Here is
an interesting article on the social conservatives leaders resent being scapegoated, a time-honored tradition apparently, for GOP electoral losses. Money quote:
Despite their loyalty to the GOP, traditionally, after national losses, social conservatives feel like the whipping boy of GOP critics.
[...]
"That's the pattern that has emerged over the last couple of decades," said Perkins, who heads the Family Research Council. "People want to find an easy excuse for the GOP's failures and they try to point to the social conservative issues and by extension social conservatives."
This scapegoating, according to the article, is somewhat peculiar and unfair, seen most recently in Miss California's and Obama's similar views on same-sex marriage. The article, however, ends with this dose of reality:
In the end, the GOP leadership will likely not move away from social conservatives anytime soon. They are aware of the coalition math. A divorce between the Christian right and the GOP would leave Republicans in ruin.
This is why, despite the heightened rhetoric today, [Gary] Bauer is skeptical of any divide between the GOP and its largest bloc.
"I'm not concerned that they could actually be that stupid," Bauer said. "There are whole areas of the country where the only reason the Republicans are competitive are because of values and social issues."
Sen. Snowe is absolutely correct that the Republican party cannot survive without conservatives, and logically, social conservatives. The problem, however is that in the current political climate, fairly or unfairly, independents and moderates are not as interested in socially conservative issues - they are not priority concerns. At the same time, the progressive nature of the younger generations will only heighten this disconnect.
2 comments:
If social conservatives want to blame someone it should be the GOP itself.
For years the GOP has been telling social conservatives that a vote for the GOP is a vote to end gay-marriage, end abortion, end stem-cell research, and put an end to secularism.
The GOP never introduced the federal gay marriage amendment. I'm not sure and justice could get confirmed with a promise to overturn Roe or that very many would vote that way to begin with. Bush did curb stem-cell research a bit. And ending secularism, I'm not sure that could happen without a national church, something that is not constitutional.
The GOP uses these people to get elected then quickly tosses them aside because they know they will vote Republican anyway and even if they don't they would never vote for a Democrat.
Eventually they will figure out is that the GOP is writing checks that cannot feasibly be cashed. Social conservatives lose when they lose elections and lose when they win elections.
"the progressive nature of the younger generations"
Have you listened to the videos on my post
Brain Washing a Nation by a former KGB Agent ( videos) Chilling
The KGB agent explains what was done and what is now happening and why. Chilling and very accurate with hindsight applied. BB
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