What???
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chuck0 [mailto:chuck at mutualaid.org]
> Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 6:29 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Re: Powerless religious right?
>
>
> Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> > Lessee, they've got a strong influence with the federal
> executive and
> > legislative branches, several state governments, and the
> electorates of
> > at least a third of the states. Maybe Chuck0 thinks the
> government isn't
> > that important. But they've also got a formidable
> grassroots operation,
> > which can mobilize protests, boycotts, and voters. Other than that,
> > they're insignificant.
>
> Their ideas, as well as some of their leaders have some sway at the
> legislative level, but the movement itself is just not there anymore.
>
> Some will argue that Bush is the avatar of the religious
> right. This is
> fallacious because his agenda is that of the secular wing of the
> conservative ruling class. He has done very little to advance
> the ideas
> and goals of the traditional religious right. No more so than what
> happened under Bill Clinton.
>
> Chuck
These are ridiculous claims by Chuck. Bush has built a coalition that includes the Christian Right, the neoconservatives, some r/w libertarians, militarists, and corporate Republicans.
There is no evidence that the Christian Right as a social/political movement has collapsed. None. Zero. The claim is a fantasy.
The Christian Right plays a significant role in forcing U.S. policy in the Middle East toward agression toward Islamic and Arab states; and toward support for the most aggressive policies toward Arabs and Muslims by Israel.
http://www.fpif.org/papers/2004evangelical.html http://www.cmep.org/newsletter/2003June.htm http://www.elca.org/jle/articles/contemporary_issues/article.hafften_ann _e.html http://rightweb.irc-online.org/analysis/2003/0312apocalypse.php http://www.middleeastwindow.com/article915.html
The Christian Right plays a significant role in legislation, regulation, and policy relating to gender, especially around reproductive rights and gay rights.
http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/031704states.html http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/19045/ http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1258589,00.htm l http://www.thetaskforce.org/reslibrary/list.cfm?pubTypeID=2
See also:
Kaplan, Esther. 2004. With God On Their Side: How Christian Fundamentalists Trampled Science, Policy, and Democracy in George W. Bush's White House. New York: New Press.
There is currently a large voter registration campaign by Christian Right movement leaders: http://www.wevotevalues.com/
While Christian evangelical demographics are complicated, White evangelicals played a major role as Republican voters in the 2000 election. http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v17n2/evangelical-demographics.html
Current polling predicts White evangelicals will play a major role as Republican voters in the 2000 election.
The main question is whether or not voter registration/turnout by Blacks, women, and labor unions will trump the Rove mobilization of White evangelicals for Republican candidates.
Class + Race + Gender explains political and social power better than just secular economics. And religious views can--and do--conflict with secular economic elite plans, or assist in those plans, depending on multiple and often unpredictable factors.
Chip Berlet