The Moose feels the pain of his pious brothers and sisters.
Along with the rest of the right, social conservatives are falling out of love with W. Holy matrimony is in jeopardy between the righteous brethren and the White House. The true danger to this heterosexual union is the feeling that the right is either taken for granted or are being disrespected.
What prompted this latest bout of marital discord was the disappointment that the President was failing to take the lead on behalf of the Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.Consequently, this week the President and Senator Frist will attempt to keep the relationship alive by focusing on the constitutional amendment on marriage.
The truth is that most of the leaders of the Republican Party don't stay up at night worrying about the killing of a fetus. They don't wake up in the morning determined to stop John from marrying Joe. What concerns the GOP illuminati is reducing marginal tax rates of the privileged and killing the death tax.
In contrast, most religious conservatives are middle-class Americans who don't rely on trust funds or dividend checks for their livelihoods. But the leaders of the religious right have betrayed their constituents by failing to champion such economic issues as family leave or access to health insurance, which would relieve the stresses on many working families. The only things the religious conservatives get are largely symbolic votes on proposals guaranteed to fail, such as the gay marriage constitutional amendment. The religious right has consistently provided the ground troops, while the big-money men have gotten the goodies.
The question is whether the religious conservatives will hold their collective noses and stick with the Republicans or whether they will show up at all in November. One of the main achievements of the 2004 Bush campaign was maximizing the religious vote. It is unlikely they can replicate that success. As the former Legislative Director of the Christian Coalition, the Moose has some experience in this area. Religious conservatives will not be fooled. They increasingly realize that all the GOP is not animated by their concerns. They are tired of being taken for granted - and a little symbolic affection won't matter much.
This couldn't be a worse time to deepen the divide in America in pursuit of political gain. The morale of the country is at a low point. Yet, this President and his Party are pressing forward with a politics of polarization that will further weaken our nation. It is reprehensible.
Whatever one's view of gay marriage, it is hard to argue that the institution is primarily threatened by Jane marrying Joan or John tying the knot with Joe. How about a Constitutional Amendment banning no fault divorce?
Now, that would be an interesting vote! -- | 
Email
this post
