A month has passed since the election, and the far right continues in a state of denial. They keep saying that the GOP can’t abandon “traditional values,” but needs to push them even in a stronger tone. Candidates for the RNC post don’t seem to see reality either. All the current candidates (Michael Steele, Katon Dawson, Saul Anuzis and Chip Saltsman) are pandering to the far-right element of the party. It’s not surprising, that element is the one that controls the Republican Party and the conservative movement, thus, in order to have a chance at winning, they need to gain support among the rigid ideologues.

 Social fundamentalists, along with the other wings of the far right, keep thinking that they can win elections dividing society and pandering to the “base.” They keep talking about the success of the marriage amendments in Florida, Arizona and, especially, California. Well, let’s analyze how big these victories were.

-Florida presented the biggest margin in favor of traditional marriage: 24% (62% to 38%).

-Arizona, which had rejected an amendment to the state constitution in 2006, passed it this time by 12 points (56% to 44%).

-And California, where “gay marriage” had been legalized in May by the State Supreme Court, passed the amendment by 4 points (52% to 48%).

What Tony Perkins and others don’t want to see is the fact that younger voters –the future of the American electorate– soundly rejected the amendment in California by 22 points (61% to 39%), and where split in Arizona and Florida (rejecting it in AZ and passing it in FL).

What about the other amendments pushed by the social far right? Well, we are not hearing much about them because they were soundly rejected by voters.

-In South Dakota, not precisely the land of liberalism, an amendment to ban abortion (except in the cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger) was rejected by voters by 10 points (55% to 45%) for the second time. Moreover, voters 18 to 29 rejected the amendment by 20 points (60% to 40%).

-In Colorado, an amendment to define life as beginning at the moment of fertilization was rejected by 46 points (73% to 27%). The opposition was equal among all group ages (3/4 of voters).   

Finally, on stem cell research, Michiganders voted in favor of an amendment to allow embryonic stem cell research by 6 points (young voters supported it by 20 points).

Therefore, more than talking about triumph, the social far right should start to look at the numbers of where people stand on these issues and, particularly, where young voters stand. By continuing with the approach of divisive politics, the far right is guaranteeing a smaller and increasingly isolated Republican Party.

It’s time for moderate conservatives to take the party and conservatism back.

BTW, I write this as a proud pro-lifer, but one that doesn’t want to use division as a political tactic.