Saturday, October 6, 2007

Dobson goes to War, G.O.P. becomes collateral damage

The Christian Crazies are in full lather. James Dobson, lord-high-mucky-muck of Focus on the Freak-show, sorry Focus on the Family, is in high dungeon. Dobson and his minions are panicking over the front runner status of Mr. 9/11, Rudy Giuliani. Rudy has the nerve to be pro-choice.

The Rapture right is not going to stand for any candidate that does not make obsequence to their “pro-life” position. Dobson and crew are even threatening to break off from the Republican Party and form a third party of their own.

This is a very large chicken coming to roost. Ever Since Regan, the Republican Party has made a deal with the Evangelical Right. They have supported the social conservative agenda of the Dominionist Christians for their votes. The Authoritarian Christian made common cause with the economic agenda of the Corporatist wing of the Republican Party and Reaganism was born.

Don Reynaldo was never a true believer in their cause though. He may have been senile and racked with Alzheimer’s disease especially in his last year(s) in office, but he never gave the Fundies everything they wanted. At best the Fundies got crumbs from the Gipper. Even though they liked Bush Sr. much less than Reagan they were able to extract Clarence Thomas from Poppy Bush. Bush Sr. bowed and scraped to the Fundies much more than Reagan ever did.

In 2000 they finally got there dream-date the Shrub. W was seen as one of there own. He was a “born-again” true believer. But as the ancient Chinese proverb says be careful of what you wish for you might just get it. The unwashed masses woke up to the extremism of the Fundies. They were not about to accept the dominion of bible-beaters.
Americans have very little tolerance with others telling them how to live.

The first Canaries to leave the coal mine were the country-club Republican. These solid upper-middle-class people were the back-bone of the Republican Party in the East Coast.
Their hero was Nelson Rockefeller; they prided themselves on their moderation. The Dominionist wanted no part of moderation; they were on the holy mission to bring Jesus to the world. The Fundies bullied and brow-beat and finally pushed out the Rockefeller contingent out of the party. Rockefeller Republicans became DLC Democrats.

The extremism of the Bushite cabal slowly peeled all other sections of the Republican Party. Most recent troopers to go AWOL from the Republican Army have been the fiscal conservatives. The only ones left are the Corrupt Crony Capitalist, the NeoCon Wingnuts, and the Dominionist Christians.

The ultimatum by Dobson “bow your head to our pro-life, anti-gay agenda,” is a poison pill to the Republicans. If the party knuckles under, they look week, the rest of the nation, especially the Independents, will write off the Republicans. They will see the Republicans as being in thrall to a bunch of religious fanatics. If Rudy does get the nod a Fundie revolt will sink the slim chance of the Republicans holding on to the White House. The 2006 rejection of the G.O.P will look like the summer of love compared to the slaughter of 2008 if the Right Wing Evangelicals bolt. Even with the Dominionist in the fold 2008 may be a very bad year to sport the Elephant brand.

The Republican Party is in a very bad place. They lift they got from the Christianists has now become a lead weight. Without the Fundies they have zero chance of getting a national majority. But the issues of the Dominionist are no longer holding sway. There is a backlash against conservative social engineering, against the anti-gay hysteria, against moral posturing, against the holier-than-thou mindset of the Authoritarian Christians. It was the rank hypocrisy of high profile ‘family values” type that really angered the unchurched masses. The revolt against the social revolution of the 60’s and 70’s has failed. America has no interest in returning to “Leave it to Beaver.” Gays are not getting shoved back into the closet. Women are not going back to the kitchen. Blacks and other people of color are not going to stay in their place.

In our private lives we basically want to be left alone. We want to love who we love. We want to live and let live. We don’t want the government telling us what we can or can not do in our own beds. We really don’t want the government under our bed going through our stash of porn. Leave us be government; mind your own business bible-beaters is our clarion call.

Dobson’s screed is a backhanded recognition of the rejection of his program from the majority of the American People. It is a howl of primal pain. It is the tantrum of a petulant five year-old saying “my ball, my rules.” This is not going to play well with Joe and Jane six-pack. If they didn’t “come to Jesus” on their own volition, they sure will not be forced in to the King of Peace’s arms.

2008 could be a pivotal year for the G.O.P. The Reagan-Gingrich revolution has run its course. The horror show that is the Bushite regime has ruined the Party and the nation. In short the Republicans stand a good chance of getting creamed in 2008. The G.O.P. needs all the votes it can get, but they now loose more votes by kow-towing to the Fundies than they get. The G.O.P can’t win without the Fundies but more and more it is looking that can’t win with the Fundies. From dreams of a Rovian “permanent majority” to the reality of permanent minority, 2008 is shaping up to be a Annus Horribilis for the G.O.P.

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