MARGINIALIZING THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT???

Okay, so I've been listening to the debate within the Republican Party about where the Party should go. Should they turn hard right, or hard left, or something in between? I've heard the "religious right" express their disaffection with the "Northeastern, and Western liberals." RINO gets thrown around a lot in these discussions, and the sniping is really kinda fun to listen to.

So, with no facts, figures, or fantasies that anyone will read this...I offer my humble expert opinion.

The religious right wing of the Republican Party seems to feel as though they, and their contributions to the Party have been marginalized. But have they really? Let's look at what has taken place since the emergence of "The Religious Right" as a force in American politics.

Growing up in a Southern Baptist Conservative home, I remember well the 1976 Presidential election. I was not old enough to vote, but Jimmuh Cahtuh was matched up against poor old Gerald Ford. Jimmuh was a Southern Baptist. He was one of us. He was frightening to look at with his big old buck teeth and all, but he was one of us. Ford was "one of them." Nobody knew if he went to church or not, and Betty was obviously not like your church-going Granny (if you know what I mean).

My family did not trust Jimmuh, and voted for Jerry...Regardless, Jimmuh's Presidency gave rise to President Reagan's ability to tap into the frustration of millions of Christian Conservatives. President Reagan seemed more like "one of us" than Jimmuh by election day. Heck, I don't know if he was Methodist, or Mormon...but he captured the hearts and mind of us Southern Redneck Christians.

So, what has happened since that time? Why is the Religious Right so feared by the rest of the Republican Party? Well, since Reagan's landslide victories The Religious Right has managed to:

1) Help elect George H.W. Bush (who gave us higher taxes, and David Souter on the Supreme Court).

2) Republicans lost to Bubba Clinton twice (who gave us worse on the SCOTUS than Bush).

3) Wrested control of Congress for the Republicans that quickly blew it!

4) Help elect "W" in unprecedented grassroots efforts and numbers. Good for them! The "faith-based initiatives" put in place by W must really be a source of pride to them all. Never mind that entitlements and deficits sky-rocketed, the Constitution was not defended time and time again, and he was AWOL on the promises of Social Security Reform, FannieMae, etc...

5) Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land. The emergence of the Religious Right was going to somehow stop the killing of babies...didn't happen...not gonna happen.

6) Homos can get married now in some States. Yep, that ferocious Religious Right really has put the clamps on gayness.

7) Pro-life, pro-family candidates regularly get beat. Rick Santorum, George Allen...the list goes on and on of former "good-guy" spokesmen for their causes that they couldn't save.

8) The Liberal Republicans run the show. You've got Arlen Specter, who was challenged by a real Conservative, only to get W's endorsement...you've got our own Presidential candidate, John McCain...you've got Snowe, and Collins...these are the power brokers on the Republican side of the aisle.

So, I'm wondering what the big debate is about? The "Religious Right" can't be marginalized. It has no real political teeth anyway. I find it humorous that the lib/moderate Republicans worry about the "social righties" screwing up the Party. It's already screwed. They're just too fat, dumb, and lazy to realize it.

Thank God, I'm not a Republican. Y'all just go ahead on and keep worrying about them "Psalm-singing, tongue-talking, life-defending, pew jumpers..." Yeah...they're gonna ruin the Republican Party...