Replies

"So are you saying that social conservatives can't be "Republicans"? Is that it? Good heavens, the disdain you show for Christian conservatives is very telling."

I said nothing of the sort, and stop with the "condescending atttitude towards Christians" canard; I am one. Just because I don't attend church six days a week doesn't make me any less Christian, nor does it mean I deviate from your views so widely as to be your enemy.

What I am telling you, if you stop to think about it, is that a cultural conservative cannot win a general election for president in this country because government is NOT the proper tool for installing the cultural conservative agenda (anyone who believes that it is, is not a conservative in the truest sense of the word). Government can only affect personal behavior at the margins, at best, and any attempt to do more turns it into a dictatorial force of oppression.

Social conservatism has limited recourse in the realm of electoral politics, despite the fact that it has succeeded in creating voting blocs which must at least be paid lip service to if a candidate is to advance (if I recall, both Goldwater and reagan promised toput prayer back int he chools and aconstitutional amendment against abortion, in the case of RR. How'd you do on those accounts?). The place for social concervatism is at the grass-roots; in the communities at large, because ultimately, what you seek to advance cannot come to pass without a huge social shift which cannot be brought about by political methods. It must be made by human-to-human contact, and advanced by changing hearts and minds, not by passing legislation.

What I am telling you, if you stop to think about it, is that a cultural conservative cannot win a general election for president in this country because government is NOT the proper tool for installing the cultural conservative agenda.

Huh? That is a non-sequitur. You're not giving a reason why they "can't" win, but a reason why you prefer that they "don't" win.

It must be made by human-to-human contact, and advanced by changing hearts and minds, not by passing legislation.

I disagree. I think the battle must be fought on BOTH levels with equal intensity.

What I am telling you, if you stop to think about it, is that a cultural conservative cannot win a general election for president in this country

Either 8 years of Reagan prove you wrong, or you believe the country has changed too much to allow it to happen again. If the latter is the case, though I may fear you being correct, I'm not willing to wave the white flag this far ahead of the election. This country is worth fighting for at the ballot box as well as in foreign lands.

because government is NOT the proper tool for installing the cultural conservative agenda

A completely useless rationale in the face of the left's demonstrated eagerness to install a culturally liberal agenda; with signficant success to date. Now who's not dealing with reality?