Raphael Warnock is a United States Senator from Georgia, but he also remains a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In his Sunday sermon on November 10, he spoke words about the election outcome that take us beyond the usual political yackety-yak and got to the heart and soul of what is happening in America. Warnock said:
“…this is about so much more than an election. It’s about the character of the country. I said before the election that this election is not about who he is, or who she is, but about who we are. Clearly, we got some spiritual work to do.”
Nail hit solidly on the head. America is not just facing a political crisis. America is in the midst of a profound moral crisis. Yes, there is no doubt that Democrats made serious mistakes and blunders about how to deal with Donald Trump. Yes, Democrats have seriously misjudged the tenor of the American people, not just MAGATs. Democrats’ blindness and deafness made Trump’s overwhelming victory and the Republican sweep almost inevitable. They will have to make far-reaching changes in policy and practice if they are to make a comeback.
But let’s not allow the Democratic political blunders to obscure another lesson from the elections: the American people went to the polls and elected an immoral cretin as their president. I do not use those words as an attention-getting exaggeration. I mean them as a legitimate definition of who Trump is. Trump’s own words and deeds over the span of nine years have proven he holds the most fundamental values and traditions of our democracy, our Constitution, even our military, in contempt. Trump is a “depraved and brazen pathological liar, a shameless con man, a sociopathic criminal, a man who has no moral or social conscience, empathy, or remorse.”
Right now, we anti-Trumpists face a harsh dilemma. Those average Americans whose support we need are firmly in the Trumpist camp. And we cannot ignore the blunt reality: they knew exactly what they were doing when they voted for Trump and his Republican acolytes. They want the America that Republicans are eagerly putting in place. Two columnists have published an insightful look at this phenomenon:
USA Today: Trump wins 2024 election. America needs to admit it's not 'better than this.'
Washington Post: Stop Pretending Trump Is Not Who We Are
(For a deeper look at the implications of Trump’s re-election see: Commentator Provides Scathing Analysis of Trump’s Re-election)
In short, Democrats have to tread carefully when attacking Trump on moral grounds—even though, to us, that seems his weakest point. Above all, when commenting on social media, avoid labels, like fascist—or immoral cretin. The better approach: use and emphasize his own words, and make your point in terms of a question. Examples: don’t just label him a misogynist. Point out that Trump has called women fat, ugly, of low intellect, Miss Piggy, bimbo, and dog. And ask the question: how can anyone support a person who has used this language? Or, “Trump mocked a handicapped person. How can you”…etc.
But Rev. Warlock has laid the groundwork for a universal response to the gross immorality of Trump and his Republican followers. It’s time to emphasize: it’s about who we are. And lots of Americans seem to need some spiritual work. Being angry about inflation or illegal immigration does not mean you are justified in supporting a politician who has advocated killing former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Milley; called opponents vermin; talked about a firing squad for Liz Cheney; used vulgar, filthy language—to name a few specific examples of Trump’s total lack of a moral conscience.
My question is: where are our other Christian leaders on this issue? Why aren’t our pulpits ringing with denunciation of someone who treats the Christian religion with as much contempt as he treats the Constitution, the rule of law, and other basic American values? Where is there one iota of “love thy neighbor as thyself” or “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” in anything Donald Trump has ever said or did? Why do our major Christian denominations remain silent as Trump wantonly violates the three Commandments against lying, committing adultery, and stealing?
The Democrats’ priority right now is to put in place an agenda that addresses Americans’ concerns about issues like inflation, immigration, climate warming, etc. But Trump’s gross immorality cannot be ignored, and must someday soon be treated as the threat it poses to the survival of American democracy.