How the Progressive Majority Can Stop Enabling the Radical Religious Right

If Democrats outnumber Republicans by such a hefty margin,(1) why are we seeing the US slowly drifting toward the Conservative, or far-right, end of the political spectrum? Due to an alliance from the 70s when corporations wanted more voice and the religious needed more cash. The result was the “Moral Majority,” and though it was dissolved after about 10 years due to financial difficulties, it helped seed the Religious Right-Wing. This faction later combined with another off-shoot – the Tea Partiers – to hijack and eventually radicalize the Republican Party. Government by the Shareholders, for the Shareholders

Recently, thanks to the Supreme Court’s bizarro Citizens United decision (passed by a 5-4 vote by ultra-Conservative Supreme Court Justices – all appointed by Republican presidents), the sky’s the limit when it comes to big business, the Religious Right-Wing Koch brothers and special interest groups heaving money into elections.

Although both parties get the support of corporations in financing political campaigns, Republicans benefit by corporate largesse far more than do Democrats, which makes sense since voting records show they are still the “Party of Big Business.”

In a choice between corporate welfare and the welfare of the average American, Republicans still vote in favor of mega-corporations by cutting taxes and preserving tax havens and loopholes, watering down environmental regulations and weakening union power.

Democrats, by contrast, typically vote in the opposite direction. This is one of the many reasons why anyone who claims Republicans and Democrats are the same are just wrong. Why Democrats are better for the Economy

Because the shareholder is a corporation’s main concern and the bottom line is a shareholder’s main concern, corporations push policies that up bottom lines. But the money has to come from somewhere, which is why our quality of life has gone south – especially compared to our industrialized cousins.

The gap between rich and poor, for example – by which we once judged the stability of “third-world” nations – is now higher in the US than in any other developed country.(2)

Democrats are better for not only for the poor and middle class but – contrary to popular belief – small businesses, all of which help to propel the economy. Additionally, every Republican president since and including Nixon has left behind deficits, often record-breaking (as in the case of Reagan and Bush, Jr.), while every Democratic president has left behind surpluses, record-breaking in Clinton’s case. Although you don't hear much about it in primetime news, Obama has been steadily bringing the deficit down from Bush levels as well. Hammer Time

In return for their pro-corporate votes, Republicans are typically rewarded with fat campaign coffers, by which they fund the political ads you see saturating TV airwaves.

These advertisements often work, especially with the groups who often determine election outcomes – Independent or swing voters – which studies show to be the least politically sophisticated of the electorate. It explains why s/he with the most campaign money typically wins, regardless of the stance s/he holds with regard to progressive issues. The Republican-Corporate Alliance comes at a significant cost to

•    American employees •    women •    minorities •    gays •    seniors •    science •    animal rights •    the environment •    education

Employees

Studies show Europeans are happier, have less stress and insecurity and live longer than Americans, due not only to universal healthcare but to more sick leave, paid holidays and vacation time as well as better pensions.

This has not undercut the competitiveness of other rich nations and there is also evidence of increased labor productivity.(3) In countries like France, inequalities have fallen as poorer workers are better paid.

Americans now work more than employees in any other industrialized country.(4) The US also has one of the worst unemployment insurance plans. Many get no paid time off or sick days. In 136 countries employees get from 7 to 30 paid sick days.

So what happened? Europeans and Americans once put in comparable hours until about 30 years ago. While left-leaning groups in Europe pushed for employee rights, right-leaning groups in the US shifted power from employees and unions to corporations. This shift is directly tied to the ascent of Ronald Reagan, the Radical Right and the new political culture of catering to corporations. This era also marked the burgeoning of the rich-poor gap.

Women

Why do Conservatives put as much effort into fighting against regulating pollution-disgorging industry as they do fighting for regulating a woman's body? Their focus on abstinence with no other sex education –even to protect against AIDS – resulted in more teen pregnancies and STDs,(5) though this is now coming down as abstinence education gets less emphasis.

Many see the Republican anti-choice position as an extension of biblical beliefs promoting male domination (1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-9; Ephesians 5:22-24; Titus 2:3-5 Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1).

