Trump seeks validation from Iowa social conservatives
MacKenzie Dreeszen, a Republican fundraising consultant who attended the dinner, said she’s trying to decide between Trump, Rubio, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. On Sat.at the Iowa Religion & Freedom Coalition’s fall fundraiser banquet, Trump read a number of the messages he had twittered earlier within the day.
“I like the idea of Donald Trump”, Jindal says.
A Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll in late August showed 39 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers said “Christian conservative” is the best label for them, well ahead of “business-oriented establishment Republicans” (22 percent), “Tea Party” (21 percent), and “liberty movement” (8 percent).
Things have gotten so ridiculous that even President Barack Obama – a former law school instructor and someone whose political career has benefited greatly from liberal domination at campuses – is speaking up about the climate of hypersensitivity at colleges.
Here are five key questions heading into the event.
Cruz got some of the loudest cheers of the night.
“He struggles to talk about asking God for forgiveness”, Harvey says.
That same voter also said that Muslims are a problem in this country, and Mr. Trump didn’t contradict that assertion. “There are a lot of good colleges and universities out there, and it’s important, I think, for everybody here to understand you can find a college or university that gives you a great education”. “Christian in name more than they are truly solid church-going, Bible-studying strong evangelical types”, Tvedt said. “But the reality is Donald Trump is a narcissist”. And, given his July comments, attendees may be looking for him to address even more directly how his faith informs his political views. Saturdaywill be the first chance to see how candidates wield those tools in a multi-candidate forum in Iowa.
Trump received only periodic applause, although many in the hall at the Iowa State Fairgrounds stood to clap for him at the end of his 20-minute appearance.
The tenor of the campaign has drawn parallels to the 2008 rallies by Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, that drew virulent anti-Obama rhetoric including shouts of “terrorist” or “traitor”.
If Trump’s competitors can successfully raise questions about his Christian conservative credentials, they could potentially peel off some of the front-runner’s support.
Robinson predicts one candidate will emerge as the clear favorite for Christian conservatives.