This is not the blog article I intended to post on January 10, but little did I know when I made my Jan. 5 post, partly about the end of the election season in the U.S., that it was going to end so violently.
Hawley, the
Embarrassing Missouri Senator
In that Jan. 5 post I wrote, “Embarrassingly
for many of us Missourians, last Wednesday Sen. Josh Hawley announced his
intention to object to the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral
college victory, which will lead to hours of debate tomorrow on what should be
merely a routine matter.”
On Jan. 6, Hawley (b. 12/31/79) not only
persisted in calling the presidential election into question, even after the
insurrectionist mob stormed the Capitol, he cheered that mob on as DJT had done
in his inflammatory speech at the “Save America” rally earlier in the day.
Here is the photo of Hawley taken early on Wednesday afternoon by Francis Chung, a photojournalist for E&E News:
As Katie Bernard wrote for the Kansas City Star
this morning, this image “seemed to crystallize Hawley’s week-long role
as the face of the Electoral College challenge to Biden—and the chaos it
unleashed.”
Again, this is highly embarrassing to many of us Missourians—and
adds to our ongoing and deep disappointment that he defeated Claire McCaskill,
the highly qualified incumbent, in the 2018 senatorial election.
Hawley, the Outspoken
Evangelical Christian
Senator Hawley is
also an embarrassment for those of us who identify as Christians—as is much of the
conservative evangelicalism with which he has long associated.
As John Fea, a university professor and prolific blogger, pointed out yesterday, “The U.S. Senators who objected to the Electoral College results were almost all evangelicals.”
Described as “a
conservative, evangelical Presbyterian,” for many years Josh Hawley has been
clear in his support of the issues most important to the Christian Right: a
strong advocate for “religious freedom” and strong in his opposition to abortion
and gay rights.
Back in 2015 at the
beginning of his campaign to become the Attorney General of Missouri, he was
lauded by Don Hinkle, the editor of The Pathway, Missouri’s conservative
Southern Baptist newspaper.
As Hinkle pointed
out, Hawley had worked on the Becket legal team that “won two of the most
important religious liberty cases of our time.” One of those was the highly
publicized Hobby Lobby case refusing to include abortion drugs in the insurance
provided for their employees.
Hawley has also
taught at Blackstone Legal Fellowship, a program seeking to train (conservative)
Christian lawyers. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has labeled that organization
“an extremist group.”
Blackstone is an arm of Alliance Defending
Freedom, which SPLC has designated as a hate group since 2016. That is largely
because the “freedom” they defend is the freedom to discriminate against LGBTQ
people and to block legal abortion activities.
Hawley, the Co-instigator
of Sedition
It seems manifestly
obvious that DJT instigated the insurrection of January 6. But more than anyone
else, Hawley was the leading co-instigator.
On the afternoon of
that fateful day, the editorial board of the Kansas City Star declared, “No one other than President Donald Trump
himself is more responsible for Wednesday’s coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol
other than one Joshua David Hawley.”
The headline for
that editorial unequivocally stated their assessment of Hawley’s involvement in
the chaos at the Capitol: “Assault on democracy: Sen. Josh Hawley has blood on
his hands in Capitol coup attempt.”
Accordingly, Heather Cox Richardson wrote yesterday, Hawley “watched
his star plummet today.” Former Senator John Danforth (R-MO), his key mentor,
said supporting Hawley was the “worst mistake of my life.”*
In addition, one of Hawley’s major donors called him “an
anti-democracy populist” who provoked the riots. And Simon & Schuster
canceled Hawley’s new book contract.
What Hawley did, most probably intending it to greatly
enhance his viability as the 2024 Republican candidate for the presidency, may,
in stark contrast, have essentially ended his political career.
And perhaps the terrible events at the Capitol on January 6
will mark the beginning of the end of Trumpism and of the conservative
evangelical Christian support of a very flawed President.
+++++
* Part of my 11/15/17
blog post was a positive assessment of former Senator Danforth. And here
is what Fea posted this morning about Danforth and Hawley.
