Stephanie
Diamond Member
- Jul 11, 2004
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I think I should feel insulted....
This article is absolute crapolo...We better be prepared for a lot more crap articles like this.....
Republicans in dilemma over "Religious Right"
By Ed Stoddard
DALLAS (Reuters) - Thumped in Tuesday's elections, the Republican Party faces a dilemma as it prepares for 2008: trying to claw back support in the center while keeping loyal conservative Christians happy.
Religiously motivated social conservatives are an important base for base for President George W. Bush and the Republican Party, which lost control of both houses of Congress in the elections amid voter anger over corruption, intrusive government and the Iraq war.
The Republicans tread a fine line between adopting hard-line stances on issues that resonate with conservative Christians, such as opposing abortion, while pleasing moderates who like the party's pro-business policies but not its religious moralizing.
But politically active evangelicals -- dubbed the "Religious" or "Christian Right" -- and the Republican Party are caught in a bind as they rely too heavily on each other to split up.
"Based on the exit polls it is clear that the evangelical vote did come out quite strongly for the Republicans," said Scott Keeter of the Pew Research Center.
Based on exit polls he estimated that 72 percent of white evangelical Protestants voted Republican versus 74 percent in 2004. Democrats got only 27 percent of their vote versus 24 percent in 2004, Keeter said.
"But the problem for the Republicans is that they lost the middle," he said -- meaning both religious and secular Americans with more lenient views on social issues.
Evangelical leaders were also staunch supporters of the unpopular war in Iraq, which they see as part of a broader "clash of civilizations" or unfolding Biblical prophecy.
I think if they want to be a viable party in two years the Republicans will need to clean house. The party would have to be purged (of the 'Christian Right')," said Mark Crispin Miller, an author and professor of culture and communication at New York University.:food1:
But with almost three-quarters of white evangelicals voting Republican, the party would be hard pressed to dump its most loyal constituency -- one that is also well-organized and controls much of the party at the state level.
And analysts say the Christian Right has no political option but the Republicans because it has demonized Democrats.
SOUTHERN PARTY?
Some analysts also say embracing policies associated with the "Bible Belt" of the South could make the Republicans a marginal regional party.
"Right now the Republican Party is a southern party and if they are going to just be a southern party they are going to be a minority party," said David Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Still, the "Religious Right" remains a political force.
"There's no doubt about it, they can still get voters to the polls and demonstrated that this year," said John Green, a political scientist at the University of Akron.
Voters in seven states rejected gay wedlock by limiting marriage to between a man and a woman in ballot initiatives.
That may have helped the Republicans win a tight Senate race in Tennessee against a popular black Democrat.
But the limits of the "Religious Rights" influence was highlighted in South Dakota, where voters repealed a restrictive abortion law.
Conservative talk radio hosts and prominent Republicans like Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt have said the party must heed its right wing if it wants to bounce back in 2008 when the White House will also be at stake.
Such calls may scare off Republican moderates but religious activists have vowed to press on at the ballot box.
"We are going to stay the course and stay focused on the defense of marriage, the defense of life (anti-abortion) and the defense of religious liberties," said Carrie Gordon Earll, spokesperson for Focus on the Family, an influential conservative advocacy group with strong evangelical ties.
http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...-RIGHT.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-1
This article is absolute crapolo...We better be prepared for a lot more crap articles like this.....
Republicans in dilemma over "Religious Right"
By Ed Stoddard
DALLAS (Reuters) - Thumped in Tuesday's elections, the Republican Party faces a dilemma as it prepares for 2008: trying to claw back support in the center while keeping loyal conservative Christians happy.
Religiously motivated social conservatives are an important base for base for President George W. Bush and the Republican Party, which lost control of both houses of Congress in the elections amid voter anger over corruption, intrusive government and the Iraq war.
The Republicans tread a fine line between adopting hard-line stances on issues that resonate with conservative Christians, such as opposing abortion, while pleasing moderates who like the party's pro-business policies but not its religious moralizing.
But politically active evangelicals -- dubbed the "Religious" or "Christian Right" -- and the Republican Party are caught in a bind as they rely too heavily on each other to split up.
"Based on the exit polls it is clear that the evangelical vote did come out quite strongly for the Republicans," said Scott Keeter of the Pew Research Center.
Based on exit polls he estimated that 72 percent of white evangelical Protestants voted Republican versus 74 percent in 2004. Democrats got only 27 percent of their vote versus 24 percent in 2004, Keeter said.
"But the problem for the Republicans is that they lost the middle," he said -- meaning both religious and secular Americans with more lenient views on social issues.
Evangelical leaders were also staunch supporters of the unpopular war in Iraq, which they see as part of a broader "clash of civilizations" or unfolding Biblical prophecy.
I think if they want to be a viable party in two years the Republicans will need to clean house. The party would have to be purged (of the 'Christian Right')," said Mark Crispin Miller, an author and professor of culture and communication at New York University.:food1:
But with almost three-quarters of white evangelicals voting Republican, the party would be hard pressed to dump its most loyal constituency -- one that is also well-organized and controls much of the party at the state level.
And analysts say the Christian Right has no political option but the Republicans because it has demonized Democrats.
SOUTHERN PARTY?
Some analysts also say embracing policies associated with the "Bible Belt" of the South could make the Republicans a marginal regional party.
"Right now the Republican Party is a southern party and if they are going to just be a southern party they are going to be a minority party," said David Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Still, the "Religious Right" remains a political force.
"There's no doubt about it, they can still get voters to the polls and demonstrated that this year," said John Green, a political scientist at the University of Akron.
Voters in seven states rejected gay wedlock by limiting marriage to between a man and a woman in ballot initiatives.
That may have helped the Republicans win a tight Senate race in Tennessee against a popular black Democrat.
But the limits of the "Religious Rights" influence was highlighted in South Dakota, where voters repealed a restrictive abortion law.
Conservative talk radio hosts and prominent Republicans like Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt have said the party must heed its right wing if it wants to bounce back in 2008 when the White House will also be at stake.
Such calls may scare off Republican moderates but religious activists have vowed to press on at the ballot box.
"We are going to stay the course and stay focused on the defense of marriage, the defense of life (anti-abortion) and the defense of religious liberties," said Carrie Gordon Earll, spokesperson for Focus on the Family, an influential conservative advocacy group with strong evangelical ties.
http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...-RIGHT.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-1
