re: #886 jvic

IMO the religious right seized the upper hand in the coalition when the Contract Republicans lost the budget confrontation with Clinton.

I think that might be right. It was under Clinton that we started to see many dogwhistle appeals to mobilise the religious right— often about gay marriage or ‘teh ghey’.

But those wingnuts were around and wielding power before that— Operation Rescue, the Moral Majority, etc. I think that might have been when the GOP started really leaning on their support. They’ve been angry all along because although they faithfully (heh) turned out in every election, even when their candidates won (such as W, who they really thought had to be one of their own), they never got any of the ‘big ticket’ items they longed for. Roe v Wade, for example.

And they’re angry now and the demographics show this is their last chance. The tide is against them. Even younger evangelicals aren’t afraid of teh ghey in the way their parents were (and are).

Consequently, we’ll see a very nasty battle. Last gasps of the old culture warriors.