Though overall he damaged our nation quite extensively, former President Bush was an agent of social development for many of us these past eight years as we developed survival strategies to help process the exaggerated cultural concerns of our nation's evangelical community. Now that he's not in office, the movement doesn't have anyone in power who can carry its mantel - and thus, we are liberated to carry out the needed business of the state!

Over the past eight years, as our brethren to the right equated opposition to Bush's policies with that of Godlessness, we have learned just how Godless the Bush regime was, and so now we're not having it! -Kevo

Someone should ask them what it feels like being treated like the anti-war movement was treated by Democrats in 2003.

Bullshit!

The religious right remains alive and well -- maybe not so much to Republicans, but Democrats still fear them mightily.

There's a big event in DC today for the repeal of Don't Ask/Don't Tell. 130 members of Congress have signed on as co-sponsors of the repeal. But will they actually do anything? Don't hold your breath.

Repeal the "Defense of Marriage" Act? Obama called for that during the primaries. But, seriously, would Obama or the Democratic leadership in Congress actually upset the religious right by taking on repeal? Don't hold your breath.
We might see some form of an Employment Non-discrimination Act pass this year (at least through the House). But will the Democrats have the balls to resist weakening it to allow continued discrimination by those who believe that's what Jesus wants? I doubt it.

No, the religious right will have power in America as long as there are gays to be bashed and Democrats too timid to speak out.

would it be too big a stretch to guess that the senate delagation from "america's biggest consumer of on-line porn" (aka utah) voted "no"?

Though a perpetual continuous shunning of the Religious Right would be glorious, I will temper my enthusiasm. The movement is licking its wounds, seemingly listless. And let's face it, after having self-appointed members of your leadership compromise principles to accept McCain (especially when what they were being told Obama & what they could see with their lying eyes didn't quite jibe) how much can they REALLY get worked up about the Deputy AG? It's like that first game in the Bad News Bears; it's a rout, why prolong the agony? "Maybe next game you'll get a chance to hit."

what to watch out for is a regrouping and an attempt to regain footing in politics on a local level - mayor, city councils and assemblymen, followed by statewide politics. This wave has passed, but another wave is always coming & we have to be vigilant & try to make sure they don't catch it & start riding it.

The religious right may be loosing power, as evidenced in their failure to derail Ogden. But the neocon/Israel lobby sure still has plenty of nasty punch - look at what they did to another Obama appointee, Charles "Chas" Freeman Jr.

See e.g. www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2009/02/25/israel-lobby-smears-obama-intelligence-appointee/.

"...even GOP lawmakers no longer seem to care what the religious right thinks."

What they think isn't relevant in 2009.
You can only scare and shame people for so long before they realize that it's all BS and that jesus isn't some near deity to them, he's the man they hid behind in order to carry out their own hatred.

Impotent is the adjective that needs to be applied to the freakazoids, wingnuts and the rest of the Wrongs far more frequently.

Completely accurate, devastatingly insulting and guaranteed to make their testicles shrink and their heads explode.

And K is dead-on about how the only ones who fear the freakazoids are spineless dems and those of us who have witnessed the kind of homicidal violence they can whip up against gays.

The best result would be for the religious right to leave the GOP and form a third party, making them both completely impotent. Then we might see some real progress in this country--there would only be some corporatist Dems standing in the way.

The last thing in the world we need right now is a distracting fight over "don't ask, don't tell" or gay marriage. That was what kneecapped the Clinton administration in its early months and probably assured GWBs reelection in 04. There will be time for those things after the economy improves and we have a true Senate majority.

I think Obama is essentially very sympathetic on LGBT issues, but he understands that pushing these too far too fast has done a lot of damage to progressive causes. The generation that reacts viscerally against LGBT concerns will pass from the scene eventually, but it takes time. In the meantime, we have plenty of other fish to fry. I have to give a much higher priority to health care reform than to "don't ask, don't tell."

While this is good news, I think its an exaggeration to say that no one cares what the religious right thinks anymore. Twenty-eight Republicans in the Senate voted with them on this, so they still have influence.

And I agree that their most potent issue is still gay & lesbian rights. Vastly fewer people are going to get riled up about Playboy than are homophobic enough to still be appealed to by anti-gay rhetoric.

The NY Times has an article today suggesting all of this is going to come to a head quickly for Obama on the issue of the federal government providing health insurance to same sex partners. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/us/politics/13benefits.html?_r=1&hp

Let's hope Obama really is a "fierce advocate" of gay and lesbian rights.

I think his nomination got through because people thought he was David Ogden Stiers, the actor who played Winchester on M*A*S*H.

It also explains why Alan Aldar is our new Solicitor General.

One down, 9,999,999 to go. Israel Lobby, step up to the plate!!

The last thing in the world we need right now is a distracting fight over "don't ask, don't tell" or gay marriage.

