Parker on religion and the GOP
I agree with Kathleen Parker, perhaps not the way she puts it, but what she is trying to get across:
Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth -- as long as we're setting ourselves free -- is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.She is not saying that faith should be driven completely out of the public dialog, but out of politics.The choir has become absurdly off-key, and many Republicans know it.
[...]
[T]he GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows. In the process, the party has alienated its non-base constituents, including other people of faith (those who prefer a more private approach to worship), as well as secularists and conservative-leaning Democrats who otherwise might be tempted to cross the aisle.Here's the deal, 'pubbies: Howard Dean was right.
It isn't that culture doesn't matter. It does. But preaching to the choir produces no converts. And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party -- and conservatism with it -- eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one's heart where it belongs.
Unless the Republican Party breaks itself free of the strong hold of the religious right, it will never be a national party again because one of the many things to take from this election is that the South is not needed to win.
H/T: Below the Beltway
Comments
I agree. I consider myself a born-again Christian and am personally quite "socially conservative", but am a "social liberal-moderate" when it comes to the government's role in the private lives of Americans.
You cannot legislate morality. Who is the government to say what is "moral" or not? What might not be moral for you may be for me, or vice versa. And I for one do not want any schoolteacher preaching his or her religious beliefs to my child, I want them to teach the children to read, write, and cipher.
Regardless of what Hillary believes, Moms and Dads know how to raise their children better than the government!
Posted by: Mike in Elberton | November 19, 2008 12:10 PM
Remember the Huckster? He represented the Religious Right in the Republican Party. He lost despite the efforts of the religious right nationally. Republicans primary voters selected the moderate (and neocon) McCain.
Warmongering, unlimited Congressional spending, pandering to old folks and minorities with the prescription benefits plan, and an inability to reign in the current financial situation sunk the Republicans.
The neocons want you to believe that the Religious Right is the culprit. I think this is another one of their ploys. It is neoconservatism that was voted out of office this November.
Posted by: Rick | November 19, 2008 02:09 PM