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As a presidential candidate in 2000, then-Sen. John McCain told voters he had no use for the religious right movement, denouncing prominent evangelical leaders as “agents of intolerance.” The message did not resonate with most Republican voters and the Arizona Republican’s candidacy fell short.
Eight years later, McCain was determined to learn key lessons from his earlier failure and eagerly forged partnerships with far-right social conservatives. In fact, the GOP senator even welcomed the support of Pastor John Hagee — at least for a while.
It wasn’t long before McCain was asked whether he agreed with Hagee’s record of radicalism, including the pastor’s claims that the Holocaust was a divine plan from God, Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for Pride parades in New Orleans, and women are “only meant to be mothers and bear children.” (He also described the Roman Catholic Church as “the great whore,” though he later apologized.)
McCain, reluctant to be associated with such extremism, felt like he had no choice but to reject Hagee’s endorsement and repudiate the pastor’s views.
That was in 2008. Republican politics changed a lot in the 15 years that followed.
In 2018, for example, Donald Trump invited Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, to deliver the official benediction at the opening of a new U.S. embassy in Israel.
This morning, Hagee made another notable political appearance, delivering the invocation at the kickoff event for Nikki Haley’s Republican presidential campaign.
After the pastor exited the stage, and the GOP candidate stood at the microphone, Haley said, “To Pastor Hagee, I still say I want to be you when I grow up.”
It’s possible, of course, that the former ambassador and former governor is unfamiliar with Hagee’s record. Maybe Haley forgot all about McCain denouncing the pastor’s extremism. Perhaps the new Republican presidential candidate didn’t bother to research Hagee's ugly history.
It’s also possible that Haley and her team know full well just how controversial the pastor is — and they just don’t care. In fact, given the state of GOP politics, it seems entirely likely that they tapped Hagee for this kickoff event, not despite his radicalism, but because of it.
It’s easy to imagine Haley hoping this will generate a controversy, in part to impress the party’s religious right base, in part to generate some additional interest in the launch of her national candidacy, and in part to offer the Republican candidate an opportunity to boast about her ability to generate outrage from mainstream voices.
To be sure, it’s possible that Haley will follow McCain’s lead, face questions about Hagee’s record, and decide to denounce the pastor’s extremism. But all things considered, that seems extremely unlikely.