Why Evangelicals are Turning to Romney

Two tongue-in-cheek articles about Evangelicals and social conservatives lining up behind Romney are worth a glance:

David French, who wrote the book, Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney, gives a false lament in Patheos, saying that he woke up Monday morning feeling a bit useless, “because Barack Obama accomplished more in about two minutes and thirteen seconds than I was able to accomplish in more than six years of continual effort.  Barack Obama united evangelicals and Mormons around Mitt Romney.”

French says that in coming out for same-sex marriage, Obama has now embraced the entire secular left agenda, so he says, “My work is done.  My mission is accomplished. But I didn’t accomplish it.  Thank you, President Obama, for doing my job far, far better than I ever could.”

Then there is Jennifer Rubin’s article on this week’s Newsweek cover, where Obama is called “The First Gay President”. Penning a letter to the magazine in The Washington Post as if she were Mitt Romney:

Ann and I would like to thank you for the overly generous gift. We can not fully express our gratitude for the depiction of President Obama as the “first gay president” with a rainbow halo over his head — golly gee, we had a good guffaw over that. You just don’t know what it means to us.

Up front let me say, I share the horror of my liberal friends in the use of wedge social issues to inflame the electorate and divert attention from the big issues of our time. I mean you guys keep telling us, writing books about Kansas and so on, and giving conservatives the what-for over resorting to issues that are highly divisive and really more rhetorical than anything. (I mean, it’s not like the president is going to do anything about gay marriage.) So I know devoting a cover and major story on the subject of one of these hot-button, culture war issues was a great burden, leaving yourselves open to allegations of gross hypocrisy. I tip my hat to you.

But really, to characterize the president as the first “gay president” was an unexpected joy for Ann, the boys and me. I’m not about to go stoking the flames of anti-gay fervor in my base. That’s not my style, and as I always say to Ann, a moment not talking about Obama’s economic bellyflop is a moment wasted. But you’ve done it for me! Why, I don’t suppose there is a social conservative activist in the country who wouldn’t toss his cookies (excuse my language) over that label. They tell me they are fired up and ready to go! It’s very important in business and government to delegate, so I am relieved that you and your other journalist friends have taken care of this for me. (Do you have Hilary Rosen’s snail mail address? We’ve been remiss in not sending her some flowers.)

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Last week Mitt Romney spoke at graduation at Liberty University, a southern Baptist college and Hugh Hewitt noted the significance:

It was also an extraordinary occasion, one that has passed without much comment, as no one would have predicted a century ago that a Mormon would be addressing a gathering of graduates at a Southern Baptist college at the opening of his campaign for the presidency. It is a triumph of religious liberty that such a speech could be given by such a candidate on such a campus.

Even most of the journalists who commented on the significance of the occasion missed, however, the key paragraph in the address.

"Today, thanks to what you have gained here, you leave Liberty with conviction and confidence as your armor," Romney told the graduates and their families. "You know what you believe. You know who you are. And you know Whom you will serve. Not all colleges instill that kind of confidence, but it will be among the most prized qualities from your education here. Moral certainty, clear standards and a commitment to spiritual ideals will set you apart in a world that searches for meaning."

In the prepared text that Romney' staff distributed, the "W" in "Whom" was capitalized. That's what some linguists would call a "signifier," and what people of faith would call a sign.

Romney's theology doesn't match with that of Liberty's founder, Jerry Falwell. But their worldviews aligned and they were friends. Both men agreed there is a God in heaven who is not neutral on the actions of men and women on Earth.