Shocking

With a nod to realpolitik, Bob Jones III, Chancellor of the super-fundie Bob Jones U., has endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. I must admit that I find this endorsement startling. Jones is a true heavyweight in the Christian political movement and a fellow not known for his religious tolerance. I figured he would stand on his principles, such as they are, and get behind Huckabee or Brownback, but Jones saw the writing on the wall. And as is the case so often with these types, it is all about Hillary.

Jones didn't immediately respond to a message left Tuesday evening by The Associated Press. But he told a Greenville newspaper that supporting Romney is critical to make sure former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani doesn't win the GOP nomination and that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn't win the election.

"If it turns out to be Giuliani and Hillary we've got two pro-choice candidates, and that would be a disaster," Jones told The Greenville News for a story on its Web site Tuesday.

Romney and Jones would appear to be a political odd couple, with the Southern fundamentalist Christian throwing his support behind the Mormon who was governor of Massachusetts.

But Jones said his endorsement came after he decided Romney would do the most to represent the average conservative American.

"As a Christian I am completely opposed to the doctrines of Mormonism," Jones told the newspaper. "But I'm not voting for a preacher. I'm voting for a president. It boils down to who can best represent conservative American beliefs, not religious beliefs."

A couple of things here. First, to the Bob Joneses of the world, there is no difference between “conservative” and “religious”. Those words and the beliefs that define them are interchangeable, indistinguishable, and fundamental to their worldview. This “voting for a president” line is merely rationalizing a decision he is not terribly comfortable with but one that he believes necessary nonetheless. The phrase “President Hillary Clinton” generates more terror in this crowd than a dozen four year olds watching The Exorcist with the lights off. I don’t know if it is Hillary herself or because she is a woman of considerable ability or what, but this crowd hates her with the fury of a thousand suns. Jones figures he must back whichever anti-abortion candidate has the best chance to defeat her, regardless of that candidate's religion. Which brings me to my second point – I think Hillary will be a huge liability if she wins the nomination.

In the current climate, the Christian Right is fragmented, uninspired, and generally demoralized. Their candidates took a beating in the last election and they have yet to consolidate behind a single candidate in this cycle. I fear that Hillary can be the unifying force that is missing on the Right. If Hillary scares Bob freaking Jones enough for him to vote for a Mormon, then I think my fears are justified. So the big question then is can Hillary be a better candidate for the Democrats than a boogeyman for the GOP. I don’t know and I don’t really want to find out.