Since women are typically found in the more progressive spheres of political life, keeping them occupied with children and subservient to husbands serves a double advantage since Republicans have a vested interest in diminished voter participation.

Minorities

Affirmative Action has helped women, African Americans and Hispanics achieve positions of power.(6) Also helping these groups are universal health care and minimum wage increases, which Conservatives also oppose.

Seniors and the Poor

You would think Religious Right-Wingers would be more empathetic, since they tout themselves as being so moral. However, if you look at politician scorecards, you’ll see this is not the case. Those that can least afford it are constantly facing cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare.

The GLBT Community

There are now more hate crimes, bullying and suicides of those not following the majority sexual orientation. Right-Wingers claim their Bible condemns homosexuality and so fight gay marriage and other rights. “God hates fags” is still a theme children hear Christian adult role models spew.

Scientists

The shift toward the right end of the political spectrum carries a decreasing respect for science, which is in keeping with religion’s tradition of suppressing and oppressing science. Research funding also dries up in favor of Republican-inspired tax cuts to corporations.

Education

Besides the fact that a (Bush-appointed) judge ruled in Kitzmiller v. Dover that “intelligent design” (ID) was “creationism in disguise” and violated our First Amendment rights of separation of church and state, and despite there being zero evidence for ID, creationists introduce yearly legislation to sneak it into public schools. They have succeeded in some states. One way they do this is through taxpayer funding of hundreds of voucher schools. Evolution disproves biblical claims, and so ID proponents resort to employing their “wedge strategy” to undermine evolution – disregarding the fact that the only controversy that exists is solely among creationists. Scientists haven’t debated this science for over half a century as it is considered a “foundation of modern biology.”(7) Lawsuits against teaching ID in public schools argue that paying equal time to creationism corrodes understanding of the scientific process, since this notion defies the tenets of biology, chemistry, geology and physics. Leaders in Britain have another take on it, recently condemning biblical creationism comparing it to radical Islam. It also hinders student performance in college-level science work. This is likely one reason U.S. students rank below average of the industrialized countries.(8) Unfortunately, Corporate Media pretty much ignores these types of stories. Animal Rights

It costs more to provide humane living and slaughtering conditions for factory farm animals, so Republicans typically oppose the same measures agribusiness opposes.

Other views are rooted in religion. Said Republican pollster Bob Meadow, "I do not want to get into equating humane treatment and well-being of animals with 'rights' which are for humans – either God-given or through social compacts.”9

According to the Christian Research Institute, the animal rights movement is motivated by an “implicit or explicit rejection of God as Creator and of humans as made in His image and hence distinct from the animal world."(10)

Advocates for animals, by contrast, seek a worldview that acknowledges animals as sentient beings. This viewpoint tends to be distinctly secular. In a 1984 reader survey by Animals Agenda magazine, 65% of respondents said they were Atheist or Agnostic.(11)

Environment

Corporate cash drives denial of manmade climate change – another science uncontroversial among all but fringe scientists – making the “denial machine” an industry in itself (starting with Big Tobacco). Big Business also lobbies to gut regulations to jack up profits. Many Republicans vote no on regulating heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions for another reason. Rep. John Shimkus, for example, claims “Climate change should not concern us since God has already promised not to destroy the Earth.”(12) The Good News The tolerance we’ve shown toward Religious Right-Wingers has only radicalized them. The good news is the number of those fed-up has grown as fast as a CEO’s annual bonus, and we now have the power to stop the inordinate corporate influence that has infested our politics. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to do this. Vote straight Democrat in both the general and mid-term elections. "The apathy of other Americans can become a blessing and advantage to Christians," is written in a textbook circulated at parochial and Christian home schools.(13) Mid-term elections, particularly, is where Republicans have the advantage since they are better at getting out the vote.

To see how your politicians have voted on past issues, Check out candidate scorecards, which many progressive organizations offer or go to VoteSmart.org, which not only helps you register but allows you to check out a candidate’s voting records.

