David French: Religious Freedom Is on a Historic Winning Streak at the SCOTUS, It’s Pretty Breathtaking

BARNICLE Hey David I ░░░░░░░░ like to change the ░░░░░░░░ a little bit here ░░░░░░░░ upon your last column ░░░░░░░░ The Times Who Truly ░░░░░░░░ the Church I read ░░░░░░░░ with great interest And ░░░░░░░░ question that I m ░░░░░░░░ to pose to you ░░░░░░░░ nothing to do with ░░░░░░░░ s faith or their ░░░░░░░░ the depth of their ░░░░░░░░ but it is this ░░░░░░░░ Christian right Christian nationalists ░░░░░░░░ lot of them they ░░░░░░░░ gotten a lot out ░░░░░░░░ the Trump Administration They ░░░░░░░░ some Supreme Court justices ░░░░░░░░ gave them a ruling ░░░░░░░░ should please them and ░░░░░░░░ them but they seem ░░░░░░░░ want a lot more ░░░░░░░░ Right BARNICLE increasingly And ░░░░░░░░ m wondering about their ░░░░░░░░ when they look at ░░░░░░░░ what do they see ░░░░░░░░ they see a good ░░░░░░░░ or a bad man ░░░░░░░░ my question to you ░░░░░░░░ what percentage if any ░░░░░░░░ upon your knowledge which ░░░░░░░░ far greater than mine ░░░░░░░░ percentage of their belief ░░░░░░░░ rooted in gullibility or ░░░░░░░░ French A lot of ░░░░░░░░ So especially at the ░░░░░░░░ levels of evangelical activism ░░░░░░░░ s the thing that ░░░░░░░░ had with Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ had access and they ░░░░░░░░ power And the one ░░░░░░░░ that Trump was quite ░░░░░░░░ about is that he ░░░░░░░░ them an enormous amount ░░░░░░░░ access Spend anytime around ░░░░░░░░ activists especially if they ░░░░░░░░ any following at all ░░░░░░░░ you ll see that ░░░░░░░░ ve got that Oval ░░░░░░░░ picture with Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ the thumbs up He ░░░░░░░░ them access to that ░░░░░░░░ He gave them access ░░░░░░░░ power And then the ░░░░░░░░ Trumpists ethos is about ░░░░░░░░ power And so here ░░░░░░░░ have an opening for ░░░░░░░░ Christian nationalists Christian authoritarian ░░░░░░░░ because they have a ░░░░░░░░ of mind meld with ░░░░░░░░ and their view of ░░░░░░░░ So I think if ░░░░░░░░ talk to people who ░░░░░░░░ any real experience with ░░░░░░░░ Trump Administration they know ░░░░░░░░ he is but they ░░░░░░░░ that they can use ░░░░░░░░ to gain a level ░░░░░░░░ access and authority that ░░░░░░░░ other Republican presidents wouldn ░░░░░░░░ give them specifically And ░░░░░░░░ other Republican presidents don ░░░░░░░░ have the same or ░░░░░░░░ candidates don t have ░░░░░░░░ same authoritarian view of ░░░░░░░░ world And so they ░░░░░░░░ not going to have ░░░░░░░░ mind meld with these ░░░░░░░░ Christian authoritarian voices SCARBOROUGH ░░░░░░░░ know David it s ░░░░░░░░ You and I both ░░░░░░░░ up in in similar ░░░░░░░░ background middle class evangelical ░░░░░░░░ deep south I was ░░░░░░░░ Southern Baptist not sure ░░░░░░░░ you grew up in ░░░░░░░░ Southern Baptist Church But ░░░░░░░░ know I could see ░░░░░░░░ in my parents I ░░░░░░░░ see it in everybody ░░░░░░░░ the church they rightfully ░░░░░░░░ I will say rightfully ░░░░░░░░ under siege by the ░░░░░░░░ of change in the ░░░░░░░░ and the 70s And ░░░░░░░░ I m not talking ░░░░░░░░ a