HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT

[HairOfTheDog]

I am surprised he got such a large chunk of the evangelical vote, very surprised. If he supports the gays, then they will run from him, but he is (or the people he pays) not that stupid.

I think you're right on the money.

I was surprised too that Trump was able to secure the evangelical vote, and that he didn't lose it after the Access Hollywood tape was leaked. Duchess wasn't surprised by the latter, but I was. Only the Mormons ditched him in large numbers.

After standing back and looking at the big picture, it shouldn't have been surprising at all. As you know well, some of the high-profile religious leaders are quite profitable and quite political; they wield a lot of power with a huge number of voters.

Trump had formed an alliance with Jerry Falwell Jr. during the primaries, just like outsider celebrity candidate Ronald Reagan had done with Jerry Falwell Sr., who helped Reagan sweep the evangelical vote.

Falwell Jr. certainly expected something in return for the Trump endorsement, just like his father had with Reagan, just like is always the case in politics.

So......the 2016 RNC platform, finalized in July, is heavy on "one man, one woman" marriage and how 'social experiments' which deviate from that traditional model need to be fought against by the party because they are not healthy for children or society. And how the Bible needs to be taught in schools. And how the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationally (with states controlling many conditions) needs to be overturned, etc... It's a more conservative platform than 2012, even though the party had planned to be more inclusive after the Romney loss. (ref, section 6, https://www.gop.com/platform/ )

And, after the Access Hollywood tape was released in October, Falwell Jr. was a prominent voice helping Trump with evangelicals. Falwell led the "that was 10 years ago, it's awful, but we know he's sorry and we forgive him as good Christians" redemption effort, which was successful. The evangelical vote played a large part in Trump's electoral victory. He could not have won had he not swept that large voter block.

There was an interesting piece I read earlier today which reflected a lot of the concerns that I've heard voiced here and elsewhere over the last few days. I think it's too presumptive in some regards, but the gist is accurate and realistic. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike...21bbc8ff9b