Capitol and Cathedral
(Note: David and Nancy French have a blog at Patheos. Mrs. French has some editorial responsibilities here, but I do not know her and she was not involved in the writing or editing of this post.)
After weeks of teasing us with the notion that he might successfully recruit an independent candidate that #NeverTrump Republicans could enthusiastically support, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol clumsily unveiled (?) David French, a writer and attorney living in Tennessee.
After failing to inspire conservative dream candidates like Mitt Romney, former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, and second-year Sen. Ben Sasse, Kristol tweeted that he had succeeded anyway.
Just a heads up over this holiday weekend: There will be an independent candidate–an impressive one, with a strong team and a real chance.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 29, 2016
A few Washington reporters skipped Memorial Day cookouts awaiting news that could reshape the presidential race. But the French announcement was more of a trial balloon than a rollout.
All the normal political rules apply. The conventional wisdom has been right. An underdog can’t win. Right?
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 1, 2016
Instead of giving interviews and building a campaign organization, French spent a few days praying about it.
My husband @davidafrench is in Vermont thinking and praying, and if I know him he's watched this clip at least once: https://t.co/H3NAqjFvQS
— Nancy French (@NancyAFrench) June 2, 2016
Now, I have no idea how any new entrant would be able to get on the ballot, build a campaign organization, or quickly build on his 1% name recognition — especially at this extremely late date and without the benefit of a party organization.
But the reaction to the hypothetical French candidacy says a lot about the state of the race, the media, the electorate, and the vanishing subset of #NeverTrump Republican elites.
In a race featuring two of the most disliked candidates in history, we might expect the prospect of someone else — anyone else — to be exciting for voters. But voters seem resigned to choosing between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton or, more likely, choosing whether or not to vote at all.
The media reaction was a little bizarre. Journalists could be forgiven for indulging in a little laughter at Kristol’s very public failure to fundamentally reshape the race. But of all the provocative things French has written, quite a few reporters seized on an opportunity to laugh at his personal life.
So when David French was in Iraq, he wouldn’t let his wife e-mail men or use Facebook. https://t.co/F1tEOwE4sc pic.twitter.com/ZOOV52QXUN
— Kevin Robillard (@PoliticoKevin) May 31, 2016
Getting some fair criticism that this is a totally legitimate agreement for a married couple to make. I agree! Still interesting!
— Kevin Robillard (@PoliticoKevin) May 31, 2016
Mollie Hemingway has a spectacular takedown of reporters’ mocking and false tweets about some boundaries French and his wife, Nancy established during his deployment in Iraq. In a race featuring the Clintons and Trumps, are we really to think the Frenches have a weird marriage?
A regular contributor to right-leaning magazines and websites, French embodies the politics of the more sensible precincts of the Christian right. He is a strong advocate for religious freedom at home and abroad. French cautions conservatives who associate themselves with racist elements. He holds traditional views on social issues, and has a penchant for saying that transgender people are mentally ill. His foreign policy and economic views do not significantly challenge the Republican Party platform.
Naturally, David French ticks all Bill Kristol’s boxes. But he is also a dream candidate for social conservatives disappointed that a boorish race-baiter with a questionable commitment to moral traditionalism has prevailed in today’s GOP.
Still, everyone recognizes the uphill battle he faces. Matt Lewis has an especially insightful take on that point: “Trump’s criticism of the establishment — that they made bad deals and were generally weak and anemic — turned out to be demonstrably true.”
It seems plausible that House Speaker Paul Ryan, who publicly struggled with the question of whether to support Trump, finally acquiesced after the independent savior turned out to be French instead of a candidate on the order of Mitt Romney, on whose ticket Ryan ran as the vice presidential nominee in 2012.
For my part, as someone who pays close attention to how people connect their faith with their policy preferences, I find French to be a fascinating figure. I am especially eager to hear him say more about the moral depravity of the poor. While more prominent pundits like Ross Douthat and David Brooks come across judgey in the age-old debate about whether culture or economics cause and perpetuate poverty, French can be a downright moral scold (google it — we can unpack a lot of this later if French becomes relevant).
If the GOP’s three-legged stool of foreign policy, economic, and social conservatives could create the perfect candidate, he would look very much like David French. And, in fact, sixteen candidates who share various views with French ran for the nomination. Republican primary voters chose someone else.
Bill Kristol, the Christian right, and the remaining #NeverTrump conservatives would do well to think about why.
(Note: David and Nancy French have a blog at Patheos. Mrs. French has some editorial responsibilities here, but I do not know her and she was not involved in the writing or editing of this post.)
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