Posted 11:19 AM by Scoobie Davis

The Sectarian Right and the GOP

Karl Rove on the faith-based initiative: "I don’t know. Just get me a fucking faith-based thing. Got it?” This quote that author David Kuo attributes to The Architect is in his explosive forthcoming book (to be release October 16), Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. Rove and I are on the same page at least about the leadership of the sectarian right: they are "boorish" and "nuts." The difference is that I'm willing to discuss it in public--e.g., my confrontation of Slanthead about Jerry Falwell's mendacity and Pat Robertson's sectarian bigotry.

The book hasn't been published yet but it and other events such as the Foley scandal are having a big effect on religious voters; while the GOP generally gets about two-thirds of frequent churchgoers, this year it looks as if it will be 50-50--which will be an unmitigated disaster for Republicans if the trend holds. Looks like the GOP's strategy to scare up religious votes isn't working.

Thank God.

Note: I don't use terms "Christian right," "conservative Christian," or "religious right" because "sectarian right" is a more accurate term to describe this group because their defining characteristic is their sectarianism. There are tens of millions of Americans who are right-of-center who are Christian who deplore the politics of the sectarian right which wants to make their theological views the law of the land.

Also, Kuo is a guest on Keith Olbermann's show this week.