http://donklephant.com/2008/11/21/evangelicals-turned-out-big-but-failed-to-deliver/ Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:28:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 http://donklephant.com/2008/11/21/evangelicals-turned-out-big-but-failed-to-deliver/comment-page-1/#comment-425566 mw Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:33:40 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=11236#comment-425566 The "evangelicals" held up their end in the GOP fusionist alliance between evangelicals and libertarians (<a href="http://www.ryansager.com/thebook/" rel="nofollow">Ryan Sager terminology</a>). The GOP cannot win without them. The problem for the GOP in 2008 (and 2006) was the other half of the team - the libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and limited government advocates. They had no reason to vote for the GOP because they were betrayed by the GOP. Both the evangelicals and libertarians are necessary for GOP electoral success. But neither are sufficient. The “evangelicals” held up their end in the GOP fusionist alliance between evangelicals and libertarians (Ryan Sager terminology). The GOP cannot win without them. The problem for the GOP in 2008 (and 2006) was the other half of the team – the libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and limited government advocates. They had no reason to vote for the GOP because they were betrayed by the GOP. Both the evangelicals and libertarians are necessary for GOP electoral success. But neither are sufficient.

]]> http://donklephant.com/2008/11/21/evangelicals-turned-out-big-but-failed-to-deliver/comment-page-1/#comment-425508 blackoutyears Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:24:43 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=11236#comment-425508 Like I said yesterday in another thread, check the Barna surveys and trends with younger evangelicals and born agains. If they maintain their tolerance toward homosexuality as they reach the age where they start voting (I'd love to see some numbers demonstrating if they vote in the same limited numbers as their non-evangelical peers) then wedge issues may be diminishing. I'm equally interested in their tolerance, or lack of, re abortion. It's possible that in the next three election cycles that abortion maintains its position as an issue while anti-gay positions lose steam. All things considered a Pro Life stance is much more defensible to people my age (under 40) and younger than an anti-gay stance is. Like I said yesterday in another thread, check the Barna surveys and trends with younger evangelicals and born agains. If they maintain their tolerance toward homosexuality as they reach the age where they start voting (I’d love to see some numbers demonstrating if they vote in the same limited numbers as their non-evangelical peers) then wedge issues may be diminishing. I’m equally interested in their tolerance, or lack of, re abortion. It’s possible that in the next three election cycles that abortion maintains its position as an issue while anti-gay positions lose steam. All things considered a Pro Life stance is much more defensible to people my age (under 40) and younger than an anti-gay stance is.

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