Supplement your news with independent or non-corporate media like Alternet, Truthout, CommonDreams, etc. This will help balance out your information sources, since six media conglomerates deliver 80% of prime time news(14) and since corporations and Republicans are such bosom buddies these days, it means our “liberal” Corporate Media now slants subtly to the right.

This is exemplified by the media blackouts against the 2012 Reason Rally which, at an estimated 30,000, was the largest gathering of Atheists, Agnostics and others upholding church/state separation in US history, yet not deemed newsworthy enough to air on most prime time news channels.

More recently was last month’s virtual blackout on the climate change protests across the country.(15)

Corporate Media’s reluctance to grant air time to issues that could negatively impact their bottom lines is understandable – from a corporate point of view – since regulating greenhouse gases can be costly. To advertise these protests would also throw a spotlight on the fact that climate change-denying Republican politicians are neglecting to pass regulations on industry. And giving air time to an Atheist rally could threaten Christianity’s stranglehold on US politics, which their Republican supporters wouldn't appreciate. Support Campaign Finance Reform. Big Business SuperPACs have much deeper pockets than do those progressive, which is why Republicans, in contrast to Democrats, routinely vote against any regulations that would reign in campaign finance reform.

Catching up to the 21st Century

Many reading this have their email in-boxes stuffed with donation requests to protect voting rights, women's rights, healthcare reform, the environment, etc.

But what kind of archaic system do we have where we have to pay off our government to do the right thing? After all, you don't see this kind of thing happening with our more progressive neighbors in Europe. Religious Right-Wingers and Tea Partiers are in the minority yet their policies affect the rest of us since their power stems in large part from corporate cash. This wouldn’t be a problem – except the goals of mega-corporations and the average American are often at ends with each other.

The only way to overturn the power of Conservatives is to ally with progressive organizations fighting not only for campaign finance reform and preserving voting rights but also those working for the middle class, civil rights, women’s rights, the humane treatment of animals and the environment, or those supporting church/state separation such as the Secular Coalition for America, Freedom from Religion Foundation or People For the American Way.

Secular groups do not seek to eradicate religion, which is why many progressive Christian and Jewish organizations commonly partner up with them. What they are interested in is restoring our constitutional right of freedom from government-sponsored religion, which the Founding Fathers apparently deemed important enough to insert as the very first sentence of the First Amendment of the “Supreme Law of the Land.” It has been often said that “The moderate Republican has become an endangered species.” It’s up to the rest of us to show Republicans their radical anti-woman, anti-environment, anti-voter, uncompassionate policies will no longer work for them.

It is also up to us to reclaim the freedom America has been so well known for – and the only way to do that is to stop being complicit in the Republicans' right-wing agenda and VOTE.

References

(1)Political parties in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/...

(2)Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development “Income Distribution-Inequality” 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/...

(3)DiTellab R., MacCulloch R. “Inequality and Happiness: Are Europeans and Americans Different?" Journal of Public Economics 2004:88

(4)Americans Work Nights And Weekends More Than Anyone Else http://www.forbes.com/...

(5)Kirby, D. “Abstinence, Sex, and STD/HIV Education Programs for Teens” Annual Review of Sex Research 2007:88

(6)Holzer, H., Neumark D. "What Does Affirmative Action Do?" Industrial and Labor Relations Review 2000:53

(7)National Center for Science Education “Scientists to Texas Board of Education: Teach Evolution Right!” Press Release 2009

(8)U.S. Students Slide In Global Ranking On Math, Reading, Science http://www.npr.org/...

(9)Starobin, P. “Animal Rights on The March” National Journal 2010:5/22

(10)Brown, H. “Of Animal and Human Rights” Christian Research Institute http://www.equip.org/...

(11)Lowe, B. "Emerging Moral Vocabularies: The Creation and Establishment of Moral and Ethical Meanings"  Lanham, MD: Lexington Books 2006

(12)Kelly,C. “God Will Save Us From Climate Change: US Representative” Toronto Star 2010:11/13

(13)TheocracyWatch.org homepage http://www.theocracywatch.org/...

(14)StopBigMedia.com Media Ownership Chart www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/main

(15)A Protest in the Capitol and a Media Blackout http://www.fair.org/...