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Donald Trump in Arizona, 2020 | Photo: Gage Skidmore
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Another Woodward Book
In every one of the last three administrations, Bob Woodward has published a well-sourced, insider book, and none of them have reflected well on the sitting president. At this point, it should be obvious that Woodward doesn’t write hagiography. That didn’t stop President Trump from talking to Woodward on the record for this latest book “Rage.”
In the book, Woodward catalogues the president’s misleading statements about the coronavirus, his knowledge of the dangers, and failure to act according to the information he had. This adds the already powerful narrative that Trump botched the coronavirus response and that he continues to lie about it.
Why did Trump talk to Woodward 18 times after he’d already written one critical account of the president? There’s probably just one explanation: ego. This story displays all of Trump’s vices in one neat package. He believes he can talk anyone into anything. He is not honest. He puts his best interest in front of everything else. He made his name talking to tabloid reporters in New York. And ultimately, he believes that all attention is good attention.
None of this is new information and much of it is unlikely to change voters’ minds. Trump’s reputation and his lack of personal character are baked into his ratings and reputation to the point that this may be out of the media cycle by the end of the week.
We should all be concerned about the lack of transparency this story reveals. The President, the media, congressional leaders who had similar security briefings and downplayed the danger of the virus, the WHO and CDC, and everyone else involved with the virus response should be accountable for what they knew and what they did about it. We can never stop demanding honesty and accountability, whatever our political interests. The truth is more important than short-term political wins.
Can Anything Change the Race?
The succession of bombshells is far from through; expect more news to emerge about Trump in the next month. With the debates on the horizon, the window of opportunity for either candidate to make a big move is closing. A recent poll found only 3% of voters are undecided. In the right places, that could make a difference, but any big moves now will likely be the result of inaccurate polling.
Polls suggest that Trump is holding steady among minorities and white voters with college degrees. In 2016, he won 10% of black voters and almost 33% of Hispanics. Those numbers have remained the same through the pandemic. Among college-educated whites, Trump support depends on the state. In blue states, Trump is polling just under 33%. Biden is doing better with this group than Clinton did in 2016. States with higher percentages of evangelicals have a higher percentage of support among every group, suburban educated whites included. Suburban women may cast the deciding votes in swing states. This is one of the most rapidly changing demographics in the nation and has become an extremely powerful political force. As you might expect, this is also an extremely diverse group. In Texas, women are turning the state blue, in other places rioting and looting have pushed suburban voters toward the right. To win in 2020, both candidates will have to reach a more diverse and comprehensive share of voters than either party did in 2016.
With 50 days left, the debates and the continued coronavirus recovery will be two of the major issues that affect the race. The biggest issues for Biden will be demonstrating his mental fitness in the debates and continuing to project an image of compassionate responsibility. For Trump, law and order, conservative judges, and his record on the economy remain strong talking points. Under the veneers of the political platforms, both candidates are still running an “I’m not the other guy” ticket, Biden with regard to Trump and Trump with regard to the far left. Even though Trump is gaining ground with the recovery, it still looks like Biden will have to lose ground for Trump to win.
For Christians between now and the election, it’s important to keep the big picture in perspective. There are going to be a lot of political scuffles in the coming weeks that don’t affect our mission or our principles. The mission of the church will not change at all based on the results of this election, even if we have to change our strategies based on who wins. For so many people, politics is all-consuming. We’re interested in politics, we’re fighting for the common good, but we’re consumed by the gospel of Christ, by the great commission, and by the great commandments. Losing this perspective would be worse than winning or losing any race in 2020.
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Study Philippians
When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, he saw an opportunity for the Gospel in a difficult time. In this series, Terry Feix walks through the unique opportunity we have to see our world changed by the Gospel during these unprecedented times.
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Backlash over “Cuties”
Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and Josh Hawley were quick to condemn the Netflix movie, “Cuties,” as were other members of the GOP. After an initial vacuum on the left, Tulsi Gabbard joined those calling for the movie’s removal from Netflix. She said the movie “will certainly whet the appetite of pedophiles & help fuel the child sex trafficking trade.” The issue remains politically charged. Nancy Pelosi’s daughter Christine, a former prosecutor, tweeted her disapproval of the show. Meghan McCain may have won the Twitter battle when she tweeted, “Super confused by people who find the song ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ problematic and offensive but not the trailer of sexualized twerking children in ‘Cuties.’”
Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, defended the film by tweeting a link to an article that blamed opposition to the show on “conservative provocateurs, QAnon supporters, and others on social media.” Hastings called this an “independent perspective.” Many of the supporters blame the outrage on poorly chosen promotional material, not the content of the show. Netflix apologized for the “inappropriate artwork.”
Netflix may believe that they are not glorifying the sexualization of young girls, but the genre of their work is calling their bluff. This isn’t the first time Netflix has been criticized for endangering children. The show “13 Reasons Why” which debuted in 2017 portrayed a high school student committing suicide and leaving 13 tapes blaming 13 different people. The show sparked a wave of teen suicides, many of them following the show’s pattern and protocol. When confronted about the effects of the show, Netflix held their ground, saying, “The show portrayed suicide ‘in such graphic detail’ to show the horror of the act and to ‘make sure no one would ever wish to emulate it.’” But this isn’t what happened, and they knew it. They included a graphic suicide scene in the last episode of season 1, but two years later, they deleted it. Whether it’s suicide or objectification of middle school girls, shows with sympathetic protagonists don’t deter evil, they only glorify, normalize, and encourage it.
It turns out the slopes have been even more slippery than anyone could have imagined. Five years ago, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, and Christians who spoke out about the dangerous trends in our country were chastised for fear-mongering and homophobia. As the agenda of transgenderism has gained a hold in American culture and the courts, it’s children who have been drafted into the front lines. The Title VII ruling that bars schools and other organizations from recognizing God’s design for sexuality and gender will have its most substantial effects on children. The abortion industry kills 800,000 children every year. This weekend, Gavin Newsom signed a law that expands a judge’s discretion in cases of statutory rape and sexual activity between adults and minors. We are all being affected by the sexual revolution, but it’s children who are on the front lines.
Biden has been reticent to talk about the details of his economic plan. Because of the pandemic, the U.S. economy is as unstable as it’s been since the 2008 recession. Can America afford another slow recovery? Even as Biden has directed blame at the President over the pandemic and taken credit for three years of growth before the pandemic, he’s been hesitant to sketch an economic plan for the future. There may be several reasons for this. First, economics is one of the sore spots between the center and far left. Bernie Sanders and AOC have a significantly different vision for the future than Biden and the former Obama administration. Bernie Sanders has voiced his concern that the Biden campaign is not spending enough time on economic issues. Second, both wings of the party plan to immediately increase the corporate tax rate, regardless of how the economy is recovering. Third, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are extremely unpopular on Wall Street and in corporate America, but Biden is likely to involve both of them in his economic strategy, which may include Warren as Secretary of the Treasury.
We’ve become accustomed to thinking about the difference between the two parties in terms of social issues, but there are other significant differences to be thinking through. How much will Biden spend on his version of the Green New Deal? How much more money will he spend on the coronavirus? Will he entertain the idea of sending out money for racial reparations? Will he raise taxes on the middle class? How many regulations will he reinstate that the Trump administration cut? None of these questions have been fully answered, but they’re all important political issues. Whether you’re for or against any of these measures, they’ll affect Americans as much or more than Biden’s stances on social issues.
The leaders Serbia and Kosovo signed an agreement to normalize economic relations between the two countries. This move comes on the heels of several other major peace agreements in the Middle East brokered by the Trump administration. Relations between Israel and Arab nations like the UAE and Bahrain may steal the press coverage, but the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo should not be overlooked. Ambassador Rick Grenell led negotiations between the two groups and national security advisor Robert O’Brien called it a remarkable move forward in the region. These two groups have a long history of strife; most recently, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Serbia refused to recognize. As a result of the negotiations, both countries will recognize each other and normalize relations, Serbia will move their embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by July 2020, and Kosovo will normalize relations with Israel.
Charles Stanley announced his retirement from First Baptist Atlanta after 50 years of ministry. In a video after the online service yesterday, Stanley said he would be working for In Touch Ministries, and that Dr. Anthony George would succeed him as senior pastor, a plan ratified by the church in 2017. Stanley, one of America’s most famous and beloved pastors, will transition into his new role as the Pastor Emeritus beginning immediately.
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Best Reads:
“What Is God Accomplishing in My Suffering?” - John Piper, Desiring God
Rejoicing in suffering is one of the harder things Christians are called to. One way or another, we’re all walking through some unique suffering between the virus, the economy, and the new reality of living socially distanced. And that’s on top of everything else. In this episode of “Ask Pastor John,” Piper breaks down how to rejoice in suffering. It’s one thing to say that and another to actually do it. First, we shouldn’t be caught by surprise. Jesus promised that we will suffer. But he also promised that he would be with us, that we can trust him, and that he will not waste a moment of our suffering.
