The Wit and Wisdom of Cal Thomas: Eighty Years of Obtuseness and Folly

https://calthomas.com/2022/02/bad-state-of-the-union/

John Calvin Thomas turns eighty later this year. Thankfully our regional Evangelical radio station dropped his commentaries some years ago. They had taken on a kind of deranged character that I think went too far for the erstwhile moderate posture of the network. Since then the radio station has changed. I almost expect that they would pick him up again but in their case the pendulum has swung so hard to the Right, that for the Trump era – Thomas is probably a little on the tepid side.

Thomas was always considered 'the retreatist' because he reflected on the Moral Majority (of which he was a part) and argued that the quest for power led the movement down a path of compromise. It lost its way and testimony. To many in the movement such sentiments were anathema.

Thomas' observations were true enough, but the idea that Thomas is a retreatist is ridiculous, or further to suggest that he then reflected on the overall agenda and learned anything from it is laughable. This commentary is case in point. He trots out all the old Right-wing narratives, straight from the same playbook the warmongering Christian Right has been trumpeting for decades. In other words he perceived a danger to the Church when it embarked on the paths of political power and alliance – but he knows no alternative. He's still ensnared by the categories and paradigms of Right-wing thinking and so like a dog returning to its vomit he always returns to the same place.

Obviously under the strong influence of Dispensational theology, his commentaries have long had a very strong pro-Israel and thus anti-Islamic and anti-Palestinian edge. The theology has blinded him to some larger realities about the world and clouded his judgment – especially concerning the wicked nature of the Israeli regime, a reality that was amplified under Likud leadership.

Reading this commentary (and some of his other recent offerings) I mused on the number of octogenarians I've encountered as of late that strike me as particularly lacking in reflection and wisdom – which is troubling as one would think all those years would grant at least a modicum of wisdom. But some become recalcitrant and stiff-necked – stubborn to the point of being ridiculous. Despair over the 'state of things' has driven them to desperation and grievous error. To my way of thinking, Thomas is one of these. He has spent decades repeating the same narratives and restating the same historical myths. For all the failures of his movement, its political shifts, ethical shifts, defeats, and pyrrhic victories, he doesn't seem to reflect on or learn anything from these episodes.

Decades after WWII and the Reagan presidency (two his favourite glory-myth narratives) there's so much historical work that's been done which rightly challenges Right-wing assumptions and the romanticised accounts put forward by that movement. Let's just say that Thomas isn't interested.

One would think that after so many decades of Bible reading he would be a bit more reflective about the nature of power, the narratives it shapes, the way history is used and manipulated, and the mysterious nature of its pathways. But no, he's going to go to the grave repeating the same lines – and the same lies. He's a true soldier of the Christian Right and American Nationalism – but he doesn't stand for Christ nor for Zion.

Reading his criticisms of Biden, I guess he's forgotten who the president was forty years ago and how his 'principled' economics led to a near systemic collapse. It was only when Reagan compromised that the economy began to recover. And at the root of that 'recovery' was a deregulation (and ultimately deindustrialisation) programme that led to the creation (or at least acceleration) of the Rust Belt – a social catastrophe that has led to myriad broken families and collapsed communities. The repercussions are still being felt today and are exhibited in the region's drop in life expectancy and the drug overdose crisis.

Gas was also at $4 a gallon under George Bush and was the result of his reckless policies and the mismanagement of the US economy. Adjusted for inflation, $4 in the late 00's was more than it is today. I know, I felt it especially as I made roughly half what I do now. It's hurting now, but back then it was devastating and had a profound effect on how we lived and the choices we made.

As far as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, does he not understand what role the United States played in making this happen? Even the Pope is able to discern this. Did he miss the fact that the US pulled the same trick in 1979 and armed the mujahideen, doing all it could to manipulate the Soviets into invading Afghanistan? I guess Thomas can be forgiven because apparently Putin didn't learn the lesson either.

While Biden may appear a bumbling old man during his speeches, his team has actually pulled off a pretty astounding diplomatic feat. He has forced the European nations of NATO back into compliance with US policy and has twisted the arms of many wayward satraps that were at first resistant to US orders.  It was this unity pursued by Biden coupled with the signal sent by America's withdrawal from Afghanistan (a preparation and signal of a pivoting strategy) that led Putin to start preparing in earnest, an action on his part that eventually led him to act rashly and foolishly invade his neighbour. For his part, Putin has destroyed his own narrative and standing and one has to wonder if he will survive this.

The US was getting about 10% of its oil from Russia. This is not about energy independence which until recently most American strategists didn't particularly care about. They needed a justification for their geopolitical meddling. The push for this is rooted in arguments for a form of American protectionism and the ability for America to isolate itself from the problems of the wider world. But that's not what American strategists actually want – and frankly neither does Cal Thomas. It's also rooted in deception as the US wants to export its oil and gas and thus its markets will be subject to international forces. There's no isolation, that's just a rhetoric meant to pander to the nativist crowd.

The call to drill and build pipelines is coming from the industry. The narratives are just window dressing. Gas prices have risen because of the Ukraine War – or have they? Boycotting Russian oil will have almost no effect on the US market but such a move (along with the war) is an excuse to raise prices – which the industry is always keen to do. The speculators drive the stock prices up and long before the stock price becomes a 'on the street' reality, the prices at the pump shoot up. It's interesting that they never drop at the same rate when the price per barrel drops.

Like just about everything associated with Wall Street – it's a racket. And frankly one has to wonder how many of the commentators on the Right and in Christian circles are on someone's payroll. If they're not, they ought to be because they do the industry a great service.

Just to make sure no one is confused – that wasn't a compliment.

As far as the border and migrant crisis – the appeal to law is rather ridiculous. If the law meant anything in the international sphere then a host of top American political, military, and corporate officials would be held to account. More than anyone else they have destabilised and broken the societies of Latin America and they are actually the source of the migrant crisis. It's an irony that almost beggars belief.

I understand that nations are going to protect their borders and look to their security but I see no case for a Christian to get involved in these affairs let alone express strong (and violent) opinions. Make no mistake, Thomas is calling for violence. I expect the empire to guard its borders. Fine, but I'm not going to cheer-lead the empire's legions or lobby for walls and violence. But Thomas doesn't think as a Christian. He talks about it, but always falls back into his nationalist idolatry and the consequentialist cut-throat ethics that flow from it. He's learned nothing. He's a fool.

He calls us to repentance. Yes, repentance is needed, but in terms of the Church – and the Christian Right is certainly not exempt. They have not been faithful. Collectively the movement (and especially its leadership) is guilty of simony and murder and Thomas has played no small part in the movement's apostasy even while wiping his mouth and proclaiming that he's done nothing wrong.