I don’t know how many Americans are against birth control, but I’m going to go out on a very short limb and say that most people probably couldn’t care less. Really, do we care that our friends and neighbors are on birth control? And if you are a doctor who is against giving birth control to your patients based on religious reasons, then you should probably find another profession. But again, I’m guessing that the numbers of doctors who care about this are also slim. Regardless of this being a non-issue, this has caused hysteria within the paranoid far-right crowd and has been a central debate between the Republican candidates.
The Republican battle to find the most conservative candidate has turned into a drum circle for ultra-conservative supporters who, in their view, believe that Christianity is now under attack in America. Who is doing the attacking is a bit of a mystery, but that’s the kindling keeping the blood boiling at the moment.
The far-right crowd believes President Obama hates Christians and America. They believe that there’s a war against all things Christian. This is in spite of the fact Obama is a Christian and that Christians control just about every part our government. The reference to God is stamped on our money and everywhere else, and thanks to Christian influence, a grown man can’t even get a hard drink in Tennessee on Sunday.
Obama was accused of being a Muslim during the 2008 presidential race, so if you have to defend yourself against the accusation of following another god, the chances of an atheist getting elected president are slim to none. Jon Stewart said it best; the far right is confusing a war against Christianity with not always getting their way.
The reason the candidates want to drum up a faux religious war is because there really isn’t much else to sell. One could almost feel bad for the Party. You can see the campaign coordinators desperately searching for social topics to rehash just to give candidates like Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum something to sell to their base. When Rick Santorum’s meek sweater-vest character wasn’t working, he ratcheted up the crazy Santorum of old who hates gay people and believes Satan has a controlling influence in America. Newt Gingrich has accused Obama of supporting infanticide and Mitt Romney said that when he gets elected President, the assault on religion will stop.
They’ve got nothing. They’re all playing with an empty hand. This will obviously sell to the base but not to the people at large who fear the idea of having a delusional person in the White House. The Republican political field is so devoid of someone electable that most liberals don’t even care. Santorum is a punching bag to the gay community (as he should be). Gingrich is a relic from the ‘90s and he was a poison to his party back then. Romney will likely get the nomination because he’s less of an albatross, but his ideas are thin, and he doesn’t even have much appeal with the typical Republican voter—the old white guy. Their only hope is to be able to string together a few more phony social issues that might make a few people angry. Otherwise, this will be a boat race with Obama well in front.
