Deconstruction 6.1 -- The Debate begins

I continue to write a novel called Deconstruction, set in a Christian college in the years 2016-2020. Here's the previous excerpt.

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The chapel was packed to the brim the evening of the debate. Dr. Todley had a podium on the right and Dr. Baine was on the left. If anyone missed the symbolism, Dr. Todley pointed it out as an opening joke.

A senior named Todd was the moderator. He was president of the Young Republicans club. April found out there was no Young Democrats club on campus because the administration wasn’t sure it would be appropriate for us as a Christian college. And besides, they couldn’t find a faculty person willing to be its advisor.

Both professors gave an opening statement. Then Todd asked them three questions each, with a chance for each to respond. Then they gave closing remarks, followed by an open Q & A session.

Dr. Todley went first. His basic argument was that although candidate Trump was not a perfect candidate, he was 75% on the right path while Clinton was 100% on the wrong path. The Republican platform was godly while the Democratic one was not. A vote for anyone else but Trump was a vote for abortion. That issue alone meant a Christian had to vote for Trump. It even ruled out not voting or voting for a third party candidate. Meanwhile, Trump was surrounding himself with good people who would help him grow as a baby Christian. He would get better and better. A solid round of applause greeted the end of opening remarks.

Then Dr. Baine tried to argue that the situation wasn’t quite as black and white as Dr. Todley had made it out to be. He claimed that Democratic values aligned pretty closely with Jesus’ values. For example, he claimed Democrats do more to help the poor and the marginalized, while Republicans tend to give the rich massive tax breaks. He argued that abortion had decreased more under Democratic presidents than Republican ones because Democrats address the root causes that lead women to get abortions in the first place. He concluded that Trump had a hateful spirit and a lawless attitude that was dangerous for democracy. The response was significantly less enthusiastic.

Todd proceeded with his three questions. Given Clinton’s stance on partial birth abortion, how could a Christian vote for her? Given recent revelations about Trump and grabbing women, how could a Christian vote for him? Finally, which candidate was more likely to “make America great again”? ...