"The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The
extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.", Dwight D. Eisenhower
Election 2004 was a stunning victory for the Republican Party, not only securing the Presidency, but further control of the entire legislative branch
for at least two more years. With the credit of this victory however being given to the Religious Right (better described as Christian political
extremists), long looming fractures just beneath the surface of the GOP are seeing the light of day. The future of the party may be at stake now as an
epic battle forms between the conservatives who are beholden to and co-opted by the Religious Right and the moderates of the party.
While the views of the religious right wing of the party receive most of the mainstream press, the moderates are an essential part of the Republican
Party. The relationship is often tense as evidenced by the harsh rhetoric and rancor over Senator Arlen Specter’s Judiciary committee chairmanship
and his pro-choice stance. The fractures have always been there but really came to the surface five years ago.
The Rise of the RINO’s
RINO’s or Republicans in name only was a term coined by right wing elements to describe members of the party who did not tow the religious right’s
line. The label has been stuck to people as if branding them lepers. The most notable of the RINO’s was Arizona Senator and 2000 Presidential
candidate John McCain. It was no coincidence that RINO’s were featured during the Republican National Convention yet seldom heard from within public
party circles since. The ultimate RINO is California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold represents the ultimate nightmare for the co-opted
Conservatives in the GOP. A popular larger than life figure who has risen to power without selling himself out at least to the state or national party
machine that is controlled by the co-opted conservatives. Even as rumors swirled that he intended to run, the fundamentalist controlled pundits began
to take aim. Rush Limbaugh labeled Arnold (a life long Republican) a middle of the road Democrat. The conservative political journal American
Spectator went further citing his support for abortion, gay rights, and some gun control. Despite his victory over a sitting Democratic Governor in
the nations most populous state, Arnold remains a target for the co-opted conservatives within the Republican party. 2008 will find the party at a
real cross roads as no potential presidential successor is waiting in the Vice Presidents office. With moderates such as former New York mayor Rudolph
Giuliani and New York Gov. George Pataki being mentioned by some (both are pro choice) to be potential candidates, the internal struggle to conform to
the demands of these fringe religious groups may become more and more confrontational.
The Religious Right Wing Agenda and Conservative Republicans
Part of the well executed strategy of Karl Rove was to make sure that the core religious right voted in record numbers. And vote they did. More than
enough to give the President a margin of victory that would stand. Putting aside the persistent allegations of voter fraud, for even if most were
true, Bush would have still won the day given the numbers. However, all of this came at a cost. These groups now expect that their message, their
values, and their ways of life should now become the dominant force in the Republicans agenda.
Republicans at all levels will have "hell to pay" for cynically using the "pro-Life" movement if they don't "save" Terri Schiavo.
Randall Terry, Founder Operation Rescue and The Society for Truth and Justice
What exactly are the religious right after? There are a multitude of goals and objectives that these groups will profess or even deny striving for.
Some of these include: (Taken from the 2004 Texas Republican Party Platform)
- An Affirmation that the United States is a Christian nation
- Our Party pledges to exert its influence to restore the original intent of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and dispel the
myth of the separation of Church and State.
- Exclusion from the Americans with Disabilities act “persons with infectious diseases, substance addiction, learning disabilities, behavior
disorders, homosexual practices and mental stress."
- That it should be a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple "and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for a
same-sex couple."
- Defining marriage as a "God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman," the platform supports a federal
constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage and opposes "granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners
without being legally married."
- The platform opposes hate-crime laws (which increase penalties for crimes that target people based on hatred for their religion, race, sexual
orientation and other characteristics).
- The platform condemns homosexuality, supports criminalizing sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex and calls on Congress to
"withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy"
- The state party platform calls for a ban on stem-cell research (which experts believe holds the promise of cures for a variety of diseases like
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's).
- The party calls for schools to emphasize "Judeo-Christian principles" and for including Bible-based "theories" like "intelligent design"
about the origin of humans in science textbooks.
www.texasgop.org...
These are but a few of the many goals expressed and put forth by the Religious Right, not at all in lock stock with moderate conservatives in the
Republican Party. Perhaps the biggest concern for moderates is the pervasive nature of these “soldiers of God”. They have begun carefully at the
grassroots level and are progressively trying to gain control in every aspect of Republican politics.
The Rise of the Christian Coalition
“How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?' My
simple answer is, "Yes, they are."
Pat Robertson In His Book “The New World Order”
One of the biggest religious based political groups the Christian Coalition has its roots in the failed 1988 presidential run of Pat Robertson. Using
his campaign lists, the coalition was organized to be as the website claims a "nonpartisan political advocacy group". Unspoken in its charter is its
true to life mission, which is to serve as a financial and theological bulldozer to drive the Republican Party further and further right. It is well
known for its voter guides which are distributed to area churches and can make a difference in close elections. However, with the nomination of Ralph
Reed who ran the organization from 1989 to 1997, the Coalition underwent a transformation.
"I want to be invisible. I do guerrilla warfare. I paint my face and travel at night. You don't know its over until you're in a body bag. You
don't know until election night."
Ralph Reed, speaking to the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 11/9/91
By adopting stealth tactics the Christian Coalition as well as other Religious Right organizations have quietly carried out a campaign to take control
of the nation's public education systems. It is estimated that over 2250 or 15% of the school boards are now controlled by supporters of these
groups. The backlash is beginning to be felt. As reported here on ATSNN, a judge ordered a Georgia School District to remove “Evolution is a
theory” stickers from biology textbooks. This is a perfect example of a School Board operating with an higher agenda.
