Nixon's the One

Peter K. peterk at enteract.com
Wed May 15 21:51:12 PDT 2002



>numbers to phone, email, knock on doors. Compare this with the
>Christian right, which while it's worked on taking over the GOP, also
>makes itself known as an independent force to be reckoned with. Why
>does W pander to them so?
>
>Doug

I think it's a mixed bag. Of course they have Ashcroft at Justice and Bush proudly proclaims that he was saved from booze by Jesus. On the other hand, as I understand it the cloning/fetal tissue issue went against the Christian right thanks in part to Sen. Hatch. And now Sen. Helms has okayed a large increase in foreign aid to fight against the AIDS epidemic (not nearly enough according to Kofi Annan, but it seems a corner has been turned). Plus there was the Bush/Kennedy education legislation which probably didn't make the Christian right happy. The plan to tie faith-based groups and welfare reform has sort of withered on the vine. If you take away Ashcroft, the Christian right hasn't gotten that much. They have been pushing on support for Israel, however. Maybe I'm forgetting something else.

The Christian Coalition is effectively dead. Perhaps TV shouldn't be taken as a barometer of the culture at large, but two shows that pop to mind are the Osbournes and Queer as Folk. Both must drive the devout to distraction or at least those who are aware of the shows. The Osbournes, with its swearing family and quasi-satanic star who was once knee deep in sex, drugs, and booze is insanely popular with the young and impressionable.

Maybe it's just that Bush hasn't been able to do what he wants b/c of Jeffords and the Senate Democrats. The Repugs are having to pull out all the stops for the next election and are resorting to the use of September 11th.

Peter



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