A recording of Falwell's comments was obtained by the Los Angeles Times, and his remarks were confirmed by eyewitnesses.
"I certainly hope that Hillary is the candidate," Falwell said, according to the recording. "She has $300 million so far. But I hope she's the candidate. Because nothing will energize my (constituency) like Hillary Clinton."
Cheers and laughter filled the room as Falwell continued: "If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't."
At that moment in the recording, Falwell's voice is drowned out by hoots of approval. But two in attendance, including a Falwell staff member, confirmed Falwell said that even Lucifer, the fallen angel synonymous with Satan in Christian theology, would not mobilize his followers as much as the New York senator and former first lady.
Source: Mercury-Register
Granted, Hillary Clinton is a polarizing figure who is likely to excite significant resentment among conservative evangelicals. There are enough people who dislike Hillary Clinton that they are sure to volunteer, donate, and vote just to help ensure that she doesn't get elected. Describing her as polarizing and disliked, however, is a far cry from describing her as essentially demonic — as being worse than Satan.
"He was calling Hillary Clinton a demonic figure and openly arguing that God is a Republican," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, director of the advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "It's hard to know whether people thought he was joking or serious, but once you start using religious imagery and invoking a politician in this way, it's not funny. A lot of people who listen to him do think that she's a dark force of evil in America."
An aide to Falwell said Saturday said the Lucifer reference was an "off the cuff" comment and that Falwell "had no intentions of demonizing her." In the past, Falwell has described Islam's Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist and said that abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians were to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks.
Demonizing Hillary Clinton serves a couple of purposes. For one thing, it transfers responsibility from the people who hate Hillary Clinton so much onto Hillary herself. If she's demonic, then people have no sane choice but to hate her. She is "polarizing" because every good Christian has to oppose her while ever evil person has to support her. Without this demonization, people would actually have to explain and justify why they dislike her so much. Their dislike becomes part of the political process, something to debate and perhaps negotiate. Demonization essentially removes their hatred from the process of debate entirely — it's a premise that has to be accepted for any other conversation to occur.
Another purpose served by this demonization, closely related to the first, is the fact that not only is there nothing to debate, but there is also no reason to hold back in one's attacks. People like this aren’t interested in the normal political process of negotiation, compromise, and working out differences with civic, political equals who have different ideas about how society should function. Domination and control are their goals because they are absolutely convinced of the Truth of their Message as well as the Righteousness of their Cause. What possible value could there be in compromising with demonic beings who don’t have Truth or Righteousness on their side?
Fear is a driving factor behind such rhetoric: fear of a loss of power, of a loss of social status and prestige, of a loss of sexual virility and masculinity, of being overwhelmed by “floods” of foreigners or women, and of a decline in national standing. The attacks on others are compelled by a need to assert oneself and identify those who are responsible for so many losses.
Christian Right & Christian Nationalism:
Christian Nationalism & Dominion Theology:
It’s stupifying how many small minds are willing to follow an even smaller and less competent mind.