Libs, you see.

 

[RoBo1988]

Though, in all factualness, there wasn't much difference between the Obama and Bush presidencies--both carried on the period of perpetual war and maintained a pretty strong policy of corporate welfare and American militarism.

You will find most of us who supported DJT were not enamored with GWB. I voted for both of them twice, mainly because the Democrats cannot seem to field a candidate who actually knows what is going on. Republicans aren't much better, but they at least acknowledge the frustration amongst the working class in the USA.

 

[JustOneWay]

You will find most of us who supported DJT were not enamored with GWB. I voted for both of them twice, mainly because the Democrats cannot seem to field a candidate who actually knows what is going on. Republicans aren't much better, but they at least acknowledge the frustration amongst the working class in the USA.

Nothing says "we support the working class" better than by giving corporate America and the rich tax cuts.