(Community Matters) There is a culture war underway. The war is not among everyone on either side, but it is underway. Extreme fundamentalist Christians want to impose their beliefs on the rest of us and have stooped to lies, trickery and threats. Roman Catholic Bishops, priests, too many evangelical leaders including Rev Billy Graham, Ralph Reed’s Faith & Freedom Coalition and other members of the so-called Christian Coalition organized, cajoled and threatened as never before. And, they lost – lost big, lost every single swing state except for North Carolina – lost by 126 out of 538 electoral votes – 332 to 206 votes, that’s a 61% margin.
and . . . they lost four same sex marriage ballot initiatives, plus senate seats because of male idiots who opine on what a woman experiences during rape and how men should decide what she can and can’t do in the case of pregnancy.
And, yes, there is a coalition of us forcing the government to treat LGBT Americans as full citizens with access to every right offered any other American, preventing governments from telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies, and who insist on a fair & equitable tax system, compassion & services for those in need, & investments in physical & human infrastructure.
I’m sorry for my friends with more laudable objectives who supported the candidate who didn’t win. That was a bad political alliance. Dump the fundamentalists who’d impose their beliefs on others or start a third party.
Romney declared he would suspend my right to visit Steven in a hospital. You can’t be my friend and support this; you can’t overlook it for some other goal.
written in response to a FB post declaring there is no such culture war
Community Matters 
Absolutely!
I noticed today in Charles Krauthammer’s column, he almost too casually drops the line to the effect that Hispanics are a natural fit for Republicans except for the immigration thing. I found that line insulting, and I would imagine it is to Hispanics. Sure many are Catholic and pro-life, but many have experienced years of discrimination and segregation and expectations that they’d work in the dirty jobs from many of the core constituency of the GOP (misnomer?). Many Hispanics have fled countries where a very small, very rich and powerful class controls the economy and the government. I’d doubt they’d vote lock-step with their religious beliefs just to recreate that here.
I think that Hispanics are more complex than Krauthammer and the GOP believe. They also care about jobs and housing and healthcare and education and the other quality of life issues that the GOP still wants to trickle down. It seems to me that many of them are more pragmatically comfortable with the idea of “choice” than the GOP contituents–no one is forcing them to go against their religious beliefs and they don’t vote to force their religious beliefs on others.
And, one thing I think Hispanics in our country get a lot more than R’s is coallition building. They understand that immigration isn’t my number one issue and I understand that gay rights isn’t most of theirs–etc, etc. But we both understand human rights and dignity and the need for an equal playing field–and that none of us gets there without building the coalitions necessary to bring each other up.
I find it a little desparate sounding that Rs have spent these last few days trying to figure out how to “get the Hispanic vote”. Uh, Hey R’s, you wanna know? See Eugene’s original posts.
Thanks for these posts, Eugene. Excellent.
(and a note on pronouns: Of course I realize you’re Hispanic and I could’ve used the second person plural “you” or “y’all”–but I’m talking in the bigger picture framework than you personally or our friends, etc. And you tended to frame your response from the gay angle, your and Steven’s wonderful relationship, so I took my cues from there.)
thx, MM
Though, let’s not become complacent. At the end of the day, it’s probably best we predict votes according to “what’s he done for me today or what will I get if I vote for him/her.” As long as the tea party controls R primaries, we’re safe. If George P is successful and if moderate voices prevail in the R party, I wouldn’t predict