[Kathleen Parker] "religion is killing the Republican Party"

I actually think she is off a little and I can't stand the RR.

I think the RR gives opponents an easy and big target to blast away at, whoever they align with.

What the RR has done is push single issue politics down the throat of the republican party to that extent that now politically democrats have a really easy target to hit.

The values of family, faith and fiscal conservatism are dear to most all Americans and the republican party kinda highjacked that politically under Reagan.

I am going to pick on Dobson for a moment, not because he is bad, but because he is at the forefront-
Many democrats and independents felt just like James Dobson about building healthy marriages and raising children to succeed in life (ie Focus On The Family) prior to 1980 and from a religious perspecive it was not a target in the political arena.

But once Dobson framed his message as a political message and aligned with the republicans then the Abortion, Gay, p*rnography issues became his litmus tests at every local precinct. They focused on legislating God's kingdom (big mistake).

No matter what good and balanced message was in the hearts of conservative democrats, moderates, independents and casual republicans once the RR started pushing divisively on precinct platforms then it became easy for the democrats to make the extreme of the RR the face of conservatism.

What evangelicals need to realize is the difference between voting your values and trying to make a political party a 'Christian political party'

I think what has hurt the republicans is they have tried to hold on to a high profile extreme position with the RR crowd and at the same time connect to the best part of values and beliefs with those who are more balanced and in the middle (that silent majority, right .

What the republican party needs to do is avoid the RR leadership and come up with an intelligent balanced platform that appeals to the values of their target base.

What evangelicals need to do it keep a distance from single issue leaders in the RR (Hagee for example) and especially those who politicize religious values and focus on living their values in a kind and balanced manner- the voting takes care of itself.

In other words, if the republican party wants to appeal to people like me, get away from the wackos and get the platform healthy. I am against abortion, but campaigning against it sickens me, what I want to do is help young teens make good decisions and work in my local community. I want to make a difference in people not politics.

I'll close with a true story.

During the primaries a candidate in our area for Congress contacted me and asked me to support him. He was strong RR. He was the member of a evangelical church and he had other pastors behind him.

I met with his campaign people and tried to ask questions, but all I got back was a bunch of single issue answers that weren't open to discussion. They seemed perplexed that I couldn't see that God was on their side?

I told them that I didn't support what Bush was doing and they just looked at me like I was anti-American. End of story, they had been told I had alot of influence with the area pastors, when actually I just have alot of friends.

They dropped me like a hot potato for fear I would speak against them.

They were Christians, they said they were, but to me they were all about politics.

I have received many emails from other Christians that know me wondering why in the world I don't support God's agenda????????

I don't presume God is on my side of anything.

I am seeking after His side and I am the one daily correcting my steps.


The republicans don't need to dump the evangelical Christians, they need to stop pandering to the RR and get their message consistent with their lives instead of blessing the Bush or Hagee doctrines -and then pastors like me will vote accordingly.

 

If the social conservatives win the republican civil war then I'd expect a third party conservative to run in 2012. Perhaps Bloomberg? I don't expect the citizens to give the presidency to a Bush-like politician for many years. Unfortunately for the republicans, Bush is the standard model for the far right.

The pendulum will no doubt swing back to conservatives after an Obama presidency. He's going to have to spend a lot of our money (and rightly so) to get us out of this mess, but people will be ready for a fiscal conservative after he's done. However, a majority of Americans will never go for a Palin or a Bush. Those two have made the republican brand toxic to independents.

If republicans want to win they need to look at the seeds of true conservatism and drop the moral majority crap. The republican party lost me when they nominated Bush instead of McCain in 2000 and I doubt I'm the only one.

 

she's talking about it from a political point of view. you are coming at it as a christian, i applaud your efforts to separate the two. i posted this in the obama religion thread, i think it fits here:

“I speak as a Christian - one whose commitment to democracy is very deep but whose Christian convictions are even deeper. Democracy is not my faith. And American democracy is not my idol. To see the Gospel of Jesus Christ bastardized by imperial Christians and pulverized by Constantinian believers and then exploited by nihilistic elites of the American empire makes my blood boil. To be a Christian - a follower of Jesus Christ - is to love wisdom, love justice, and love freedom… If Christians do not exemplify this love and freedom, then we side with the nihilists of the Roman empire who put Jesus to a humiliating death. Instead of receiving his love in freedom as a life-enhancing gift of grace, we end up believing in the idols of the empire that nailed him to the cross… To be a Christian is to live dangerously, honestly, freely - to step in the name of love as if you may land on nothing, yet to keep stepping because the something that sustains you no empire can give you and no empire can take away. This is the kind of vision and courage required to enable the renewal of prophetic, democratic Christian identity in the age of the American empire.”

From Democracy Matters by Cornel West (171-172)

 

I can't believe the incredible irony of Newt's statement.

Religious factions have hijacked the republican party. Doesn't that sound similar to what's going on on the other side of the world?

 

Right? Secular fascism? Are you kidding me? What a douche.

 

Exactly, I like the spirit of that message- there are some Christians like myself who from our beliefs find the 'empire' mentality dangerous and deceptive.

For me I am not trying to see things politically, if I did I would just swing away from one side and end up on another political side I am not happy about.

That is why I checked this last election alot to see what promises and solutions were being offered (at least on the websites of both candidates). That is why I did not vote for either McCain or Obama.

There are some thing I like about the Obama win, but frankly so far I see more political moves I just think are bad, so far we are swinging from republican cronyism to democratic party cronyism; you have all this negotiating within the party politics- how many Clintonites are getting in place, how many out of the Chicago power structure? It's move over one party and let the other have the taste of blood and power.

For all the talk about change I could almost believe the President had run as an independent until I ponder the way his team is shaping up.


I think a big reason we are not able to move correctly as a nation is we are bound to a 2 party monopoly that just can't be broken.... at least not now.

After this economy shakes down though anything could happen.

 

So, you're a Democrat?

 

I am a Rocket fan and proud of it, (I think )

 

rhester, I agree with much of what you say, but the notion of trying to "keep their distance" from RR leaders while appealing to traditional values voters is very hard for the GOP. These RR kooks control a lot of people. Initially, the GOP would lose a huge amount of support, akin to losing a limb or two. I don't know if they can withstand that kind of pain.

Unless Obama and the Dems fail miserably, the GOP is in a major bind. Even if the Dems don't do well, the ferocious wing of the Republican party will likely rule for a while and swing voters will be scared off.

 

that hurts.

 

wow, i love that. thanks for posting it!!!

 

lol. Do you consider yourself a loony max? I know you've used the phrase "jesus freak" before.... but a loony?

I think not.

 

oh, i'm bat ass loony, rhad!!!

 

Aha....I KNEW it.



DD

 

we're never gonna survive...unlesssss...we get a little crazy.

 

MadMax: I'm invincible!!
Rhad: You're a loony.

 

actually, it's the whole "give your life away to find it" stuff that adds the peculiarity....certainly not saying i'm there.......but trying. that's odd to lots of people, including some of my closest friends. anything past that is probably too personal to share on a message board.

 

Proof MadMax is loony:

1. He's trial lawyer
2. He's a Jesus Freak
3. Over 40,000 posts
4. Did I mention lawyer
5. Smiles too much

 

the 40,000 posts thing is shameful. geez...that's borderline embarassing.

 

lol...