Evangelical Pastor John Hagee has issued a written apology to Catholics. Bill Donahue has accepted the apology and decreed the case “closed.” “Whatever problems we had before,” announced the president of the Catholic League, “are now history.”
Under most circumstances only those devoted to the promulgation of ecumenical good will would pay any attention to this. But many people are paying attention to this. And they are not brimming with ecumenical good will.
That’s because the whole Hagee affair can be filed under the burgeoning category: “Affiliations With Religious Figures That May Have Catastrophic Ramifications Come Election Day.” Hagee, as is well known, endorsed McCain in late February. Within hours of his endorsement, news of the Televangelist’s anti-Catholic sentiments made national headlines.
His phaser set to “damage control,” McCain backtracked on February 28th:“in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee’s views.” Not helping matters was Hagee’s revelation a few weeks later that the McCain campaign sought his backing.
In due course, the Senator conceded to George Stephanopoulos that seeking Hagee’s support was “probably a mistake.” This raises the tactical question of why McCain reached out to him in the first place.
To begin with, there was probably a desire to push Hang-Around Huckabee out the door. The Hagee episode occurred at precisely the time that many were wondering if the former governor of Arkansas was having so dang’ good 'a time running for president that he would campaign until the Rapture. The endorsement apparently vexed Huckabee and it may have quickened his eventual exit a few days later.
But the major factor motivating McCain’s decision was the spectre of massive conservative Christian support on November 4th, 2008. From his appearance at the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, to his “Christian nation” remark, to his “conversion” to Baptism (In the Church of the National Press Core), McCain had been trying for months to woo Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. (This task was not made any easier by his infamous South Carolina implosion of 2000 where he upbraided the Religious Right).
McCain’s campaign was undoubtedly eager to win over a constituency that performed so capably for George W. Bush the last time around. The problem, however, is that his strategists were applying the electoral logic of 2004 to 2008.
For today’s Evangelical community is politically unsettled. Signs of skepticism and frustration with high-profile leaders such as Hagee are evident. Neither the latter’s endorsement, nor that of any other prominent Evangelical or Fundamentalist, can assure that this constituency will repeat its performance of four years ago. Indeed, one might even say that the Hagees of the world trigger even greater division among Evangelicals.
Faith and Values politicking is a tricky business. The irony is that by soliciting this pastor's support, McCain not only risked alienating Catholics (though I think he may now be out of the woods), not only gave the Obama people a useful tool for deflecting attention from Reverend Wright, but may have actually prodded swing Evangelicals to continue reassessing their traditional party loyalties.
(For more information about religion and the candidates check out Faith 2008 by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs.)
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