I have read several posts and diaries lately on the role of the Evangelicals in both the rise and fall of the modern Republican Party. The battle between social conservatives and the rest of the nation may very well shape politics for the next several years. That is why we can't afford to get it wrong.
Republican strategists have demonstrated themselves to be excellent both at the use of labels and in distorting both our positions and theirs. No matter what approach we take, we will likely be labeled as "attacking/hating Christianity." Luckily, we may not need to take much of an approach ourselves. In the few days since the election, social conservatives have made it clear they expect favors in return for their part in electing Bush. Moderate voters who selected Bush because they thought he would keep their kids safe did not bargain for this. The divisions are already happening within the Republican Party. (See the attacks on Arlen Specter for an example.)
It's important the narrative remains this way: Conservative Republicans are out of touch with mainstream America and feel they have the right to impose their narrowly defined morals on the rest of the nation. Moderates in their own party are at risk. If we overplay our hand, the gifted Republican image makers will unite the Republican Party against the "God hating, elitist Democrats." We are far better off at this point with this remaining a highly visible internal Republican conflict.
This conflict can easily get worse. In 2008, there is a strong likelihood at least one social moderate will make a serious run at the Republican nomination. These issues must be alive and at the forefront so that republicans are forced to choose between their socially moderate and conservative factions. If we allow Republicans to sweep their differences under the rug, we lose perhaps our greatest wedge.
For my own part, I have in all of my writings begun to use the phrases Religious Right, Fundamentalists and Conservative Republicans interchangeably. The goal here is to create a permanent association in voters' minds between the Religious Right and Conservatives. Our goal should not be to try to villanize the Religious Right, but instead do what we can to assist the developing narrative within the media that Conservative Republicans own the party and are seeking to legislate their moral beliefs on an unwilling nation.
Adapted from my blog entry