Salon: Joyful and Triumphant (religious right is in heaven re: SCOTUS)

[kskiska]

The religious right is in heaven at the prospect of remaking the Supreme Court.

By Michelle Goldberg

With the reelection of George Bush, an increase in Senate seats and a chance to remake the Supreme Court, many Republicans are gearing up for a full-blown culture war. Writing in the National Review on Wednesday, self-appointed culture czar William Bennett proclaimed, "Having restored decency to the White House, President Bush now has a mandate to affect policy that will promote a more decent society, through both politics and law. His supporters want that, and have given him a mandate in their popular and electoral votes to see to it. Now is the time to begin our long, national cultural renewal ('The Great Relearning,' as novelist Tom Wolfe calls it) -- no less in legislation than in federal court appointments. It is, after all, the main reason George W. Bush was reelected."

Whether or not a huge turnout of evangelical voters was really the deciding factor in the election, Christian right activists are eager to take credit for the president's reelection, and claim a mandate for remaking American culture. In the past, Republican presidents have pulled a bait and switch on their fundamentalist foot soldiers, granting them favors at the margins but doing little to alter the status quo. This time, though, social conservative leaders won't be satisfied with half-measures. "Evangelical Christians really think they won this election and they want results," says Roger Robins, an assistant professor of political science and history at Marymount College who studies the religious right. "They're already warning Bush that if he doesn't do it there's going to be a price to pay in 2008."

Religious right leaders say they want several things from this administration, including curbs on abortion rights, support for a constitutional ban on gay marriage, a change in IRS laws to allow churches to engage in partisan political activity, and increased Justice Department prosecution of pornography. The administration is already sending signals that it plans to comply. On Sunday, Karl Rove told Fox News that Bush would resume the push for the Federal Marriage Amendment, saying, "If we want to have a hopeful and decent society, we ought to aim for the ideal, and the ideal is that marriage ought to be, and should be, a union of a man and a woman."

Most of all, the religious right and its conservative allies have pinned their hopes on the Supreme Court, which is only one vote away from overturning Roe vs. Wade. "If it were up to the states, not activist judges, abortion would have severe restrictions in the majority of states," says Jayd Henricks, director of congressional relations at the Family Research Council, a major religious right group. Like many conservatives, he insists that there won't be a litmus test for Bush's judicial appointments. In the same breath, though, he says, "Of course we want somebody with a pro-life persuasion, somebody who is willing to challenge Roe v. Wade. They have to be open-minded."

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/11/09/right/index.html

[Maat]

1. I heard that Mr. Rove should know about 'ideal marriages...

n/t

[eleonora]

2. wtf is decent about taking people's rights and stomping on them like dirt?

uuuugh, I will never understand