Opinion: Does Chuck Edwards actually value his values?

Despite his insistence that voting for him will “send a Washington outsider to Congress,” Chuck Edwards has shown that he’s a loyal foot soldier for today’s Trumpian Republican Party.

I was curious then if he’d fall in line with many of his fellow Trumpian Republicans by supporting scandal-ridden Georgia Republican Senate candidate Hershel Walker. Like Edwards, Walker has been running on a vehemently anti-abortion platform. Yet, it’s recently been reported that he paid for a mistress’s abortion in 2009 and urged her to get another in 2011(in addition to having more children than he’d initially claimed and threatening to kill his ex-wife). Many staunch anti-abortion politicians — including Trump — have stood by Walker, urging forgiveness and understanding.

I was curious to see whether Edwards, whose campaign website says he’s “a pro-life candidate who believes life begins at conception,” would continue to support Walker. I’m curious if he would urge Georgia voters to continue to support Walker or if hypothetically, he would still vote for Walker in light of these allegations if he were a Georgia resident. I was also curious about how Edwards' Christian values squared with Walker holding a gun to his ex-wife’s temple and threatening to blow her brains out, so, I emailed him via his campaign website and asked.

Edwards replied, "I’m concentrated on winning my own congressional race."

It was an expected (and probably wise) non-answer. My conjecture, and keep in mind this is conjecture, is that Edwards will continue to tow the party line and compromise his values to maintain a Republican Senate—this would be consistent with the very Christian Edwards's unwavering support of a twice-divorced reality TV star whose brand is ostentatious shows of material wealth and who has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by at least 18 women.

Like Trump, Edwards, and Walker, former first-daughter Ivanka Trump is unabashedly, “unapologetically” anti-abortion. However, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, a former friend, New York socialite Lauren Santo Domingo, tweeted, “.@IvankaTrump, you are noticeably silent today. The high school friends who took you to get an abortion are not.”

Santo Domingo’s since-deleted tweet is alleged, but I believe it. There are simply too many cases of high-profile conservatives being conservative in word only. The current Republican party Edwards seeks to represent is the party of hypocrisy, empty words, and cherry-picked values. They talk about being "pro-life" yet pay for abortions and oppose common-sense, pro-life gun restrictions. They say important decisions should be left to states, but then Lindsey Graham went and introduced legislation for a federal abortion ban (and in this past week’s debate, Edwards said he supported "allowing each state legislature to decide what is right for that state in terms of abortion restrictions,” so I’m also curious where he stands on Graham’s bill). Republicans will claim that marriage is between a man and a woman, vote against codifying gay marriage into law, then, like Republican Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), turn around and give an effusive speech at their gay son’s wedding days later. Also, I suspect that the number of married conservative men who vote Republican yet utilize gay dating apps “to experiment a bit” might be higher than you think.

So, I’d love Edwards to explicitly clarify where he stands on the Hershel Walker of it all. I’d love an explanation from him on how Trump’s infamous locker-room language or penchant for public bullying coincides with the “values of Christianity, hard work, honesty, and integrity his parents taught him.” I’d be curious to hear his thoughts on whether or not Rep. Thompson will feel God’s alleged wrath for supporting his gay son at his gay wedding or if his son’s gayness gets a pass because his dad’s a congressman on the “right” side.

That’s what’s so infuriating about today’s Republican party. It’s really about gatekeeping and regulating the “common folk” and keeping the Trumps, Edwardses, Walkers, and Thompsons of the world in power and thus above the reach of the law, because the types of legislation they’re looking to enact don’t affect wealthy power-holders the way they do you or me.  If abortion is outlawed on the federal level, rest assured Ivanka Trump will still be able to find a safe abortion if she needs one. If gay marriage is banned, well, that experimentation is still legal.

I feel comfortable asserting that most conservative politicians don’t actually believe what they preach. I feel comfortable making that assumption about Chuck Edwards, something to consider going into these mid-terms.

Pat Brothwell is a former high school teacher, and current writer and marketing professional living and working in Asheville. 

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Does Chuck Edwards actually value his values?