"We are not coming up against just human beings to beat them in elections. We're going to be coming up against spiritual warfare."
Pat Robertson
The "15 Percent" solution is an apt description of the stealth tactics that have been employed and was outlined in a 1993 article by Greg Goldin.
Realizing that a frontal assault was doomed to fail, they actively embarked upon a campaign to elect supporters into any and all positions within the
cities, counties, states, and state party machines.
"What the Christian right spends a lot of time doing, is going after obscure party posts. They try to control the party apparatus in each county.
We have a lot to fear from these people. They want to set up a theocracy in America"
Marc Wolin, former congressional candidate.
Perhaps more important, however, is that the Religious Right controls 2,250 school boards, approximately 15% of the nation's total. Critics charge
that such control has come about through "stealth tactics".
In a stealth campaign, groups such as the Christian Coalition target low-turnout local races and promote their candidates, covering up any
organizational ties. The voters are thus presented with a seemingly harmless secular candidate. Once placed in office by the combination of
conservative Christian support and widespread voter apathy, the candidate then abruptly and vehemently pushes the agenda of the Religious Right. In
this manner, the Coalition and its allies fool the voters into electing candidates based on partial truths.
www.digitas.harvard.edu...
The Federal, Supreme Court, and the specter of "Activist Judges"
"Some activist judges and local officials have made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage."
President George W. Bush
One of the biggest goals of the Religious Right is an orchestrated takeover of the entire federal judiciary system. The key to this is Senate
confirmation of nominated candidates that support their agenda. While the U.S. Supreme Court is considered the "brass ring", the control of the
appellate court systems also is deemed essential to promoting the Religious Right agenda. To further the assault on the judiciary, the groups have
revised a scare tactic from the past. Given their propensity to slap an ugly label on any and all opposition groups, the Judges that ear their ire for
supporting gay marriage or the fundamental right to chose, are quickly labeled “activist judges.” Several prominent religious oriented
conservatives including the ill fated Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork have decried activist judges as staging a coup d’etat of the the American
system. These black robed
guerrillas they claim are forcing a lifestyle socialism upon the country. Does anybody see the irony in this belief?
These same groups who are vilifying judges demand total adherence to their agenda or the label will be slapped on. The Religious Right and their
splinter groups have started a broad campaign to both push judges passing a Christian extremist litmus test as well as trying other routs to attain
victory. One such measure is the Judicial Accountability Amendment. Promoters of the site proclaim that court decisions like abortion, The Ten
Commandments Monument, sodomy, the 2000 Florida Presidential Election, prayer in schools, slavery, gun control, affirmative action, and most of the US
9th Circuit Court of Appeals, are not constitutional.(
www.judicialamendment.com...). The amendment to the Constitution would hold Judges
accountable for a set of standards that the Religious Right and their supporters would set. The owner of the site describes himself as a non-profit
lobbying organization. However, given the plethora of religious based topics on his site, his intentions are clear.
The Looming War Within
Moderates in the party are rapidly being left behind and while many GOP politicians may appear to play lip service to the religious forces massing at
the gates, their agenda is being forwarded despite objections within the party. Should the Democrats nominate a candidate that is middle of the road
it may appeal to the liberal and moderate elements of the Republican party. That alone may be enough to doom a candidate favorable to the Religious
Right and their supporters. The time has come for the moderates of the party to retake control. This is not what the party of Abraham Lincoln and
Theodore Roosevelt founded. This is no longer the party that talks about welcoming everybody under the Republican umbrella. The only resolution if the
moderates fail to steer the party back to its true roots is a break off to a more moderate third party that will have the ability to challenge both
parties on its own merits. This party would be much more in line with the progressive and foreword thinking of the moderates of the party. The
Religious Right wing conservatives would now command a party free of interference and would be able to fail or prosper on the merits of their value
and teachings. However, even the most hardened ultra right winger realizes that if the party loses the moderates, they will look like and be perceived
as a John Birch Society clone of sorts.
My own ties to the GOP run far. While my mother was a staunch Democrat, my father was a fierce independent and never voted for a major party. Much
like their mixed religious backgrounds, my parents did not preach one group over another and consequently my sister and I were left to decide on the
parties own merits. In 1988 I voted for the first time in a presidential election. I soon became involved in the California Collage Republicans. We
had a very large chapter and in a quirk of fate, I found myself running for the President of the statewide organization.
It was quite an education. I actually had my own PAC "Friends of Fred" for the run and raised a lot of money to run (5 figures). It's considered a
plum for candidates because it represents a huge grass roots force for campaigning. I was considered a throw away candidate by the moderate leadership
because the ultra conservative candidate was pretty strong, had YAF's (Young Americans for Freedom) endorsement, and out raised me by about 100K etc.
I had to give a speech in front of 3000 people with 5 minutes notice and since then I've never had an issue with public speaking. About 75 percent of
the crowd was openly hostile. It's quite a start to look over a huge crowd and see so many signs that people hate you even if you never have met
them. The debate was even more fun and I almost pulled off the impossible with 45% of the vote (Not bad for 90K total ballots). If the moderate
elements had supported my campaign from the get go, I may have won.
I developed an insight into the workings of the party and I have managed to maintain many contacts within. It is a fear of this relentless swing right
that has me and many other Republicans worried. Now while I have no doubt than many of you respond with a typical “But you voted for Bush" or ‘I
told you so” etc., given the choice of candidates, many of us had no choice. But did anyone really?
Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
www.theocracywatch.org...
www.webpan.com...
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j/k 