Thank you, Leroy, for once again shining a spotlight on recent events and challenging us to think. Would that many more be challenged to "think" and "think hard." I agree with your assessment here. Very telling when Sen. Danforth, with long and distinguished career, says endorsing Sen. Hawley is one of the biggest regrets of his life. I often wonder with developments such as these the nature of the relationship of the radicalization of the Southern Baptist Convention (1979-1990?) (and by extension evangelicalism) and the increasing militarization of long-standing privileged Christianity deployed in the political sphere. Robert Jones' Death of White Christian America comes to mind. Are we seeing the signs today of the last, dying breath and desperation of a dying privilege in America, long held in place by race and religious privilege, feeding the delusional thinking resurrected by Trump? Fomented/exacerbated by enablers, his supporters and, yes, the echo-chambers of social media and fake news? Though I ceased identifying as Southern Baptist years ago (since 2004), I have observed the organizing efforts and formations you mention within "evangelical" circles, manipulating/militarizing state and federal law with religious taint, with the apparent intention to somehow impose some kind of theocratic rule upon the United States, usually with some kind of victimology or fear-mongering invoked, etc. Theologically, hermeneutically, etc., I trace this to the root problem of propositionalizing truth in the Scriptures, and the false assumption/s that such propositionalizing does not come with its own hegemonic and tainted constructions, etc., conditioned by limited human understanding and context. For those of us who believe in the Divine, we must always exercise love and humility, personally and corporately, in practicing just and good religion. Tom Nowlin
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tom, for your thoughtful comments. I will try to make some response after pasting below some of the comments received by email. (I appreciate it when people post directly here as you did.)
DeleteTom, I'm sorry I am just now getting back here and to making more response to your significant comments--and even now I feel pressed with limited time and energy to respond (briefly) to several people.
DeleteI am glad you mentioned Robert Jones and his important new book. Yes, I think we are, indeed, seeing the death of "White Christian America," but not without a struggle on its part. And while the numbers may be a lot smaller, I am encouraged by those who are working for a multi-cultural, multi-racial, inclusive form of Christianity that is in keeping with the original intention of Jesus Christ.
The first three responses received by email this morning were brief ones from local Thinking Friends.
ReplyDeleteThe first was from a man who wrote, "I hope Hawley’s star has gone out. He is an embarrassment to Christians."
Then this from a women: "Thanks. I totally agree."
And then another man wrote, saying, "I've signed the petition" and gave the following link that some of you may want to sign, as I have just done--and as over 3,900 other people have already done.
https://www.change.org/p/the-united-states-senate-josh-hawley-s-resignation-or-expulsion-from-the-senate?recruiter=27254504&recruited_by_id=6ace37a0-d287-012f-6f72-4040ea65fa16
And here is part of an email I received from a Thinking Friend in my home county in northwest Missouri, where 79% of the votes for President were cast for Trump:
ReplyDelete"Leroy, regarding your last sentence: "And perhaps the terrible events at the Capitol on January 6 will mark the beginning of the end of Trumpism and of the conservative evangelical Christian support of a very flawed President."
"I certainly hope it is correct—and though I’ve had that thought, also, [my husband] and I both are pretty sure it won’t happen. These Trump supporters are committed totally to him.
"It seem’s so hopeless when there is no 'rule' (law? Reason? ) at all for someone like Fox News to tell the truth. There are a lot of deluded people who actually believe that Trump won, that many truths put out by legitimate sources are all lies, fake."
I understand much of the frustration of these friends from rural northwest Missouri, and I realize it is probably easier to be hopeful seeing things from where I live than from where they live. Still, even though there will, no doubt, be many who will remain die-hard Trumpists, I can't help but think that surely there are going to be some, and perhaps, many who are going to move toward a more moderate position after seeing the mayhem caused by the radical Trumpists this week.
DeleteI was delighted to receive the following comments from Dr. Ray Franklin, professor at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. He was a former missionary colleague in Japan--and left Japan the same year (2004) June and I did. We were past 65 and left Japan because we were unilaterally placed on retirement status, but Ray is younger so rather than retiring, he started teaching at Ouachita.
ReplyDeleteHere is what he wrote (ending with Japanese words appropriate for the beginning of this new year):
"I want to thank you for these posts. I have been reading them with interest, even though I have not commented—until today.
"I share your hope that perhaps, at last, we are seeing the beginning of the end of Trumpism."
新年もよろしく。。。
Thanks for this, Leroy. You know how I feel.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate these warm, affirming words from local Thinking Friend Marilyn Peot:
ReplyDelete"You did it again! You surely know how to bring us both the truth and your openness to the dialogue of others that we need to hear and digest! This is one big gift to me and all your Thinking Friends.
"I commend your choosing issues that are current, and your insightful research that you share. I'm grateful you have invited me aboard!
A youngish Thinking Friend from Missouri who is now pastor of a Baptist church in North Carolina wrote,
ReplyDelete"Leroy, thanks for these thoughts. Yesterday I did something that I’ve never done (and should have done long before) and wrote a Senator. I told Sen. Hawley how embarrassing I found his conduct. I am glad to know I am not alone."
Then a couple of hours ago there were two more brief comments from local Thinking Friends:
ReplyDeleteSue Wright wrote, "Sad! Sad! Sad! But thanks for the information."