racial change positive ░░░░░░░░ I m talking about ░░░░░░░░ saw the sexual revolution ░░░░░░░░ saw the drug revolution ░░░░░░░░ saw kids on college ░░░░░░░░ burning their draft cards ░░░░░░░░ over college campuses riots ░░░░░░░░ saw all of this ░░░░░░░░ and and felt under ░░░░░░░░ And yes if you ░░░░░░░░ to see how people ░░░░░░░░ the south and and ░░░░░░░░ and and southern conservatives ░░░░░░░░ represented during that time ░░░░░░░░ Dukes of Hazzard that ░░░░░░░░ about it Or maybe ░░░░░░░░ maybe the southern sheriff ░░░░░░░░ Live and Let Die ░░░░░░░░ so there was there ░░░░░░░░ that s what we ░░░░░░░░ up in That s ░░░░░░░░ influenced the politics from ░░░░░░░░ beyond I say all ░░░░░░░░ just for people that ░░░░░░░░ t grow up with ░░░░░░░░ background to understand it ░░░░░░░░ now let s turn ░░░░░░░░ page because this is ░░░░░░░░ that Evangelical leaders haven ░░░░░░░░ done They continue to ░░░░░░░░ about being the great ░░░░░░░░ when they are are ░░░░░░░░ politically connected than ever ░░░░░░░░ And you can uniquely ░░░░░░░░ this right It was ░░░░░░░░ religious freedoms under attack ░░░░░░░░ freedoms under attack that ░░░░░░░░ all they say You ░░░░░░░░ I both know and ░░░░░░░░ had this discussion before ░░░░░░░░ Trump French Right SCARBOROUGH ░░░░░░░░ the United States Supreme ░░░░░░░░ before Trump began granting ░░░░░░░░ religious freedoms going back ░░░░░░░░ decade or so And ░░░░░░░░ Right SCARBOROUGH and and ░░░░░░░░ re pretending that didn ░░░░░░░░ happen It s a ░░░░░░░░ It s a great ░░░░░░░░ that they continue to ░░░░░░░░ down the throat of ░░░░░░░░ parishioners and politicians French ░░░░░░░░ I mean Religious freedom ░░░░░░░░ on a historic winning ░░░░░░░░ at the Supreme Court ░░░░░░░░ s really pretty breathtaking ░░░░░░░░ and Joe is not ░░░░░░░░ 6 3 with the ░░░░░░░░ Republican nominees and the ░░░░░░░░ Democratic nominees opposed each ░░░░░░░░ The most recent case ░░░░░░░░ expanded religious freedom in ░░░░░░░░ workplace was 9 0 ░░░░░░░░ the term before that ░░░░░░░░ involved a Catholic adoption ░░░░░░░░ 9 0 I can ░░░░░░░░ through case after case ░░░░░░░░ the years that are ░░░░░░░░ 0 or 7 2 ░░░░░░░░ super majorities for religious ░░░░░░░░ And so that argument ░░░░░░░░ really lacks a foundation ░░░░░░░░ law right now that ░░░░░░░░ freedom is under mortal ░░░░░░░░ And so what s ░░░░░░░░ is the emphasis in ░░░░░░░░ quarters not everywhere but ░░░░░░░░ some quarters on the ░░░░░░░░ is to emphasize authority ░░░░░░░░ so much as liberty ░░░░░░░░ other words we don ░░░░░░░░ want you to leave ░░░░░░░░ alone that s liberty ░░░░░░░░ want to control you ░░░░░░░░ s authority And you ░░░░░░░░ to see this in ░░░░░░░░ like the book purges ░░░░░░░░ school libraries The speech ░░░░░░░░ passed in Ron DeSantis ░░░░░░░░ through the Stop Woke ░░░░░░░░ You see this in ░░░░░░░░ rise of Christian nationalism ░░░░░░░░ this is religious authority ░░░░░░░░ asserted instead of religious ░░░░░░░░ being defended because quite ░░░░░░░░ religious liberty is legally ░░░░░░░░ to a degree we ░░░░░░░░ never seen in American 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