Rand Paulpander

A recent Pew Research poll confirms that 72% of Americans (up 5% from 2010) acknowledge that religion is losing its influence in the nation.

Of course, a lot of religious folks think that’s a bad thing; they want their government to sponsor their religion; they want their government God.  But the fact remains that people are discovering in ever greater numbers that religion and politics just don’t mix well in America. Accordingly, most of us would rather keep politics and religion separate.

A majority of Americans today are suspicious of politicians who overtly seek to impose their brand of religion on the people. That’s a big reason why the Republican Party has had such a tough time electing a president lately. The last time they managed to get one elected it was GWB and we all know how that turned out.

One would think that the Republicans have learned their lesson from that debacle, but no, they’re still Hell bent on thrusting another Christian bible thumping religious candidate on the ballot only to be shot down again in 2016 by a majority of Americans who just don’t buy it anymore.

Witness the annual “Values Voter Summit” last week which invited as speakers only the most religiously oriented of the otherwise politically conservative Republican candidates. Competent Republicans like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, for example, weren’t invited solely because they just aren’t religious enough to make the cut.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, however, the self proclaimed “libertarian” Republican candidate, did make the cut. He took the stage as a video of a fetal ultrasound played for the crowd in the background and declared that liberty virtue and God are intertwined, quoting a biblical passage from 2 Corinthians to make his point: “Where there is the spirit of the Lord, there is liberty.”

Paul, who likes to remind Republicans that ‘libertarian’ should not be confused with ‘libertine,’ pandered to the cheering crowd that: “What America really needs is a revival … I often tell people political parties are empty vessels unless we imbue them with values.  Republicans must first decide and clearly explain who we are before we can ask to take charge of the country.  Today we are here to talk about what we believe those values should be.”

“We have a great many problems in this country to solve.  But I believe there will come a time when we are all judged on whether or not we took a stand in defense of all life from the moment of conception until our last natural breath,” he continued. “One thing I promise you and I promise my constituents in Kentucky is, I will always take a stand for life.” 

“I agree with Ralph Reed, who often states that the First Amendment is here to keep government out of religion, but not to keep religious people out of government…  I think there is crisis in our country.  It’s not just a fiscal crisis.  I think it’s a moral crisis.  I think it’s a spiritual crisis. I don’t think the answer is in any politician.  I don’t think the answer is in any particular law… I think the answer really is that we need to somehow find our way back to God.”

Of course, the God he’s referencing is his own personal God and theirs, Jesus Christ, the Christian God of the Holy Bible. He has no qualms about telling the audience that he wants to impose his God upon the people of the entire nation with the help of our government whether we all like it or not.

That is who he is. That is what he wants the Republican Party to be, and those were the only values he spoke about to his adoring crowd. Yes, he was pandering to them. They’re the only values they much care about.

This “libertarian,” if given the chance, would use our government to force women to endure unwanted pregnancies “from the date of conception” until birth no matter what the circumstances. That was his promise. That is how he defines liberty. Liberty is intertwined with God. There is a spiritual crisis in America. So he would be the leader of a Christian revival as President of the United States.

This “libertarian” believes that the First Amendment was crafted to keep government out of religion but not religion out of government. Give him the chance and he will have prayers to God together with his religion taught in every public school; the 10 commandments posted prominently in every government building; and Christian crosses decorating every public square.

That is his notion of ‘liberty’ in the word libertarian. That “libertarian” – let’s call him Rand Paulpander – will not succeed with the majority of Americans in 2016.