GOP insider: Religion destroyed my party
A veteran Republican says the religious right has taken over, and turned his party into anti-intellectual nuts
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/05/republicans_slouching_toward_theocracy/
Will the pendulum swing back? _Can_ the pendulum swing back?
The author makes some very plausible arguments about the hijacking of the GOP by ultra conservative Christians as well as the typical craven way that politicians suck up to whoever they think will get them elected. I guess I have been a bit like the proverbial frog in the heating pot and didn’t really see the takeover, though it is/was clear as day. Though not quite an atheist (more a polytheist), this ‘conversion’ of the GOP to the religious right is probably one of the things that have soured me over the years. Of course, the GOP’s willingness to cut taxes while increasing spending, not to mention starting wars without bothering to fund them, was another issue, but how much of that was driven by the Christian Fundamentalists now in charge?
As for what to do about it, I am not sure there is anything that can be done. Politicians, as a species, are con men and opportunists, so will latch on to whatever idiocy they think they can to ride into office so they can steal at a larger rate than their previous office, so the idea of starting a third party seems totally wasted. Also, with the sheeple so trivial to lead around by their biases and preconceived notions it would be an upstream swim against a torrent. I have spoken about my becoming more liberal as I get older, but now I think I have more stood still while the left has moved toward center and the right has blasted off at light speed. BTW, you can identify right wing zealots immediately because they will spout nonsense like Obama is a socialist/communist/etc. It is clear to _anyone_ who has studied politics that Obama is actually to the right of center given our historical politics. However, I understand why the left still supports him; the alternative is a theocracy run by Christian Fundamentalists (it is ironic to me that they are now supporting a Mormon).
