Politics & Power Quote by Jerry Falwell

Falwell’s line lands like an unguarded confession of political discipleship, and it’s striking precisely because it comes from a clergyman who built his brand on moral clarity and principled certainty. The comic torque is in the deliberately absurd policy spread: eliminate the income tax or double it - opposite ends of the economic universe - and he’d still sign on “on first blush.” That last phrase matters. It grants, almost sheepishly, that reflection might follow later, but it foregrounds an impulse vote: loyalty first, reasoning second.

The intent is less to argue tax policy than to perform fealty. Falwell is signaling to allies, donors, and fellow culture-war activists that Bush is “our guy,” not just a Republican, but a vessel for a broader project: conservative control of institutions, courts, and the symbolic definition of “values” after the Clinton years and amid post-9/11 nationalism. In that era, proximity to power was itself a credential for the Religious Right, and Falwell’s support is framed as trust bordering on faith.

Subtextually, it’s a reminder of how easily religious authority can be redeployed as partisan authority. The quote collapses the distinction between prudence and righteousness: Bush’s suggestion becomes a shortcut to moral permission. Falwell isn’t merely praising Bush; he’s modeling a political posture for his audience, one where skepticism is treated as disloyalty and policy becomes secondary to team identity. That’s why it works - it’s candid, a little reckless, and revealing in ways a careful endorsement never would be.