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The Christians are not going to hand the next election to the Democrats.
The Republicans are in the process of doing it by taking stands and then retreating with their tail between their legs.
On the Nuclear Option, in particular, with 55 Senators, there is just no place for the Republicans to hide. It's flipping OBVIOUS that we need to reform the Judiciary by getting conservatives up there. It's obvious that the Democrats are going to filibuster them. Therefore, it's obvious that there will be no conservative Judiciary unless the Republicans push things. THEY proposed the Nuclear Option. They have the power to do it. But in the same week as the Schiavo case, they backed off. Which means that, for whatever inexplicable reason, they don't WANT to do it!

Now, with the pro-life Christians, it's just nuts to suggest that this group has "held the party over a barrel".
WHAT barrel? The economic conservatives have gotten through welfare reform, NAFTA, three tax cuts, capital gains cuts, dividend tax cuts, elimination of the death tax, and are now pressing onward to privatizing Social Security. Every one of those issues was INCREDIBLY controversial, but you never see the party backing off on economic conservative issues. They keep paying out and keep pressing hard.

What have the Christians asked for?
WHAT?
A general pro-life stance, against abortion, what the full understanding that the final decision on that reposes in the Courts. So, the pro-life Christians have worked for 30 years to get ONE thing, a change in the courts.

Now the Republicans manifestly have the power to pack the Judiciary, but what are they doing? NOT passing the Nuclear Option to override the Democrat filibuster to do it.

On the ONE concrete thing the Republicans can do for the pro-life Christians, they consciously choose NOT to do it.

And then folks say that the CHRISTIANS are unreasonable for screaming that the one single thing they organized and fought for for THIRTY YEARS is being withheld by the Republicans.

The Christians are right to be angry. They were right to be angry when Arlen Specter started shooting off his mouth but got Judiciary anyway. This is the Christians' only issue, and the Republican leadership, who is willing to be LIMITLESSLY controversial on war and taxes, regulation and the environment, suddenly cannot pass the only REAL pro-life legislation that has faced Congress in years.

It stinks.
That it comes at the same time as the Terri Schiavo case has put it all into the glaring spotlight.

The Republican coalition can be held together.
Keep your damned promises!
Pass the Nuclear Option.
You campaigned on it.
You have 55 seats.
There is no excuse for not doing it.