“Christian Colleges Are in Crisis. Here’s What That Means for the Church” - Alan Noble, Christianity Today
What’s the best thing Christians can do in the midst of a culture gone crazy? “Shore up the ruins,” Noble writes. Christian colleges and universities play a significant role in this cultural work. Most Christian schools have seen their enrollment numbers decline in the last few years. Many face the tension between training students for the Christian life and competing with state schools to prepare them for careers. But the fundamental importance that Noble highlights is the power of creating and preserving Christian institutions. Our schools carry the possibility of exploration and the pursuit of truth that will power Christian culture for generations to come.
“Make the Senate Great Again” - Ben Sasse, The Wall Street Journal
“What would the Founding Fathers think of America if they came back to life? Their eyes would surely bug out first at our technology and wealth. But I suspect they’d also be stunned by the deformed structure of our government. The Congress they envisioned is all but dead. The Senate in particular is supposed to be the place where Americans hammer out our biggest challenges with debate.”
The problem isn’t so much recognizing that we have a problem, it’s figuring out how to fix it. Sasse offers some practical, bipartisan solutions to the Senate logjam; make the deliberations less tv friendly by cutting cameras in committee work, abolish standing committees and enlist senators on the most pressing problems, build community among senators by conducting business together, bring politics back to the local level, hold government agencies accountable, and make a real budget. Even a couple of these solutions would make a world of difference in the way our government works.
“Covenant Theology” - Ligon Duncan, The Gospel Coalition
The history of humanity is organized around covenants, and so is the Bible. Covenant theology is the study of Scripture through the lens of the major covenants. God made promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Christ, each of them slightly different, and every one of them displaying God’s faithfulness to his people. In this essay, Ligon Duncan traces the history of covenant theology and teases out the difference it makes in studying the Bible and thinking about theology. One of the important takeaways is that the more we know about covenants, the more we know about what God has done for us and what he’s promised to do in our lives.
“The Coming Coup?” - Michael Anton, The American Mind
“What Could Happen If Donald Trump Rejects Electoral Defeat” - Masha Gessen, The New Yorker
“Amid Fears that Trump Might Not Leave Office, Two Lawmakers Press for Pentagon Assurances on the Election” - Greg Jaffe and Missy Ryan, The Washington Post
Each party is reacting similarly to the possibility of a contested election, preparing for the other party to steal the presidency. Hillary Clinton has advised Joe Biden not to concede at any point. Two former Army officers have called for the Joint Chiefs of Staff to dispatch a division to extract Donald Trump from the White House in January. After Trump said he’d have to see about the results, Democratic strategists have planned out different scenarios and none of them involve Trump winning and staying in office. Mail-in votes pose a threat to election integrity, as do a dysfunctional Postal Service and a partisan media.
The pressing issue is that with enough projection, wargaming, and gaslighting, no one will actually know what’s happened if the election is contested. Each side claims they’ll know the truth, but how can we be sure? The integrity of our elections is one of the most important and hallowed features of our democratic system. We should all be doing everything we can to make sure it does not become another political issue. We need to know who wins and we need to know the candidate who wins the electoral college will take office in January.
“The Uyghur Genocide” - Jimmy Quinn, National Review
The Uyghur genocide is one of the most important human rights issues of our time. Despite coverage and pressure from the West (not as much as many of us would like), China has continued to systematically oppress the Uyghur Muslims living in the Eastern province of Xinjiang. Disney’s release of Mulan, which was filmed in Xinjiang, sparked renewed zeal to free the Turkic Muslims from their captivity and forced labor. Quinn recaps what we know about China’s treatment of this minority group and reminds us that they can’t stay out of sight out of mind.
“Statistics, Lies and the Virus: Tim Harford’s Five Lessons from a Pandemic” - Tim Harford, The Financial Times
If there’s one thing we can take away from the coronavirus, it’s that we all need a refresher on statistics. The general confusion about what numbers, percentages, and rates mean combined with the proliferation of opinions of social media has led to a world in which it’s very hard to tell what’s actually happening. Harford hits the most important point - numbers alone don’t mean much; everything comes with a narrative. But the way these narratives are derived, the biases in the background, and the data left out make all the difference. In a world where everything is polarized, the ability to sort through the jumbles of numbers and find trustworthy data is one of the most important skills we can have.
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