Demise of the Christian Right?

There is a certain smell in the air which predicts the decay of the Bush administrations alliance with the Religious Right.
Lest my joy at these turn of events be taken the wrong way, let me say; I am in no way anti-American or anti-Christian.
What really concerns me is the enormous influence events in Washington have on other countries.
These influences in particular seem to embolden religious and economic conservatives where they might otherwise simply hover in the background.
But back to George W and his unholy alliance; with some notable exceptions, there has been a strange silence from leaders of the Christian right in recent times.
Doubtless many are wary of becoming tainted by the growing revelations and allegations surrounding senior Republican figures.
Some commentators go further, claiming that the CR feels betrayed by the Bush administration ‘which it put in power.’ That Bush is not delivering the agenda which was the basis of support.
Of course some are still in the fray. James Dobson, it seems, jumped into the Miers debate without looking first.
Ralph Reed is far too mired to simply extricate himself, unseen, and ride off into the sunset.
Pat Buchanan, rather than play the invisible man is sending a clear message, with comments like:

“While President Bush and his War Cabinet bear full moral responsibility for Iraq, they could not have taken us to war without the complicity of the ‘adversary press’ and ‘loyal opposition’.”

But don’t look at me, he seems to be implying.

Growing Unease
Jonathan Chait, a senior editor at The New Republic, cites the judicial line for growing unease:

“Mr. Bush's betrayal of the social conservative cause did not begin with Ms. Miers. His previous high court appointment, John Roberts, ought to have been taken as such. Mr. Bush all but explicitly promised to nominate justices like Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia, but Chief Justice Roberts is not in that mold.”

That is to suggest an honorable retreat in the face of betrayal by Bush. After detailing a raft of CR policy failures, by the bush Administration, he asks:

“Why do social conservatives keep accepting this rotten deal? It's not because there are fewer of them than there are economic conservatives.”

Of course there are other, more fundamental, issues with economic conservatives which upset the CR agenda. In the old days of politics it was understood that an honest politician, when bought, stayed bought. Economic conservatives have changed market rules completely. Free trade is now the rule, a deal is only a deal until a better offer comes along.
Conservative leader Paul M. Weyrich says membership rolls and donations to groups on the right have fallen off. Conservatives fear increase of dissent in the ranks

“The conservative movement was on an upward path, even after the 2004 elections, but the growth has stopped," said Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation.
''People now say, 'I'm not sure that this is the right gang to belong to,' "

Weyrich, who runs a weekly strategy session, said last week.
That ‘gang’ is the White House and GOP leadership, both of which rely on a loyal cadre of self-described conservatives to win elections.

The alliance between the Christian Right and Republicans was a cynical exercise on both sides. Bush might talk the talk, but he will always put his own interests, as he perceives them, first. He won’t ‘walk the plank’ for the sake of policies imposed on him by these unelected partners.
Much the same can be said for each of the prominent CR leaders. They will not continue to expose themselves, and risk their own power bases, when they fail to deliver on the promises made to their own supporters.
In the quest for power, in a basically conflicting alliance, there can be no real compromise; there is too much at stake on both sides.

But slowly it will fall apart. From these first cracks in the alliance rifts can only grow. The scandal spreading through conservative politics will make it unsafe territory for the most desperate Evangelical power seeker.
Even in Australia where darling of the CR and bush toady, Prime Minister Howard, is showing signs of losing grip, the signs of decay are starting to show.
This trend of allowing sectional interests to control national agendas through legitimately elected governments is troubling.
The Christian Right has the same rights and opportunities to sell their values into the community as any other secular interest.
Like the economic conservatives, they do not have the right, in a democracy, to buy governments in order to set national agendas.
As this latest adventure begins to crumble my hope is that it will proceed with such
commotion as to alert all but the most deaf to the dangers inherent in allowing narrow sectional interests to influence policy.