Here are a couple that Republicans should talk about.
and
Here is John McCain giving a nuanced and dare we say it, reasonable explanation of his ambivalence toward the evangelical wing of the Republican Party. To me, this sounds an awful lot like Obama's reasoning for not abandoning his minister. Evangelicals are part of the Republican Party and to denounce them would be denouncing a big chunk of America. The question for Republicans is, is it now time for your party to break its association with the religious right, since you are demanding the same course of action from Obama toward his minister?
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The part of me who thinks their economic policies are cringeworthy cowers at the thought of a non-crazy U.S. Republican party. But wouldn't that be something?
ReplyDeleteAn uneasy political association isn't the same thing as a twenty year weekly association. (McCain made a point of delivering the same speech at Liberty University, Columbia University, and the New School -- the point being that national unity was necessary and that one message ought to be able to cover all three places.)
ReplyDeleteA more apt comparison would be a hypothetical conservative Republican presidential candidate who had been in Falwell's church for twenty years, been married by him, had his children baptized by him, and used him as the inspiration for a book or two.
I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have gone over very well -- it'd be enough to reduce one to a fringe candidacy. Like, say, Pat Robertson's in 1988, or Pat Buchanan's in 1992 or 1996.
But as for the question of whether I'd like to see the religious right have less influence in the Republican Party -- yes, I would. I have sympathy for the social conservative point of view, and even have come to agree with it on occasion, but I don't enjoy having those issues come up very often.
But one primary indicator of the religious right having less influence within the Republican Party is the nomination of one Senator John McCain. He isn't a favourite in those quarters.
Ben, I like the way you included "uneasy". There was no "uneasy" association between the Republican Party and the religious right. There may have been a marriage of convenience, but it was mutually satisfying, from what I have observed. McCain may have his doubts (and good for him), but that is not stopping him from actively trying to keep the Republican coalition together (including the Robertsons, the Bob Jones folks and the Falwells).
ReplyDeleteMcCain's the uneasy one.
ReplyDeleteNot the high-ups in the party, as you say.
But yes, he will try to cobble it all together, one last time. He's a politician, after all.
And, Ben, McCain has had his "spiritual advisors" on stage with him and has called them his "spiritual advisors" at that time. Wright hasn't been on stage with Obama during this campaign.
ReplyDelete