Thinking more about Delay, Bush and the Supremes

If you read the blogs, you will see that conservatives are very angry about Bush's recent appointment of Harriet Miers. Many of them feel they were promised a Scalia-like justice and feel that they are closer to getting another Souter.

I wonder if this might be the beginning of the end of the religious right's political power. Oh, I know, there are numerous organizations in place and James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell--to say nothing of the hoodlums who took over the SBC--will continue to be conservative supporters. The question, at least for me, are those true believers out there who might lose interest in the political system.

Mark Shield's commentary (previous post) suggested that Tom Delay single handedly stopped a compromise in the 90s that might have saved Clinton the scandal and shame of impeachment. He did that by appealing to the religious right (Shields called them "more right than religious") and putting so much pressure on the House that they had to vote for impeachment.

Now we have Delay indicted. And a weakened Bush. Perhaps all the true believers will simply write that off as liberal politics. No doubt that the religious right listen to mostly conservative christian radio and hear from James Dobson and others how they should think politically.

But what about this scenario. Religious believers--and I am talking serious Christians--have since the 80s for sure believed that if they could elect more like them, they could change the political situation. They truly believed that more Christians in office would produce a more Christian society and government. And isn't their support for Bush (almost a lock-step support) their belief that he is "one of them?" Isn't Bush supposed to be an Israel-Supporting, End Times believing, homophobic and anti-abortion Christian President? (And that is the only thing that explains how so many serious Christians continue to support this guy despite a failed war and disastrous economic policy)?

But if after all of that, the Religious right ends up with some criminal thugs representing them (Delay) or marginal and largely crazy mavericks (Coburn) or really only lip-service faith people (Frist and Bush), what will they do next? What will they do when they realize that they spent millions of dollars and prayed for the death of supreme court justices all to essentially stay in the same place? What will they do when they realize they control, or have a strong hand in all three branches of government and still have legalized abortion, gay people all around them, and a society that is over-sexualized and self-centered?

Well, they might just drop out of the political system. They might just say that politics and faith don't mesh and decide to focus on their local church. It has happened before. All, I admit, without the fundraising and power of people like Dobson and Falwell, but it has happened before.

Part of me hopes it happens. Mostly because I would like those sincere Christians to stop making excuses for someone like Delay. I would like people who take their faith seriously to not worship the "faith of George W. Bush." And I would like some day where politicians didn't have to bend over backwards trying to say they are good Christians and could just focus on policy.

We will see.