I turned away from religion not because it seemed stupid to me but because I happened to wander across one of those insipid christian channels one day and kept watching. The greed and lust for power from these people was so off putting that I walked away from my faith forever. Before that, I would have called myself a christian. Obviously my faith must not have been very strong to begin with if it was enough to get me to walk away.

My point is this, perhaps more of those people are like me then are aware of it. I don't think they are wrestling with their faith, I just think they haven't found that asshole televangelist yet that scares the Jesus out of them (literally). Incidently, I don't consider myself an atheist, just more of an agnostic.

Finding a major news outlet backer I mean. For years, fiscal conservatives have "tolerated" social conservatives because they brought in the votes. It's a sure bet that if they don't need them anymore (and if Guilliani is the front runner, it looks like they don't) they aren't giving them one red cent. Sorry kids, they really don't like you after all. You were just the Jerry Lewis to their Dean Martin. A mealticket. Guess who got more respect when that partnership ended ("Jerry's Kids" aside)? Does anyone really believe you can have an unregulated market and a "culture war" going at the same time?

What I don't get is, for years the religious right have claimed that they represent the majority of christians and, by default as christianity is the largest religion in the country, the majority of Americans. So why are they having such a hard time getting their issues front and center? It must be so disheartening to discover you don't speak for as many of your fellow saved bretheren as you thought you did. Perhaps that's why their reluctant to take the plunge. Finding out you were wearing no clothes after everyone else did must really hurt. I'll be crying my beer for them (Oh, wait, I don't drink. Boy they just can't catch a break, can they?!).

If he doesn't have the support of the base at his back, then how did Guilliani get bumped to the head of the pack? There seems to be a third factor at work here we're not seeing. All of this suggests that perhaps the religious right isn't the big boogeyman in the republican party we all thought they were and it also suggests that the relationship between the two is not that real to begin with. No relationship built on blackmail can be.

I think the "moral issues" voting block is dying for a couple reasons: 1) The results have been disasterous. How many people voted for Bush just because of abortion or gay marraige or out of anger at Clinton in 2000? His ability to think wasn't even a factor. 2) For the most part, most of these people don't have anywhere to go after all is said and done. If Roe gets overturned tommorow, A lot of this voting block will dry up and go do something else.

Outside of the gay community, most people have no reason to care about these issues. Couple that with the REAL backlash overturning Roe would create on the left and the culture war looks like a real loss in the long run.

You know it, I know it, the republicans know it, the businesses know it, the only people who don't know it are the 29%ers who still think Iraq was behind 9/11 and whose biggest concern on election day is two guys marrying each other. They let Rush and company do their thinking for them and all is well.

Look, "socialized medicine" or whatever you want to call it may not be perfect but letting the current system railroad people isn't working either. Most middle class people can't afford to get majorly sick, let alone the poor. Let's see the free-marketers wiggle their way out of that one.

...he'll be gone by the middle of next year, if that long.