There is dissent within the Right about the extent to which Republicans should align themselves with Christians. As I have noted in my previous post, the Left is opposing some of the judges nominated by Bush on religious grounds. See previous post: “Histrionics.”
Because the Left has had some success in either demonizing or ridiculing conservative Christians, some on our side believe that getting too close to Christians is politically damaging.
I contend that ignoring Christian concerns, failure to acknowledge when they have been slimed, and distancing ourselves from men like James Dobson, is a serious error. It is an error typically made by Conservatives who inhabit LiberalLand. LiberalLand is the university community and urban centers where the true gospel is delivered every morning in the form of the NY Times. The inhabitants of these enclaves, even if they are Conservative, do not realize that in Red State America, and among mainstream Christians James Dobson, a PhD and child psychologist who heads “Focus on the Family,” is a mainstream as you can get.
That is why Hugh Hewitt makes a good point with his blog.
I see losses for Senators Chaffee and Snowe if they desert on the filibuster because I read my mail and get calls from across the country every day --mail and calls that are flowing in from serious supporters and contributors to the GOP and enthusiastic participants in the Bush-led victories of 2000, 2002, and 2004. Not only are they dismayed with the dithering of GOP senators, they are not willing to sidestep battles over first principles, especially when they understand that underlying the filibuster argument is an effort by the left to define "mainstream" to exclude the very center of American tradition and politics.
Understand that Senate Democrats will certainly define every faithful adherent to Benedict XVI's teachings as "outside of the mainstream," just as they have defined Focus on the Family's James Dobson as "outside the mainstream," a laughable indeed risible assertion for anyone with even a surface knowledge of American religious practice or Focus' reach here and abroad. This amazing transformation of the party that once represented devout immigrant Catholics by the tens of millions is astonishing and troubling. It is not acceptable to most Americans to be defined as "outside of the mainstream," and the GOP is defending much more than its judicial nominees when it engages in this battle.
1 comment:
I was reading your comments on PW, and I think you're exactly right. Christians were what got the Republican party back on it's feet during the Reagan era, and they are still an extremely strong political movement. If the Republican party abandons them, then what exactly will the GOP be left with? Rich people, brooding economists, partisian hacks, and the lunatic fringe. I'm a Christian and proud member of the GOP, but I'm beginning to be quite wary of my fellow GOPers who are displaying such anti-Christian sentiments. Christianity is what gives the GOP its soul, its positive identity, and its compassion. The GOP would be a self-serving hulk without it.
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