WorldNetDaily’s columnists continue to exhibit Obama Derangement Syndrome nearly two years after President Obama has left office. The latest victim is Larry Tomczak, who devoted an entire Dec. 17 column to listing “10 reasons why Obama was the worst president — ever.”
Tomczak insists that “I wade in with an objective assessment based on facts, not feelings or infatuation” — then follows that with the feeling-based assertion, unsupported by facts, that “Multitudes maintain Barack Obama was not just the worst president in two generations, but the worst in the nation’s entire history.” Tomczak’s first bullet point complains that Obama did not impose Christianity on America:
Launching what he called his “fundamental transformation of America,” Obama presented himself as an authentic Christian, yet his life revealed a counterfeit convert, bringing reproach to the cause of Christ worldwide. Jesus taught seven distinguishing marks of a genuine Christian, and the former president failed here dramatically. Jesus also said, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:17).
Examining the beliefs, policies and character of Barack Obama reveals a compromising, deceived man not living according to biblical teachings in numerous consequential areas. He led millions to follow his wayward ways and, like all of us, will one day give an account to God.
Tomczak fails to understand that the president of the United States is president for all, not just Christians. (More on those “distinguishing marks” later.)
As befits a gay-hating writer, two of Tomczak’s reasons for declaring Obama the worst involving him not hating the LGBT community the way Tomczak does, by endorsing gay marriage and having “celebrated the homosexual lifestyle by affirming people ‘coming out’.”
The rest of Tomczak’s reasons are basically a regurgitation of longtime conservative anti-Obama talking points: Obamacare, increased federal debt, and “repeated uncalled-for, insensitive remarks regarding police officers.” He also declared that Obama “is responsible for the carnage and destruction” in Iraq because he didn’t leave a residual force there to combat ISIS; in fact, Obama tried but failed to reach an agreement with Iraqi leaders to leave some U.S. troops there, and ISIS flourished not because of the withdrawal but because Syria collapsed into civil war. (So much for Tomczak basing his Obama-bashing on facts.)
Tomczak ends his column with one final rant: “Here’s the deal: In spite of a fawning liberal media and “progressives” committed to Obama’s socialist and secularist “fundamental transformation” of America, millions of patriotic Americans have recognized the astronomical consequences of Obama’s leadership from a Christian perspective. Loving God, our families and this great nation, we’ve consecrated ourselves to pray for our current political leaders and ask God to continue intervening, as He obviously has, extending mercy on America.”
The following week, Tomczak followed up with a column headlined “Your 10 Christmas gifts from President Trump.” It’s basically more regurgitation of conservative talking points with a concluding bit of sucking up: “Here’s the deal: Despite his sins and failures along with his flawed personality, Donald Trump has worked tirelessly amidst a tsunami of unbelievable demonic opposition to bring respect back to our nation and, yes, make America great again. Be thankful for the gifts he presents to you from his two years in office, and pray for him every day for protection, wisdom, stamina and God’s grace to be upon him mightily at this critical time of history.”
(Tomczak also demonstrates his less-than-fact-based approach here too; it was Clark Clifford who called Ronald Reagan an “amiable dunce,” not “Clark Gifford” as Tomczak claims.)
What you won’t see from Tomczak is any analysis on how Trump lives up to those “seven distinguishing marks of a genuine Christian.” That’s actually from a 2013 column he wrote for Charisma News which was yet another Obama-bashing vehicle, framed as insisting that Obama can’t possibly be a real Christian because he doesn’t fit into Tomczak’s narrow, right-wing view of Christianity. Among those items: “a denial of self”; “a life spent following Christ”; “a ferfent love for all who belong to Christ”; and “a forsaking of all to follow Him.” None of which, of course, could conceivably describe Trump.
Tomczak will never apply his standards of Christianity to Trump the way he does Obama because he knows Obama is a better Christian than Trump ever was or will be. Like many other ConWeb evangelicals, Tomczak is willing to suspend his own moral standards and judgment and give Trump ‘s history of immorality a pass because he’s delivering the right-wing goods.