Do DeSantis, Abbott and Trump think conservatives are deplorable? They’re acting like it
Conservative politicians and pundits are convinced that conservative Americans are deplorable. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican Gov. Texas Greg Abbott, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Republican Fox News Channel pundit Tucker Carlson and others like them believe conservatives are unkind and uncaring. They think conservatives lack compassion for anyone outside of their own orbit, and maybe even inside it. They suppose that conservatives, especially conservative Christians, are cruel.
If they didn’t think of conservatives that way, DeSantis and Abbott would not so routinely treat human beings, whom conservative Christians say are made in the image of the God they serve, like disposable chess pieces. Those governors have been loading up immigrants seeking refuge from untold horrors and challenges in their home countries, putting them on buses and planes – sometimes lying to them to get them to go along – all to score political points. They aren’t doing it to impress me, or most Americans, who are disgusted by their behavior. They are doing it because they are convinced conservative Christians will not only approve but cheer them every step of the way. Anything to anger or outrage liberals. That’s what they think of conservative Christians, from California to the Carolinas.
Cruz and Carlson would not defend and praise such exploitative actions if they didn’t think so little of the conservative Christians they rely upon to keep them in political office or to ensure that the millions of dollars they make every year continue rolling in. They think this way about white conservative Christians. They know their ungodliness doesn’t go over as well among black and brown Christians. Cruz can declare on Fox News he wants even more human beings made in the image of the God to be treated like dirt, and Carlson can mock those horrified by the dastardly deeds of self-described pro-life politicians because they fully expect white conservative Christians to go along. They would not do this otherwise.
They aren’t advocating for more humane immigration policies and practices. They aren’t using their large platforms to argue for a combination of the border security conservatives want, a more straightforward path to legalization activists have begged for, and a boost in the labor force that respects immigrants and low-wage American-born workers our economy needs, like the 2013 immigration compromise that received 68 votes in the U.S. Senate. They aren’t prioritizing better health care access, the kind that would improve the lives of the most vulnerable among us no matter where they were born. They aren’t looking for ways to stem the tide against inflation in a way that doesn’t push a historically-low unemployment rate too high. Instead, they’ve chosen to inflame the fears and hatreds of those over whom they have they have the most influence, white conservative Christians.
It’s obvious why they’ve chosen this route. Because they saw Donald Trump use it so effectively. Trump bragged that he could murder someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose support all while knowing that his base was white conservative Christians. It was one of the ugliest things a politician had ever openly said about his own supporters, essentially declaring them void of souls or principles. It’s worse than what Hillary Clinton said about deplorables, given that she was speaking specifically about folks known to be openly bigoted.
DeSantis, Abbott, Cruz, Carlson and others looked out at the political landscape and noticed their supporters were largely white conservative Christians. They didn’t think that the best way to reach and keep them motivated was to be Christ-like, but rather to be as ugly as possible to the most vulnerable among us. That speaks ill of them – and says something important about the people who keep supporting them.
This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 4:54 PM.