Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn Can’t Give Example Of Christians Being Persecuted In U.S.

As we all know, it’s almost an article of faith on the religious right that Christians are being persecuted in this country. But when Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn spewed this talking point last weekend, she apparently wasn’t expecting to be called out on it. How do we know? Because when someone actually pressed Blackburn for examples, Blackburn couldn’t give a single one.

Marsha Blackburn at CPAC 2015 (courtesy Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)
Marsha Blackburn at CPAC 2015 (courtesy Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)

Blackburn represents Tennessee’s 7th District, a large swath of suburban and exurban territory stretching from the suburbs of Nashville to the suburbs of Jackson. She was one of the featured speakers at the South Carolina Freedom Summit, a gathering cosponsored by fellow Republican Jeff Duncan and Citizens United. It took place last weekend in Greenville. Among the guests were Donald Trump, Tim Scott, Marco Rubio, and John Bolton.

With a lineup like that, it should come as no surprise that this gathering was chock full of wingnuttery. Blackburn didn’t disappoint. In the middle of a speech on confronting religious persecution, blogger Lauren Windsor asked her if Christians in this country face persecution as well. Windsor is the executive producer of “The Undercurrent,” a political web show, and is also a frequent contributor at Huffington Post. Watch the exchange here.

Blackburn replied that there were some areas of this country where “religious freedom is certainly up for debate and discussion.” She wanted to ensure that Americans had the right to exercise their religious freedoms. But when Windsor asked Blackburn to give specific examples, Blackburn’s reaction was absolutely priceless. She claimed “there have been several lately”–but then admitted that she couldn’t give any “off the cuff.”

Well, that’s interesting. Since at least my high school days, I’ve been hearing about how those evil, evil libruls have been ganging up on God-fearing Christians. When I was tricked into joining a cultish hypercharismatic group in my freshman year at Carolina, Monday nights were a constant drumbeat of how everyone was persecuting us “because of what we believe.” And for the last eight years, we’ve been bombarded with reports about how that Kenyan Mooslim socialist in the White House and his librul minions have been ganging up on God-fearing Christians. With this in mind, I? thought examples of persecution would be literally falling off Marsha’s tongue. But instead, nothing.

No doubt you’re wondering how Blackburn could have looked like such a fool. Well, consider the nature of her district. The 7th is a classic affluent suburban Southern district, with a character similar to districts in the Atlanta and Houston suburbs. That is, it’s deeply Republican and deeply fundified–basically, Orange County with seasons. Some of the most politically active churches in Tennessee are either located here or draw most of their flocks from here. It has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+18–which is a fancy way of saying that it would elect a comatose Republican. Blackburn has held this district since 2003, and no one has laid a glove on her because she’s made to order for this district. It’s worked out very well for her–she’s currently vice chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, making her one of the most powerful members of the House.

Blackburn has probably gone into dozens of rants like this back home over the years. She hasn’t had to go into any specifics because in a district like this, she’s never needed to do so. After all, a significant number of her constituents have been told for so long about libruls persecuting God-fearing Americans that they more or less take it as gospel. All they need to do is hear it from someone like Blackburn or a religious right talk show host, and that’s enough for them. That probably explains the deer-in-headlights look when Windsor posed her question. It’s probably the first time in her entire career she’s actually been called out for her wingnuttery in public. The fact that it happened in what was supposed to be a mostly friendly audience makes it all the more staggering.

To my mind, this is yet more proof that legislators need to get out of the redistricting business. When you have the great majority of congressional districts drawn in a way that the district’s minority party cannot possibly win, you inevitably end up with more and more Marsha Blackburns. That is, people on both sides of the aisle who never have to fear being held to account, and take it as license to act as extreme as they please. As I’ve said numerous times, as long as the Republicans control the House, extremists like Marsha Blackburn are going to be empowered.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.