The rise of Christianity in the United States is causing “such damage” to the fabric of society, according to Hillary Clinton, who specifically blamed “white men” for what she perceives as a damaging cultural trend.
The twice failed presidential candidate told MSNBC on Tuesday that efforts to “turn the clock back” toward a society once dominated by white men of “a certain religion” are inflicting “such damage” on the country and must be stopped..
Here is the key passage, delivered in her characteristic lecturing tone: “The idea you could turn the clock back and try to recreate a world that never was, dominated by — let’s say it! White men of a certain persuasion, certain religion, certain ideology, it’s just doing SUCH DAMAGE to what we should be aiming for!”
In the context of American history, politics, and the contemporary culture war, the “certain religion” that she cannot bring herself to name is Christianity.
The “certain persuasion” and “certain ideology” are the traditional, conservative worldview held by millions of white Christian men who still believe in the Constitution, the nuclear family, biological sex, secure borders, and the idea that America’s founding principles are worth preserving rather than “deconstructing.”
This was not a one-off slip. Clinton framed the entire conversation around the claim that the nation is “on pause” in its march toward a “more perfect union” because of the Right.
She accused conservatives of putting the foundational idea that “all men and women are created equal” in the “crosshairs,” of erasing history from museums and national parks, and of trying to dominate rather than progress.
Then came Hillary’s punchline aimed squarely at white Christian men.
Some things don’t change.