And Jim Tanner said, "Very good essay, Leroy. Thanks for voicing it."
Sadly, the issue here intersects your last blog. When Pelosi called the House back to order after the riot, she referenced the fact that this was all happening on the Feast of Epiphany, January 6. Suddenly, all the discussion of the role of Herod took on a new relevance. The old was raging against the new. While watching the amazing drama, news crawled across the screen that Democrats had taken control of the Senate. As the old saying goes, "The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine." If that happens in the next few months, that would indeed by exceedingly fine.
ReplyDeleteAs for our Senator (yes, I live in Missouri), I fear he will not be going anywhere. Indeed, if Trump does somehow get impeached and removed before January 20, thus being blocked from running in 2024, Hawley might well have grasped the allegiance of Trump's misguided supporters. Otherwise, I see no reason (other than jail), that Trump will not run himself in 2024. After all, he loves those rallies! Perhaps Hawley will even replace the new traitor Pence as the VP for Trump's next try. Face it, as a joke candidate, Trump took down all the GOP opponents in 2016. Running as a wronged hero in 2024, he will be virtually unstoppable.
Craig, I am pleased that you saw, and mentioned, the connection between this blog post and the previous one. I, too, was impressed by Speaker Pelosi's reference to Epiphany.
DeleteI may be overly optimistic, but with all I have been seeing today as well as yesterday, I don't think Hawley or Trump have much of a political future. All of the terrible images of Jan. 6 will still be available for the general public to see in 2024.
As a Missourian, I too was disappointed when Hawley was first elected, and further disappointed when statewide offices went entirely Republican and Trump won Missouri handily in 2020. I have to second Craig's message that Hawley is not significantly damaged, especially in Missouri, and could recover by 2024 despite the Senate's plans to "penalize" him. He may even benefit from Trump's absence if that plays out. A TIME article by Philip Elliot ended with "Then there’s a sobering finding in a new YouGov poll: a majority of Republicans blame Biden for the riot, 45% actually support storming the Capitol and 30% call those who staged an insurrection 'patriots.'” Those would be nationwide numbers, and are probably higher in Missouri.
ReplyDeleteUs folks in Kansas have our own junior senator and representatives (thankfully not all of them) who are an embarrassment to the State. But thank goodness Hawley is from Missouri and not Kansas.
ReplyDeleteThinking Friend Andrew Bolton in England wrote yesterday,
ReplyDelete"Very timely blog. Thank you. Helpful background.
"I am involved in a Friends Committee on National Legislation Lobby Visit [by Zoom] next Tuesday to Senator Hawley’s office. We are going to express our grave concern to his staffers."
And then there was this from a Missourian who is now one of my Thinking Friends who live in Japan:
ReplyDelete"Bravo. Yes. This needs to be said. I know you and I have corresponded before on the heresy of Christian Nationalism (which is an oxymoron). I admit that in years past I was such a person, but thank the Lord, due to my time now in Japan I am seeing more and more that our citizenship really REALLY is in Christ, and His unseen reign is what we are participating in so that His will can be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. And that entails goodwill towards all.
"Dr. Seat, so many of my friends are going down dark paths, believing they are going to be fighting for God in some upcoming apocalypse. I try to engage them. I am not getting through. In fact, I am being seen now as either not a follower of Jesus or even a servant of Satan.
This from Thinking Friend Bob Hanson in Wisconsin, a man I first knew when we both lived in Fukuoka City, Japan:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for your message today Leroy. . . . I am disappointed, angry, and filled with wonder. This was terrible and I wonder how the new government will handle this. Trump and his cult will not disappear."
Then, Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago wrote this morning,
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for your comments about events this week.
"A friend of mine, who lives in KC and who is usually well-informed, told me in 2018 that the election of Josh Hawley to replace Claire McCaskill was a tragedy for the state of Missouri and for the country. How correct he was!
"Although the events of Wednesday did much to discredit the aura of Trump, they will not end it. Delusional thinking seems to be rampant in the Republican party right now and it will be a long battle to return it to reality, if ever."
Yesterday, I received the following comments from my cousin Lowell Houts, who has been a Thinking Friend for many years but who commented on a blog article in writing for the first. Here is what he wrote (with his permission to post here).
ReplyDelete"Leroy, thank you for your post regarding Sen. Josh Hawley. I would like to see a move for him to be recalled! It appears to me that the 'virus' of racism (white supremacy) was probably infecting the SBC back in the late '70's and 80's when the seeds of fundamentalist takeover were sown. Certainly, Karl Rove seized upon evangelical vulnerability to be exploited by emotionally driven issues."