A Hangover Cure for Evangelicals

If the church is only an extension of our relentless tribalism, it has nothing to offer those searching for a deeper meaning and higher purpose.

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For the past month, I’ve had the special delight of getting to watch other people enjoy something that I helped make. The Hangover, a limited-run podcast that my colleagues at The Dispatch generously granted me, is an attempt at an autopsy for a Republican Party that still can’t quite confront the fact that it even lost the 2020 election. I think what we made is worthwhile and that the subject matter is important, but didn’t imagine how many other people would be interested.

You can listen here if you’d like, but if you haven’t or don’t intend to, stick with me here for a moment. There’s something I learned along the way that may be of use to you.

I spoke to a leading historian, the former majority leader of the House of Representatives, and the most successful GOP strategist from 2020 as well as experts on conservative ideological trends, political demography, and the right-wing media. Richard Brookhiser put the mad-bomber partisanship of our era in its right historical context. Eric Cantor gave us a front-row seat for the 2010 triumph of the GOP and its self-destructive streak. Parker Poling, who ran the House Republicans’ campaign arm in 2020, laid out her winning strategy. Matthew Continetti walked us through the birth of Palinite populism and the centrality of immigration as an issue. Steve Kornacki gave texture and life to the red and blue political map. John Podhoretz was our guide for the story of the rise and fall of the right-of-center press.

Our guests stayed true to my goal of a clear-eyed assessment of the different factions of the Republican Party and how they contributed to the success and eventual failure of the modern GOP. Elections are more about voters than about any individual politician, even when that politician is part P.T. Barnum, part George Wallace, and absolutely determined to be at the center of the conversation. Donald Trump didn’t make the Republican Party the way it is nearly as much as the Republican Party made itself easy pickings for Trump. Each guest provided new insights on the phenomenon and helped me think about what may come next for the red team and for American politics.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Devin H

    Not really a comment on the article itself, but this line...

    "What I realized along the way is that the church is not a matter of concern for the Republican Party, but rather that the Republican Party is very much a matter of concern for the American church."

    ...brought back a conversation I had with my Grandma before the election. She was urging me to vote for Trump because "so many Christians think he's doing really good things." The most good, kind, Christian person I knew growing up talking like that about someone who couldn't say which Testament of the Bible was his favorite, it really saddened me. I simply told her that I would be voting for a Christian in November and left it at that. But this sort of attitude is what has pushed me farther away from the Church than anything.

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    Michael Berkowitz

    Great quote from Coolidge.

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    rlritt

    I'm not religious, but I don't understand how Christian Evangelicals who are very religeous would vote for someone who on camera says he likes to grab women by their genitals. Then when it is uncovered that he paid hush money to two porn stars because he didn't want them to ruin his chances with religeous people. Yet these good Christians still think he is the greatest. That seems very hypocritical to me. I no longer have any belief in their religiosity.

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      King of Swaziland

      The same way devoted feminists can give "one free grope" to a man like Bill Clinton. Power corrupts.

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        rlritt

        I don't know many feminists who appreciated Clinton's philandering. And he wasn't up for re-election. And at least he was qualified having been an attorney and Governor. I just appreciated a budget surplus when he left office. But then I'm a fiscal conservative and don't care about the cultural nonsense.

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    Angie

    Thanks, Chris...good piece...I so love the way you write and have listened to all The Hangover and plan to listen to the new one also

    Also, put in my request for another similar series on a different topic...

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    CP

    I really have been enjoying "The Hangover," Chris. Excellent work. I'll be listening.

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    Jordan

    I've been hoping for something like this. The amount of hope evangelicals place in politicians feels idolatrous at times.

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      Pastorfbt

      Feels? You're being kind

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    Patti Scriffiny

    I've really enjoyed the series, especially John Podhoretz. It has been thoughtful and useful in understanding recent history. So thankful for this upcoming installment. You and David have helped me to feel like I am not losing my mind or completely misrepresenting my faith.

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  8. P Satter

    Look forward to hearing the podcast, as we have very much enjoyed you on so many podcasts.

    One side comment seems surprisingly a little bit off though, "cruelly denying needed fellowship and support that could have been provided by following basic precautions." Each church knows its own congregants, ages, health, and ability to meet online. It seems like that is ultimately for the individual church and board to decide as churches and risk levels can vary in ways that may not be apparent to an outside observer.

