Comments Posted By ChrisO
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CPAC REVEALS CONSERVATIVE FRACTURES
Great post, Rick. I agree 100%.
For me, one of the most significant aspects of the social conservative takeover is the way that the culture of fundamentalism has been imported into the GOP. People who hold contrary views aren't just misguided, they're sinners or enemies to be converted or destroyed. The Bible trumps science and the rights of non-Christians are to be disregarded. Criticism of your own side is treasonous. The pastor (or President in this case) is guided by God and it's wrong to criticise or even question his judgment. The world is divided into saints and sinners, with no shades of grey.
Put simply, it's a culture of authoritarianism combined with a Manichean worldview. We've all seen the consequences - the unquestioning support for the Iraq disaster, the degraded political discourse back home, the anti-evolution battles across the US, the refusal by the GOP Congress to scrutinise the Administration, and so on. It's a very, very dangerous development, particularly if a future GOP president decided he would sincerely support the social conservative agenda rather than just giving it lip service as Bush did. Go look up "clerical fascism" to see where this can ultimately lead.
Comment Posted By ChrisO On 4.03.2007 @ 04:47
