The Right Track: I'm dreading the debate
Nicole RussellThank you all for reading last week’s first newsletter. Missed it? Sign up for my weekly delivery to your inbox here.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about this week.
Tonight is the first debate between Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump
I’ll be honest: I’m dreading it. I already have second-hand embarrassment. I don’t like either nominee.
It’s disappointing that in a country as large as America, with millions of amazing people with incredible backgrounds and pedigrees living here, the two people representing the Democratic and Republican parties are old men and poor communicators. (To say the least.)
As I wrote recently, Biden is incoherent and seems unwell much of the time. He seems to be “glitchy” as the kids say. Tough? We should have a high bar for our commander in chief.
The same goes for Trump. I know so many of my fellow conservatives are fans of Donald Trump. I understand why. I voted for him. But I changed my mind after Jan. 6. I don’t think he’s the best choice to represent the Republican Party. Not to mention, he’s a convicted felon now.
This doesn’t mean the debate will be boring: I’m sure both Trump and Biden will say a few things to make us laugh, cry or cringe with embarrassment. Are you watching the debate? Let me know what you thought of it, and, with permission, I’ll include some of your reactions in a forthcoming column: nrussell@gannett.com.
Are Republican women OK? We're great, actually.
As conservatives, we’re aware that progressives don’t agree with our views. But are the women of the Republican Party “fractured, frenzied, and far less coherent than ever?” That’s what a recent New York magazine piece claims.
As a woman and a Republican who admires Margaret Thatcher more than Marjorie Taylor Greene, I tackled the idea that Republican women in Washington – and thus, perhaps, around the country – are a mess.
I’ll give you a hint: Women, like men, are nuanced. But Republican women do hold their own and believe in a different set of values than progressives do. That’s OK and they’re not weird. They make up tens of millions of women.
Evangelicals need to handle the abuse epidemic in their ranks
Like many of you, I’ve been disappointed and saddened to hear regular, ongoing news stories of abuse and cover ups in large, influential churches in the evangelical community. I’m an evangelical and this hits uncomfortably close to home. At Gateway, a megachurch near where I live in Texas, pastor Robert Morris stepped down after an abuse survivor spoke out, alleging he had abused her when she was just 12 years old.
I penned a column on this Sunday because I’ve been hearing similar stories of pastors abusing victims, and in some cases, church leaders covering it up, since I was a teenager. It’s a rampant problem.
Now that evangelicals largely support conservative political candidates like Trump, they’ve become a focal point during election cycles. While evangelicals’ involvement in politics is necessary and good, it’s disappointing to see pastors endorse Trump or discuss controversial policies when abuse scandals are pervasive.