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    Kevin C. Smith

    I cannot wait to hear this episode—I’m just sad the phenomenal series is coming to an end.

    Sometimes answers to complex questions require experts and insiders. And Occam’s Razor tells us that sometimes answers can come from any honest individual with experience that is given a chance to teach others through his or her learned experience. The podcast’s use of each highlights what The Hangover has achieved: it teaches those who come seeking to learn (versus reinforcing a narrative for those seeking only to have their priors confirmed). In other words, listeners aren’t being told what to think. Instead, you have drawn on your your vast knowledge and experience to help provide all of us the tools to think through the lessons from the 2020 election on our own (and you’ve entertained us along the way). It’s fantastic.

    As I’ve listened and tried to soak up as much knowledge as possible from each guest, I am beginning to draw my own conclusions, develop prescriptions for future electoral successes, and proscriptions to avoid in elections to come. What you set out to achieve was an autopsy for the GOP’s 2020 blunder, but you guys created what is no less than a clinic on how to honestly assess a complex problem for interested individuals who want to take part in crafting a solution. This isn’t just straight reporting or opinion journalism. It’s teaching, rightly understood.

    Thank you, Chris, for devoting an immense amount of effort to provide such a valuable product not just for The Dispatch subscribers but to a country (and one of its major political parties) that so desperately needs it.

    Now we’re all just itching to find out what you’ll do next.

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    1. David Mancke

      The GOP needs a Gorbachev moment.

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    The Bell Tower

    Thanks to the Dispatch again for performing the very difficult feat of journalism in an era of performance art.

    I’m interested to hear this episode. One thing I notice is that Christianity, like liberalism, struggles with direct combat if the proponents actually bother to adhere to the tenets each requires.

    Liberalism is about reducing and dispersing power, not wielding it. Christianity is about forgiveness and acceptance, not judgment and fighting.

    Neither of these are well positioned to defend themselves in the face of any party with the will and resources to destroy them.

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    1. Tom (Inadvertent Obfuscation)

      An excellent point. Power-hungry people tend to have more power.
      But ... trust not in horses.

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        The Bell Tower

        I think that in part, this explains the Trump phenomenon. Trump fights! He stands up to the enemy! The Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio RINOs are weak!

        They believe that “the left” was no longer acting in good faith and rather than lay down with the lion, they believe they need to fight. A friend of mine - big Trumper - told me that God acts through imperfect vessels. In other words, Trump’s immorality is not relevant because God is using him as an instrument to accomplish his ends:

        Let that one sink in. It isn’t much different from the “we can’t fight Alinsky tactics if we don’t leverage the same tactics” crap. So, it’s out with the liberals, in with Trump.

        This is what you get with performance journalism and nut picking. The media - both sides - dwell on the craziest crap they can find in a desperate rush for clicks and eyeballs. The perspective delivered is that the world is coming apart.

        Meanwhile, the conservative electorate is like a dude with a sniffle diagnosing himself on Google. It must be cancer! Where can I find chemo drugs online? Maybe I should cut my ear off!

        It’s quite terrifying.

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        1. Tom (Inadvertent Obfuscation)

          I think I skipped over most of your point. I also have hope that more Christians are recognizing the problems with supporting Trump that you have pointed out.
          I know that my attitude changed after the post-election courts had their say in 2020 and Mr. Trump and friends kept fighting. Many Democrats did the same when Gore lost, but Gore chose to be decent and conceded.

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            The Bell Tower

            Al Gore adhered to the tenets of liberalism. I think he believed that he won but he eschewed power for the sake of the liberal tradition modeled by Washington who took it himself from the apocryphal example of Cincinnatus.

            Trump views that tradition as weakness. He models neither Christianity nor liberalism. In fact, he is hostile to both.

            It may be that more Christians will come around to this point but so long as they feel that they are being marginalized and assaulted by the ascendant culture, I believe they will continue to wield any weapon at their disposal - just as a peaceful man will use a gun on an intruder threatening his home.

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        2. Tom (Inadvertent Obfuscation)

          Fear not. I have some confidence that the behavior of the folks of Hollywood, D.C., and popular news does not represent the behavior of most of us.

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