Political Bashing

This movement can be traced back to the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and it was Honest Abe who freed the slaves. In response, the racist south began voting Democrat. Then one-hundred years later came L.B. Johnson, a Democrat from Texas. After Kennedy was killed, Johnson took over as President and then won the 1964 election. Struck by the Civil Rights movement in the south, Johnson began to pass legislation, approved by congress, that established racial equality. He also managed to have congress approve Thurogood Marshall as the first black member of the Supreme Court. Well down in the Bible Belt, the evangelicals were not happy. They became more angry with the legalization of abortion in 1973 by the Supreme Court. Now the mobilisation began. They believed that America was loosing its moral ways and that it had to be saved from itself.

In the 1980's, the Evangelical right supported Ronald Reagan and his conservative ways; especially his desire to strike down the abortion law. Then they supported Bush I in 1988 and 1992. However, after Clinton won thw 1992 Presidential election, the neo-conservative movement began to completely take over the Republican Party. There are 3 groups that combined to form this political movement. First is the neo-conservatives. These are rich guys who believe that America has a moral calling to spread freedom and capitalism around the world, although it is probably more about money than freedom. The second is the Christian Coalition, a movement of evangelical Christian fundamentalists whose aim is to preserve the moral fibre of America. Lastly is the Zionists, those fundamentalist Christians and Jews (this does imply that all Jewish people are pro-Israel and fundamentalist) who support Israel and its 'right' to expand. With their support, the Republicans regained control of congress for the first time in 40 years in 1994, as well as the Presidential elections in 2000 and 2004. They have an agenda, as well as the votes and the money to back it up.

These people have an agenda that includes expanding American influenece and establishing laws that preserve their version of morality in America. Kids should be forced to give the Pledge of Allegiance and recite the Lord's Prayer in school, homosexuality should be illegal and people should support Israel. Basically they wish to tell you how you should live your lives and what you should believe. If you go against them, then you go against God; it is their way or the wrong way.

Now traditional supporters of the Republican Party have had to go elsewhere as their beliefs are not the beliefs of the party they once supported. If they stood up in a Republican convention and talked about how they believed that the government needs to stay out of people's personal affairs and that America should change its forerign policy, they would be jeered of the stage by unimpressed evangelicals.

A once proud party has now found itself taken over by people who will end up running the party right into the ground.