I disagree. This Administration can walk and chew gum at the same time, and the time to grant equal rights to LGBT citizens -- especially ending the military's discrimination against gays and lesbians, which is damaging to national security and no more justified than its prior discrimination against blacks, for all that the same excuses are being proferred to defend it -- is now, while the evangelical movement is weakened.

To wait for the current "generation that reacts viscerally" against LGBT rights to pass from the scene is to ask the current generation of LGBT citizens to also pass after having been denied the rights that their fellow citizens take for granted. No, thank you.

Speaking of the weakened evengelical movement, I remember when Ame Sullivan kept concern-trolling us with postings about how the Democrats simply needed to bend over backwards to accommoate the fundamentalists. I wonder if she feels foolish now that even the Republican Party is no longer as willing to do so?

It said Michael Steele was the wrong person to become RNC chairman.

Well, credit where it's due. The religious right sure got that one right.

If they can't scare Kit Bond, it really is over for them.

No, Steele was the right person - for us and our popcorn fest!

> Perkins called Ogden a "porn advocate" for his previous work for Playboy.

Being, er, um, aware of all Internet traditions, I didn't realize Playboy still qualified as such.

One-word explanation for the religious Right's impotence-- 'Schiavo'. Every politician who gave major public support to the winger view on the Schiavo case is gone, baby, gone.

I wouldn't underestimate the influence of the Family Research Council and its allied groups. They convinced 28 Republican Senators--three-quarters of the Republicans who cast a vote--to vote against Ogden, whose only "sin" was to have acted as an attorney writing briefs on Constitutional law issues. Despite widespread, non-partisan support, the FRC clearly cowed most of the Republican Senators into taking a ridiculous position: voting against a nomination that would otherwise have been totally non-controversial.

There appear to be 5 or 6 Republican Senators who did not vote at all--I wonder how many of them were ducking this vote for fear of offending the FRC?

You do have to wonder, however, if the FRC is foolishly squandering its power and influence by picking fights like this and like the challenge to the Sibelius nomination. They are not going to win these battles, and they push Republican Senators to go against the institutional tradition of supporting the President's nominees for Executive branch appointments absent a compelling problem.

Which dumbocrap senators did not vote for Odgen?

Specifically, was the 'moderate' leader Evan Bayh (DLC/DINO/Rethug-Lite/Corporately Owned) among those who would not vote for him?

They must have some influence left with the Kroger chain. At Freddy's in the Portland area, the stores keep one "Family Friendly" check out aisle open. No Playboy Mags allowed. Pity that the football "Christians" won't be allowed to see that great cartoon showing a couple in bed, while the college football game of the week is on TV, and the announcer says, "What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?"

Perhaps the Religious right's failure to whip up a controversy with Playboy connections stems from the fact that so many of the self described righteous—as a result of having to put up certain outward appearances—are closet pornography consumers.

"One-word explanation for the religious Right's impotence-- 'Schiavo'."

There are two other words to add to that explanation - "Vitter" and "Romney". Christian Conservatives leaders should have been at the head of the pack calling for Vitter to resign after his whore problem and evangelical leaders should have been the last people flocking to the banner of a Mormon running for President.

Schiavo is an example of the GOP prostrating itself before the Religious Right. The real problem for the Religious Right, however, is that they've been doing plenty of bowing and scraping themselves.

Mike

Don't ever make the mistake of counting these radicals out. I live in the midst of one of the most solid "fundie" areas of CA, and they are anything but discouraged. The simmering rage is intense!

They will keep coming back, and they will keep chipping away at things, until they either get what they want, or are slapped down completely. I have watched this fight progress since the days of the battle to get "under God" inserted into the Pledge. They will not give up or quit.

One has only to look at the Abeka "home schooling" propaganda that masquerades as a "curriculum" to see that they are working very hard to mold the next generation of nut cases to carry on the fight. It's hardly a finished game for these people, dismiss them at your peril.

Don't look at their "leadership," look at their "grassroots." It's a pretty mind numbing vision.

"I wouldn't underestimate the influence of the Family Research Council and its allied groups. They convinced 28 Republican Senators--three-quarters of the Republicans who cast a vote--to vote against Ogden, whose only "sin" was to have acted as an attorney writing briefs on Constitutional law issues."
Posted by: Don Friedman on March 13, 2009 at 10:25 AM | PERMALINK

Don, if a=b and c=d, that doesn't necessarily mean a=c.

Just because 28 Senators voted against Ogden doesn't mean they agreed with FRC. Most, if not all, of them are just being the obstructionist douche bage for which Republicanism is now synonymous. The fact that the FRC agrees with their decision is a "happy" coincidence.

The Religious Right, evangelical style, might be losing power, but the Religious Right, AIPAC style, is still in control.

The last thing in the world we need right now is a distracting fight over "don't ask, don't tell" or gay marriage.

This probably isn't the best time to push gay marriage, but don't ask don't tell?

A CNN poll in December found that 81 percent believe openly gay people should be allowed to serve their country.

Letting gays and lesbians serve openly in the military is only opposed by the hard core fanatics. It's time to change this.