Why religion may still decide the US election

William Cash | Uncategorised

From the Archive

'Religion was the elephant in the room' at last night's Presidential town hall showdowns. It may yet decide the election, says William Cash

'Two candidates, two TV networks, one time slot' was how the New York Times billed the Town Hall duels between Biden and Trump last night. Politico used the more colourful analogy of it being a choice between watching Die Hard or A Wonderful Life. No prizes for guessing which nominee was likened to everyman George Bailey, (played by James Stewart), who rescues a little suburban Mid-West town from the villainous clutches of an evil moneybags.

Yet perhaps one of the strangest things about the town hall showdowns was that, once again, religion was the 'elephant in the room' and kept at bay. Like Biden, actor James Stewart came from a small town in Pennsylvania. Like Stewart, 'Holy Joe' - who stressed his Irish-American Catholic roots in the first TV debate - comes from a 'church' family. Yet perhaps one of the strangest things about the town hall showdowns was that, once again, religion was the 'elephant in the room' and kept at bay. This was despite the lead news story all week being...

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