October 18, 2024
La Crosse, Wisconsin – At a rally on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris openly mocked a Christian attendee who bravely proclaimed, “Jesus is Lord.” The confrontation took place as Harris, instead of attending the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner—a key event for Catholic charities—focused on promoting abortion rights. The attendee’s statement came while Harris was discussing the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a central theme of her campaign.
Harris responded dismissively, saying, “I think you’re at the wrong rally,” followed by a smug, “Try the smaller one down the street.” Her comment was met with loud applause and laughter from the audience, many of whom cheered enthusiastically for abortion rights.
This is not a one-off incident but part of a general pattern in how the Democratic Party treats Christianity. Democrats have been accused of Christianity discrimination by the Democrats since Barack Obama took office. And it was during the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) that the nation gasped when delegates heckled the word God. The incident alarmed most Americans and had been hailed as a sign of the increasing secularization of the Democratic Party.
Moreover, the gay movement (often embraced by Democrats) has regularly strayed from Christianity. Members of the movement have been accused of demolishing Christians for their ideas, especially those about marriage, gender identity and freedom of religion. This tension has risen as some Democratic politicians have supported legislation requiring religious groups to be gay-friendly, thus further polarizing Christians.
Jennifer McKinney, a La Crosse resident who both attended a Trump rally and Harris’s, posted her shock on social media. McKinney said of the difference in the rallies that Harris’s event was smaller but had an energy that seemed anti-religious toward conventional Christian people.
Her viral video made fun of the Christian attendee, which is making a whole other group of Christians incensed by the Democrats and the rhetoric about them more and more so.
The Harris rally, marked by her ridicule of a public declaration of faith, added to the impression that the Democratic Party has given up on, or is working against, religion, especially Christianity. As the country looms closer to another intense election year, moments such as these are likely to further prod the divide between Democrats and right-leaning Christian voters.
References:
- Fox News: 2012 Democratic Convention Boos God
- NBC News: DNC 2012 God Controversy
- Equality Act and Religious Exemptions
- Christian Perspective on LGBTQ Vilification
- The Hill: Harris Mocks Christian at Rally