Debate in church differs from a Trump rally
With the oft-cited axiom that white evangelicals form the backbone of Donald Trump’s support, you might have expected that Sunday’s debate at an evangelical church among six Ohio Republicans seeking a U.S. Senate seat to feel like a rally for the former president. You would have been wrong.
The mask-free crowd of about about 1,000 people at Sunday night’s forum in the new sanctuary at Genoa Baptist Church north of Westerville reacted enthusiastically to many of the socially conservative talking points from the Senate hopefuls.
But when former state Treasurer Josh Mandel gave his standard, evidence-free, “I believe the election was stolen from Donald J. Trump” line, he received only modest applause.
And then Cleveland-area state Sen. Matt Dolan said, “This might seem controversial in this room, but I would have voted to certify the (presidential) election on Jan. 6 because the Constitution allows for no other way to do it . ... You can’t just decide the Constitution is important on Tuesday, but not so important on Wednesday.”
You can imagine what reaction that would have brought at a Trump rally. But instead of a crescendo of booing, or worse, the church crowd responded with polite applause when Dolan finished.
Dolan, the only one among the six not kissing the Trump ring, seemed prepared for the worst Sunday night.
“Look, I know I’m not the flashiest guy; I’m not going to say things that are going to get you all fired up as much,” he said as he emphasized his ability to get things done rather than engage in crowd-pleasing rhetoric.
“Folks, it is easy to get you riled up by
defining the problem. Even better, send someone to Washington like me who knows how to address the problem.”
He also might have defused potential ill will in his opening statement as the only one urging everyone to pray for the Christian missionaries and their families being held hostage in Haiti.
Bernie Moreno’s ready to send in the troops to Afghanistan ... and Mexico
Judging by the proverbial applause meter, political newcomer Bernie Moreno’s missives were among the best-received of the evening. The Cleveland businessman wasn’t shy about pushing for U.S. military action.
He not only would send troops to the U.S. southern border, but he also would declare Mexican drug cartels terrorist organizations so the U.S. military could go into Mexico “and wipe them off the face of the hemisphere.”
He offered much the same solution for getting Americans still in Afghanistan back home.
“So this is going to sound very harsh, but we have to understand that the people that we’re dealing with over there are not like us,” said Moreno, who immigrated to the U.S. from Columbia with his parents and six siblings.
“So in that context, it’s very simple. We say to the Taliban, it’s Sunday. It’s 8 o’clock. If on Wednesday at noon every single American isn’t given free passage to an airport, we will end your country.”
Sure, we’d love Rob Portman’s backing but we don’t like his infrastructure deal
All six GOP candidates indicated they would welcome the endorsement of the senator they hope to succeed, Republican Rob Portman. But aside from Dolan, all oppose the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal Portman helped negotiate.
When asked about that dichotomy, Jane Timken started off by praising Portman as “a statesman and a great champion for Ohio in America.” But about a minute later, after bashing the infrastructure bill because it has “Democratic socialist-leaning agenda items in it,” the former state GOP chair said, “We need Republicans who are going to stand up on our principles and fight and say, ‘No, enough is enough.’”
Portman hasn’t endorsed, but his wife, Jane, co-hosted a “meet and greet” Tuesday in Washington for Timken.
Josh Mandel: ‘There’s no such thing as separation of church and state’
Mandel, who is Jewish, said, “I’m the only candidate up here that’s running his campaign through churches.”
He added: “My personal feeling is there’s no such thing as separation of church and state.”
And he wound up the evening by saying, “When I go to Washington, I’m not going to listen to the Republican leaders. I’m going to use two documents as my guide: The Bible in one hand and the Constitution in the other.”
J.D. Vance goes after school transgender rule, lesbian union leader
During the match-up in a church facility that also houses a Christian school, several of the candidates bashed public education — none more than “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance.
When he was asked about the greatest challenge facing kids in America, he said “fatherlessness.” But Vance began his answer by saying, “I’m reminded of that story just last week of that terrible (incident of) two little girls who were raped by a boy wearing a skirt because the Loudoun County Virginia school board decided it was more important to respect the rights of transgender individuals than it was to protect the kids in the school. I think that’s a terrible travesty.”
A 15-year-old student has been found guilty of committing sexual assault in a school bathroom.
Later, Vance went after the leader of the American Federation of Teachers, a woman who is married to female Jewish rabbi:
“I hate to be so personal about this, but there are people without kids trying to brainwash the minds of our children and that really disorients me and it really disturbs me. Randi Weingarten, who’s the head of the most powerful teachers union in the country, she doesn’t have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy the minds of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.”
Mike Gibbons says ‘wokism’ means ‘teaching children to hate each other’
Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons took on “wokism,” which has been a focus of his campaign. “We’re teaching children to hate each other. If you’re white, you’re a bad guy; if Black, you’re a victim. Not great for the future of society.”
He also twice said that Republicans need to win a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. House — which does not allow filibusters. drowland@dispatch.com @darreldrowland