Franklin Graham's Homophobic Comments Will Help Buttigieg

I think Franklin Graham just helped Pete Buttigieg - even though it certainly wasn't his intention.

Graham tweeted:

Presidential candidate & South Bend Mayor @PeteButtigieg is right—God doesn’t have a political party. But God does have commandments, laws & standards He gives us to live by. Mayor Buttigieg says he’s a gay Christian. As a Christian I believe the Bible which defines homosexuality as sin, something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized. The Bible says marriage is between a man & a woman—not two men, not two women. The core of the Christian faith is believing and following Jesus Christ, who God sent to be the Savior of the world—to save us from sin, to save us from hell, to save us from eternal damnation.

This is from the same man who said President Trump is "a changed person" and "more interested in who a person is today".  Changed how? When has Trump repented for anything? Trump is the man who boasted that he had never asked G-d for forgiveness. Trump's lies and his orders to his subordinates to lie are far more damning than any transgression Buttigieg has ever committed. 

These comments from Graham put Republicans such as Vice-President and fellow Hoosier Mike Pence into a position of defending his statements while ignoring or rationalizing the sins of President Trump. While it will appeal to hardcore Trump supporters, it won't go over well with moderate and independent minded voters who have family and friends who are part of the LGBT community. If a red state like Arizona can elect an openly LGBT person to the U.S. Senate then why wouldn't they choose Buttigieg for the White House?

If Trump's surrogates make Buttigieg's sexual orientation an issue in the campaign then they have done far more flaunting and politicizing about it than Buttigieg. Mayor Pete can also go toe to toe with Graham and company on Scripture. As long as Graham and pro-Evangelical Trumpers use sexual orientation to define Christianity, Buttigieg will crush their attempts at fastballs right out of the park.

Before it is all said and done, Pete Buttigieg might send Franklin Graham a bouquet of flowers.