Here’s something the mainstream media never really covered in 2000, but thanks to the web and blogs people will bring it to light.
The Republican party’s core beliefs are not shared with the American people. On the fiscal side, they are gleeful over the idea of an unresponsive federal government sold off to the highest bidder in the private sector. These people clap their hands at the sight of scenes like Hurricane Katrina and at the plight of the middle class.
But the folks the GOP really wants to hide in its basement is the religious far right. In a nation of mostly Christians, the religious far right is an embarrasment, destroying the line from respectful belief in their God and moving toward a brand of fascism that has no respect for the law of the land. (Republicans need people like Randall Terry but they would never want to actually break bread with that anti-choice pseudo-terrorist)
Bush has been very adept at walking this fine line, encouraging the anti-choice crazies but never really identifying himself as one of them and Heaven forbid he ever be photographed with them. He drops in dog whistle rhetoric to the religious far right in his speeches, but does his best to keep that at an arm’s length or further. Were he ever be clearly connected to these people he would be relegated to their fringe and be even less popular than he is now.
But among the Republican frontrunners I don’t see anyone with Bush’s skill at navigating and satiating the GOP’s crazy base. So watch them all as they go running to kiss the ring of the wackos that make up the modern Republican party:
The Republicans’ first primary contest is next week, and it’s not in New Hampshire. It is in Orlando, at the annual meeting of the National Religious Broadcasters. GOP presidential candidates will be there to try to generate buzz that will translate into evangelical airtime — and support in the “base” in 2008.
The only person who’s doing more of a slow-walk to the ring (but he is kissing it contrary to the media’s spin) is Giuliani and by virtue of his three marriages, penchant for dressing in drag, and overall disinterest in participating in their fringe activities, he’s persona non-grata with them.
Oliver, the best recent illustration of your thesis is this year’s March For Life. Bush addressed the crowd over the telephone. He literally phoned it in.
Bush is the best thing they have right now, so religious conservatives have to keep talking the talk, even if they know in their heart of hearts that he doesn’t really love them. But in 2008, the person who gets their support is going to be the one who demonstrates he is really their boy. They’re not going to be pacified any longer.
This is a nightmare for the GOP. The extreme right-wing agenda is genuinely frightening to the majority of Americans, yet nobody will be able to get the Republican Party nomination without prostrating himself to them.
They created this monster, now they can’t control it. I almost feel bad for them.
you’d think the fundie whackos would of figured out by now how they’re being played by the Republican’t Party. They have never gotten a thing they want and never will.
I’ll remember this “thesis” when the Democrats line up to kiss the *ahem* “rings” of NOW, ACTUP, and NARAL-ProChoice – not exactly what I would call a bastion of centrist/middle American values.
The Democrats have a chance to capture the growing “emergent” Christian movement, which tends to lean leftward on a number of issues and is posing a real challenge to the old-school “evangelical” leadership like Robertson and Fallwell. But if the party keeps shooting itself in the foot by identifying itself with belligerant anti-Christians (see: Marcotte, Amanda) then this chance will be lost.
Check out http://www.godspolitics.com and see for yourselves the level of support that these Christians have for Obama and the progressive agenda.
Ok, that is the T-Shirt of the decade right there. The smiley face of the 00’s. (pronounced uh-oh’s, or nought’s)
Mike, this is why you’re wrong. Democrats go to NARAL events, they don’t hide the fact that they go to NARAL events. There’s no penalty for Democrats going to these things because most Americans are pro-choice. We don’t have to hide the way Bush does with the anti-choice folks.
Mike, I’ve noticed an ‘anti-christian’ is anyone who calls a christian on their hypocracy. Also, the leaders of those advocacy groups are elected… and pay taxes on their property.
So how’s that glass house treating you?
I’d like to agree with you, Oliver, but if Giuliani gets the nomination they’ll all just sort of forget his many and varied indiscretions. It’s in their authoritarian nature.
All he’ll have to do is prattle on a little about how he’s “found god”, our x-tian mullahs will declare him absolved, and the sheep will flock to the voting booths, confident that they’re voting for one of themselves and keeping the ebil libruls who want to tax them to death and give health care to brown people at bay.
Our only hope is that, by then, Bush will have polluted the GOP brand so badly that enough other folks will simply stay home in disgust.
“But among the Republican frontrunners I don’t see anyone with Bush’s skill at navigating and satiating the GOP’s crazy base.”
No, the real skill is navigating the GOP’s crazy base without freaking out the rest of the electorate. I agree that the frontrunners can’t do this, and neither can Sam Brownback (a certified Talib.) But Huckabee is scary. The Talibs like him, and he comes across as sane.