More than sassing: A senator questions Trump

A tweet by Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., on Sunday set off a vibrant Twitter debate that may affect Iowa caucus–goers. Sasse addressed it to Republican front-runner Donald Trump:

.@realDonaldTrump Q4: You brag abt many affairs w/ married women. Have you repented? To harmed children & spouses? Do you think it matters?

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016

That was the fourth question from Sasse, who’s becoming known as both a smart senator and a sassy tweeter. The first three questions were:

.@realDonaldTrump Questn1. You said you want single-payor “govt pays4everyone" HCare. If that isnt your position now when did it change?Why?

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016

.@realDonaldTrump Q2: You’ve said you “hate the concept of guns.” Why the change? When did it happen? What’s the 2nd Amendment mean to you?

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016

.@realDonaldTrump Q3: A few yrs ago u proposed $6trillion tax hike. Still want to do that? Agree w/ Biden that higher taxes=more patriotism?

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 25, 2016

But question No. 4 generated the most pushback, with responses like: “Are you his pastor? His God?” “None of your business, nosy.” “I want America great again! No more Isis rapist thugs. No time for petty personal crap.” Others, though, thought the question good: “Past deeds can show future actions.” “If he would betray those closest to him for his own needs, why not the rest of us?” “If you want to be POTUS, character matters.”

One respondent tweeted to Sasse, “Are you perfect? To be asking this kind of question.” But the issue isn’t perfection. If it were, no presidential candidate ever, nor anyone in the Bible except Jesus, would pass muster. The question is whether we acknowledge our dependence on God, and how our lives change when we publicly say we do. With 40 percent of Americans claiming the titles “evangelical” or “born again,” it’s legit to ask if any evidence of a changed life suggests that we are indeed born again.

As another tweeter wrote regarding Trump, “Would be nice to hear from a man with a spotty past who claims he loves the Bible to state his lifestyle change.” Others yearn for reporters and debate moderators to ask this question: “See if he can answer substantively. I doubt it.” One tweeter wrote, “Trump feels that he is so good he doesn’t need God’s forgiveness … doubt he’s worried about it from wives and children.”

It’s crucial to pose questions that go beyond policy sound bites to other candidates as well. As one responder asked Sasse, “What are the other candidates sins you have id’ed, and how have you confronted their repentance, if at all?” Maybe, if debate questioners fear sounding smarmy, they could phrase it this way:

“President Obama has bad relations with the GOP majority in Congress in part because of fundamental policy differences, but also because Republicans say he’s not trustworthy and doesn’t keep his word. Given your marital history and bragging about adultery, what might lead people to trust you?”

Trump, of course, might cite his business record, but he would then have to discuss his four bankruptcies, about which he’s said, “I used the law four times and made a tremendous thing. I’m in business. I did a very good job.” Some who loaned his company money might disagree. If Trump does not have good answers regarding his divorces and bankruptcies, he’s an easy target for writers like “Doktor Zoom” at Wonkette, who sneered last year at “the real Trump family values, like trading in the old blonde for a new one every 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.”

One respondent defended Sasse’s tweet about Trump’s divorces by writing, “It is a matter of theology, accountability, and a person’s words, not a God complex.” Another said about Sasse’s tweets, “These are all questions I wish the Fox moderators would ask [Trump]. See if he can answer substantively. I doubt it.”

One Trump defender replied, “Message to all rabid anti-Trump detractors: Trump is the only one to beat Hillary. Like it or not!” But if he gets the GOP nomination without answering hard personal questions, Trump is hardly likely to beat her. One Clinton weakness is her record of lies. To defeat her, Republicans will need a candidate who can show years of integrity. That doesn't mean sinlessness, but it does mean having the humility to seek forgiveness.