To Parker and Kevin Drum’s list, add another really grating thing about the Religious Right, typified in BMoon’s post.
Calling any Republican outside the Evangelical South a RINO.
Made even more grating by the fact that most of the “RINO-demouncers” are one generation removed from being yellow dog Democrats and 3 generations removed from wearing KKK sheets and going around denouncing blacks, college-educated, Catholics, damn Northerners and so on.
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The change in just 15 years is amazing in the Rocky Mountain States. You go to a shooting competition and you find men who hate the Republicans but will stick with them “despite the religious nuts” over gun rights. Not so our “shootin’ mamas” – they used to go Republican, now they are almost all voting Democrat. Their issues are Christian Zionists and Neocons wanting the US to wage endless war, mainly for Israel. The Terri Schiavo mess transformed several into Democrats, others into being independents. The anti-gay, anti-abortion Republicans that veered into near or actual fanaticism on the two subjects in the last 15 years. Three years ago, they turned against local Republicans after 2 Southern transplants and a local on County Board tried putting creationism and intelligent design in the schools.
And more and more, fed up of Religious Right accusations of this or that Republican living outside the South and not being born again is a RINO…
Oh, and need I add we are in an area with a significant Mormon and Latino minority – and while not adulated, both groups are well-liked and well regarded and we didn’t appreciate “The Base” calling the Latino Catholics “RINOs & invaders” and saying they would never ever vote for Romney because of his religion.
