Many pundits define the culture wars as a war between religious people vs. secularists. This misses the point. The culture wars are about the values of common sense that underwrite traditions that have undergirded Judeo-Christian moral codes for centuries. The culture wars are about how we raise our children, what the schools teach them, how we teach them what's right and what's wrong.
Good observation, the election was far more than a simplistic “war between religious people vs. secularists.”
By most standards I would be considered a secularist. I personally know only a few religionists. I personally know of no one who voted for Kerry. Gay marriage was never much of an issue. Watching Hanoi John stand up in black churches delivering a campaign speech was an issue for many – it was seen as the height of political hypocrisy.
Plain old patriotism was an issue. How could we vote for a man who bragged about committing sedition and openly committed treason?
Kerry was promising everything to all people – and claimed it would be paid for by taxing “The Rich”. If The Rich were taxed heavy enough to pay for it all, The Rich would have to include everyone not on welfare. The balance would have to be made up by slashing defense.
Our “esteemed” news media played its part – I often heard people at my favorite watering hole laughing at the lame spin put on election coverage.
Hollywood can’t be left out - watching celebrities stepping out of their jets and limousines to protest SUVs, and later to tell us that we would have to be very ignorant to vote for President Bush. Belittling a candidate never helps.
And of course President Bush and John Kerry played their part. We watched President Bush talking with the people, walking around his ranch, and being a normal human being. We watched Hanoi John pontificate on the issues and about what a Great War Hero and Savior of the Nation he is. We listened as he talked down to us peasants in a stentorian voice.
Fortunately enough of us peasants are smarter than the democrats gave us credit for.
"Watching Hanoi John stand up in black churches delivering a campaign speech was an issue for many – it was seen as the height of political hypocrisy."
Interesting point..but the TRUE hypocrisy is the media's horror that Christians voted for Bush (separation of church and state, blah blah blah)
...yet Kerry's electioneering in Black churches received blanket approval.