The Religious Right has not left the building

At Religion Dispatches, Bill Berkowitz writes:

Right off the bat, longtime leaders of the Religious Right, monitoring every move Obama’s transition team makes, will distribute angry press releases critical of Obama Administration appointees. Organizations will post heated blog entries and dash off Daily E-Mail Alerts to supporters cataloguing a host of Obama missteps including complaints about the reversal of a number of Bush Administration Executive Orders.

Conservative evangelical leaders will engage in a spirited and steadfast attempt to rebuild and reinvigorate a wounded movement, leading to the US Postal Service and direct mail companies experiencing a surge in business as urgent fundraising appeals pepper the mailboxes and inboxes of Religious Right supporters.

At its worst—as was done during the Clinton Administration—forums will be convened to discuss whether the Obama presidency is legitimate.

An Obama presidency will force the Religious Right to re-think its strategy and tactics; a process that has been happening over the past few years due to the deaths of several prominent conservative Christian evangelical leaders and the aging of others.

Posted by Jim Naughton on November 6, 2008 5:37 AM | |
Comments (3)

It's begun already, of course. For example, this litany from Baptist Press:
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=29267

I won't out on a limb and guess what is the wiser course for Republicans interested in merely regaining power in the near term, but I do hope there is a camp that is looking to restore the party without kowtowing to the religious right. We know there is one that is going in the opposite direction. And the religious right is already pointing to the election numbers for McCain in an effort to make the case that he was flawed candidate, and one that could get out "the base" would have won, and can win in the future.

This isn't 1996, but I do remember that Clinton stumbled right away with don't-ask-don't-tell, inadvertently starting the tumble that resulted to the Gingrich led midterm Republican victory in which many highly socially conservative representatives were elected.

I wonder if the lesson Obama will take from Clinton's first two years is stay away for social issues altogether. In the current economic situation, and given his foreign policy promises many in the electorate would wonder about his priorities. He doesn't want to endanger his honeymoon.

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | November 6, 2008 9:52 AM

One of my small comforts as I attempt to remain ¨firmly steadfast¨ and ¨fully present¨ and personally ¨responsible/accountable¨ in my everyday life as a American Citizen is:

The excluding destructionists/poachers/worse will have to keep spending large amounts of money to defend their right to practice bigotry...somehow it pleases me that the IRD, the Virginianglicaper, the Conealones, will continue to be the frustrated demonizers/dividers of others...in the end, there is no place for the generating of fear and hate against fellow Episcopalians/Anglicans/others...you see, we´re not going anywhere...LGBT Christians/others have been to Hell and back already as victims of prejudice, descrimination, outcasting, injustice and crimes of HATE...reality/normalcy will eventually set in... besides, money or no money TRUSTING in God is the only way out from under when one feels overwhelmed and hurt...justice will be served again as it was last Tuesday...no matter the cost, personal or otherwise...meanwhile, they can lie, spew/spend their lungs/hearts out...it´s their choice because we aren´t going anywhere and the Circus Maximus is dead.

Posted by Leonardo Ricardo [TypeKey Profile Page] | November 6, 2008 10:41 AM

As a registered (moderate) Republican that supported Barack Obama, I hope that, like the Prodigal Son, the Republican Party "comes to itself" and refuses to continue to be hijacked by those who would confine the party's concern to a few hot-button issues. I'm not optimistic, but hope springs eternal.

Posted by Tom Sramek, Jr. [TypeKey Profile Page] | November 6, 2008 11:20 AM

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