Potty Mouth Mooch Too Much For Evangelical Trump Supporters (TWEETS)

By
Darrell Lucus
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For most of the last 24 hours, the Internet has been abuzz about White House communications boss Anthony Scaramucci’s bizarre, curse-filled rant to The New Yorker. Well, it looks like that rant may have knocked the scales off the eyes of the man who may very well be the most prominent social conservative in a swing state that swung over massively to Donald Trump. He thinks that Trump should show Scaramucci the door–even if it’s been only a week.

For the better part of the last decade and a half, Bob Vander Plaats has been the loudest voice among fundies in Iowa. When he speaks, Iowa Republicans listen–in large part because the Iowa GOP primary base is heavily influenced by the religious right. He briefly served as national co-chairman of the Ted Cruz presidential campaign, and there is little doubt that his support helped Cruz win the 2016 Iowa caucuses. Earlier, his support almost certainly helped Mike Huckabee over the line in Iowa in the 2008 caucuses, and fueled Rick Santorum’s caucus victory in 2012.

Vander Plaats ultimately joined most of his religious right colleagues in backing Trump when all was said and done. He even went as far as to say that Trump’s upset victory happened because of an 11th-hour intervention from God himself.

But when he heard about Scaramucci’s X-rated tirade, he joined in the nearly universal revulsion.

Another prominent Iowa social conservative, Des Moines-based Christian talk show host Steve Deace, was of the same mind. Deace has actually left the GOP in part because of Trump, and had little time for religious right leaders who would even think that Scaramucci’s rant was remotely okay.

Vander Plaats got the message loud and clear, and demanded that Scaramucci be fired on the spot.

There was briefly a light moment when it was discovered that Vander Plaats had actually tagged a Twitter account that parodied the Mooch. That parody account ate the moment up.

It says a lot about this White House that this parody account’s response sounded a lot like something we’d expect the real Mooch to say.


Vander Plaats went further in a post at the official blog of his organization, The Family Leader. As he saw it, “the most pressing issues” facing the country are “honor, integrity, trust, and the restoration of decency.” He demanded that Trump take “quick and decisive action to preserve the legacy of our great republic”–starting with giving Scaramucci his walking papers.

“Mr. President, it is time to look in the mirror, accept responsibility, apologize to the American people, and declare an end to this behavior immediately. While what I’m urging may not be the “Trump” brand, it is the brand of a leader. We need a leader. You must lead!

“I suggest you lead by first washing out Mr. Scaramucci’s mouth with a bar of soap. After a thorough rinsing, strip his credentials and escort him personally off the White House grounds.”

He also called for his fellow evangelicals to do their duty as “the prophetic voice” to Trump and tell him that this ugliness has to end. He recalled how the prophet Nathan told King David that he was wrong to have an affair with Bathsheba.

Vander Plaats took to Twitter several times on Friday to drive his point home further. Amid talk that Reince Priebus was on his way out as White House Chief of Staff, Vander Plaats suggested that both he and Scaramucci should go.

And when Trump dumped Priebus and named John Kelly his successor, Vander Plaats suggested that Kelly’s first priority when he officially takes over should be to fire Scaramucci.

Riddle me this, Bob. Where was this in October, when the “Access Hollywood” tapes came out? I realize that you voted for Trump, but refused to endorse him and stressed you wouldn’t be a lapdog. But by your own standard, you should have followed Deace’s lead and dropped Trump like a piece of bad meat. How is Scaramucci dropping F-bombs any different from Trump boasting that he could “grab ’em by the p*ssy” just because he was a star?

I could not and I would not vote for any Democrat who talked that way, no matter how much I agreed with him on the issues. I would not allow someone who talked like that in my house–so why would I vote to put him in the people’s house? I know you’re as conservative as I am liberal, Bob. But surely we can agree–or at least, should agree–that no cause is so important that we have to throw basic standards of decency out the window.

Vander Plaats is right–it’s long past time to restore honor, integrity, trust, and decency to the White House. However, if he’d been as concerned about those values in October as he is now, Trump would not be in the White House today.


As late as this wake-up call is, Trump should be very afraid. Remember, as anemic as Trump’s approval ratings are, they would be even lower if not for over 70 percent of white evangelicals approving of his performance. If other fundies follow Vander Plaats’ lead, though, Trump could potentially be in free fall. Still, this is one case where you definitely can’t say, “better late than never.”

(featured image courtesy Vander Plaats’ Facebook)

Darrell Lucus
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.

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