Monday, April 1, 2013

The Coming GOP-Evangelical Divorce

Michael Tomasky

What are evangelical conservatives going to do? I ask the question not with any sympathy, but with a mountain of schadenfreudian glee—I am profoundly reassured about my country’s direction every time I hear Tony Perkins bemoan it. But however it’s asked, it’s a question that’s growing more and more urgent. Mike Huckabee says that if the GOP embraces same-sex marriage, “evangelicals will take a walk.” Others pooh-pooh this on the usual grounds that they’ve got nowhere else to go. But they do: back to private life. And it’s my bet that in, say, eight or 12 years’ time, that’s where a lot of evangelicals will be. Having gotten into politics to rescue America from the sinners and fornicators, I reckon a critical mass will decide by 2024 that it was fun while it lasted, but that the fight is hopeless.
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Then what for the Christian right? They got into politics in the 1970s. Remember, Jerry Falwell himself, in a 1965 sermon called “Ministers and Marches,” denounced mixing religion and politics. But then came late-’60s tumult, Roe v. Wade, and kindred signs of the devil’s grip (preceded by the Supreme Court’s decision to take God out of the classroom). Religious conservatives got into politics to undo those things. And here we are, 50 years later, and it’s only gotten worse as far as they’re concerned. By 2024, if my forecasts are correct, things will get only worse still.

Well, how much patience can a movement have? By 2024, evangelicals will have been up to their armpits in politics for half a century. With what to show for it? A country where (I’m betting) abortion is still legal, and now Adam and Steve are saying vows. And their vehicle for their agenda, the Republican Party, will be walking away from them to a place where they smell more votes (and money).
The money boys, aka the "Repug establishment", have been working the Bible thumpers like a red-headed stepchild for their votes for forty years and not given them a damn thing they wanted. I'll be glad to see a really bitter divorce of a marriage made in hell.

Make up your own "Defense Of Marriage" jokes. Heh.

8 comments:

bearsense said...

.... and yesterday at "the Church of Presidents" down in the GWTP: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/obama-hears-easter-service-with-political-theme-at-st-johns-church/2013/04/01/d7928cb4-9a80-11e2-9219-51eb8387e8f1_story.html

Bear

Jess said...

The Republican Party is the extreme right wing, that's their whole support basis. If they get rid of that, then the just become the Democrats. So it is quite the pickle.

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bearsense said...

Gordon - -
The Spam is Back !!!
Bear

Gordon said...

I get the spam just about every day now. Some of it is really fuckin' weirdo shit too.

Thanks for the URL. I saw something on that earlier.

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The Precious said...

What they've accomplished is increased income inequality, the consolidation of media markets, government assistance to religious organizations. But they have been on the wrong side of the issues most of the time. The trend of history is always towards greater social equality. That's a consequence of population growth.