New York Times: The CaucusIs anyone really surprised at this? I never expected the Christian conservatives to stick with the Republican party. It was an uneasy alliance from the start. My parents, both of whom were Republican, conservative, and Christian (dad has moved more towards the middle, with my mom never actually approving of divisive talk), never approved of the narrow focus of that particular segment of the party.
A revolt of Christian conservative leaders could be a significant setback to the Giuliani campaign because white evangelical Protestants make up a major portion of Republican primary voters. But the threat is risky for the credibility of the Christian conservative movement as well. Some of its usual grass-roots supporters could still choose to support even a pro-choice Republican like Mr. Giuliani, either because they dislike the Democratic nominee even more or because they are worried about war, terrorism and other issues.
In terms of the Republican party, they pretty much charted a path towards destruction when deciding to take advantage of the political power of the conservative Christians. It was in direct conflict with the corporate arm of the Republican party.
In many ways, It seemed an act of desperation. The major political players in the Republican party could not attract a majority with their policies and stances. Co-opting the divisive and destructive policies of the conservative Christians was a quick fix, towards a quick grab of power.
But it was bound to burn them in the end. Hatred always creates a wall, resulting in isolation. Eventually the hatred, having no target, turns inward and creates self-loathing. This is what we are witnessing with the Republican party -- and the conservative movement. The policies of the last 6 years has caused the once powerful Republican minority to become isolated, with the country moving away from them. All they have left to focus their hate on is each other.
It's one thing to have a combative, competitive discussion, as we see happening in the Democratic party. It's quite another to be actively engaged hate, as we are witnessing with the Republican party. When the Democratic party is done with it's primary, it will pull together and support the nominee. Not so for the Republicans, as can be clearly seen with this threat by the Christian conservatives.
