When "Jesus" and "the cross" were mentioned, I swallowed my saliva. As a Jew, it's a little hard for me to relate to the story that played a large part in the mass murder of our ancestors. But if we ignore the religious gaps, we can learn from the "Faith and Liberty" conference held in Washington over the weekend how much more than a personal battle between Trump and Biden is.
The "faith" the candidates spoke of is not only religious-Christian, but also political. The connection between the two is part of the core of the dispute between the blocs in the American superpower.
"They want to hide religion and persecute a baseball coach who prayed before a game," Senator Tim Scott, one of the ten Republican presidential candidates, told the crowd. "Not on my watch," he declared, setting the hall to its feet.
Tim Scott at the conference. "Not on my watch," Photo: AP
Scott, who receives only two percent support from Republican voters, quoted Biden's Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as saying, "In many cases, abortions are for black women who will not be able to care for their children."
Scott was outraged. "I was born and raised to such a mother. My mother was alone, and had a low income. If my mother had accepted Yellen's approach, I wouldn't have lived. Thank you, Mom, for giving birth to me," the senator said with a smile, then added: "I don't know if you noticed—I'm black. She talks like she's trying to explain to me what it means to be black."
Progressives lead to death
In other words, for the hard core of Christian Republicans, a fetal heartbeat is more important than income. And in any case, dear Democrats, don't patronize them or explain to them what's good for them.
Biden attacks Republicans over debt ceiling crisis // Photo: Reuters
Protesters in Texas against the new abortion policy, Photo: AFP
Scott's remarks and life history were repeated by many speakers at the conference. And, as always, eyesight and footwork are better than watching a TV report. Contrary to the prevailing narrative in the American media that Republicans represent only old, white, racist America, there were many blacks, Hispanics and other minorities in the audience and on the podium.
For example - the interesting Indian presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy. "Where there is no faith and meaning, depression, drugs and suicide come in," Ramaswamy explained of his religious beliefs.
The concluding idea, both his own and that of others, is that moral clarity and conservative values preserve life, while the "Woke," meaning progressives, who also support "abortion of live prenatal babies," lead to death.
Ramaswamy. "Where there is no meaning, depression enters," Photo: AFP
Elveda King, Martin Luther King's niece, kicked the racism ball straight at the other side. "My uncle said, 'I have a dream.' The situation in America today is that a person is automatically judged only because of the color of his skin. White is bad, not white is good. It goes against Dr. King's vision," she explained.
As far as the right side of the political map is concerned, the entire campaign is on the face of America, and it will determine what a family is, whether there is a God and whether it is part of politics. And, of course, longstanding issues such as the economic system, dealing with crime and drugs, borders and migrants, abortion and suicide, China, the courts and more. Most of the issues, which were an absolute consensus until a decade ago, have now become substantive political issues that will determine the future of hundreds of millions of Americans.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. "An iron alliance with Israel," Photo: AP
As for Israel, thank you for asking. Here, in this forum, there is no concern for her safety. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reiterated in his speech what he told Israel Hayom about the duty of the United States to maintain an "iron alliance with Israel." That's when the crowd rose to its feet.
DeSantis is convincing with logical arguments, and not really touching. Trump does this better than any other contender. So right now, the young challenger is still 30 percent behind the former president. On the other hand, DeSantis' enthusiastic reception shows that everything is still open.
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