I grew up in the Center of the Bible belt, reared, in part, by a fundamentalist step-father who conducted many endless bible study sessions in our living room. He had two step sons and a bioglogical son-all now atheists. We went to a little Fundie church (before they became mainstream) and we had multiple copies of 'None Dare Call it Treason" in the family bookcase. I currently live in Ben Bridges's district in NE Georgia.
Ok, enough of my bonafides. I would like to put out two ideas related to tossing the Republicans an anchor below the fold:
Everyone knows, especially in the South, that current Republican political clout depends on a melding of fundamentalist religous extremists with large elements of the business community, Chamber of Commerce types(CoCs). On this blog we have had numerous calls to learn from Republican strategists in the building of their empire. How can we copy their most effective strategies?
Fifty years ago there were little fundie churches scattered throughout the rural south. Everytime a church would begin to have a little success there would be the inevitable fight over interpreation of scripture. In reality a couple of strong personalities within these personality cults would clash and we would have another split and a new congreation formed in some little dump of a building.
Recently the fundies have been organized by their corrupt leaders and the Republican Party. They have developed an artificial sense of unity that has allowed them to become a large political force. Amazingly this has happened without their freaking out their partner CoCs mentioned above and without the fundie grassroots realizing how they are being used.
We seem to be missing a possible severe vulnerability by not systematically researching and acting upon the inherent differences in dogma and values and the many prejudices both among the fundies and between the fundies and their Main Street allies. When Pat Roberson or some other fundie makes some crack about Popists (a made up example), then why aren't we advertising that to the heavens (and particulary the Catholic right wing? I mean these folks have formed an alliance with Likud and a few decades ago these same people were rabid haters of the jews There just seems to be endless possiblities for a small group that would like to research and educate the fundie grroups as to how their various partners really don't hold them in very high esteem.
Finally, the inspiration of this next idea comes from that intellectual giant of NE Georgia, Ben Bridges. You may be aware of the recent controversy herewhere a memo was sent out by Representative Bridges's campaign manager basically saying that if Creation "Science" couldn't be taught in the schools then maybe we shouldn't be teaching science at all. The memo was distributed widely in Republican circles. A recommended website expresses a belief that the earth goes around the sun. here
I would propose taling points, a letter writing campaign and a guerrilla advertising campaign linking Republicans to their Anti-Science attitudes and agenda, specifically referencing the return to the years before 1500 AD. The guerrilla advertising campagn could be Young Democrat acting troups that dressed in fifteenth century peasant garb that would haunt the campaigns of specific Republicans and highlight how we were living before the advances of modern science and technology. They could pull a cart with a goat or chickens on it. The overall points would be to highlight the practical effects of the fundies and their Republican apologists and handlers. Talking points and letter writing would highlight the beliefs of the fundies and the practical effect antiscience attitutudes will have on our economy and our quality of life. The relationship between medicine and science could be hammered on. Do these hypocrites just pray for relief or when they get sick do they go to the doctor? Well, if so, thank science.
I just think that we are allowing these fractious people to keep together a coalition that should have fallen apart years ago. Let's get organized and give them a few well deserved pushes toward disintegration and toward the exits/sidelines of political power.