The Republican Presidential candidates have fallen all over themselves this week to prove their social conservatism and fidelity to the religious beliefs of the base voters for the Republican Party.

Cases in point are Mitt Romney's speech on his religious beliefs as well as his Meet the Press Interview with Tim Russert on Sunday, Dec 16, 2007. All of which is motivated by the ascedency of former Arkansas Mike Huckabee in the polls.

In a moment, we'll provide a link to an article in American Prospect by Paul Waldman which provides one analysis of this phenomenon. First, we want to provide our own.

Independent minded voters need to realize the threat the combination of plutocratic business people and theocratic evangelicals represent to their personal freedom. Plutocratic business people lack the numbers to win elections on their own. If they can't win elections, then they can't put their programs in place. To get the numbers they need, the Plutocrats promise the Theocrats things the Theocrats should not be allowed to have. Those things are against the rules, but the Plutocrats continue to promise and the Theocrats continue to believe. The threat to people outside those groups is that some day the Theocrats will have the things they want.

What are those things? They are the imposition of their religious values into your personal life. The issues most often brought up are abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research. At their root, however, the real issue is control over other people and how they are allowed to live their lives.

Let me explain things this way.

Think of the big box retailers in this country: KMart, Wal Mart, Target and the like. They all compete with one another on an equal basis to use their advertising, merchandise, pricing and in-store experience to get you to shop in their store and not one of their competitors. They don't expect everyone to shop at their stores, but they strive to get enough to make a profit.

What if one of those retailers was to use its support of a political party to get a law passed that said you had to shop at that retailer's store? You would say that's against the rules, wouldn't you? That's not the way things are done. The public wouldn't stand for it.

Now make note of something you may have never thought of. Religion in America works the same way as business. Religions compete with one another on an equal basis to use their advertising, philosophy, perceived value and worship experience to get you to convert to their religion and not one of their "competitors".

In the sales world, the knowledge that not everyone will buy your product causes sales people to steel themselves against rejection with the mantra of "Some will, some won't, so what, someone's waiting."  But I fear that in the religious world, the rejection of the evangelicals' doctrine has led to a high level of frustration. So what we are seeing in this country is an attitude of, "If I can't persuade you to adapt my religious beliefs, then I'll get control of government and pass laws that force you to use my beliefs."

When put in those terms, I think you can see why the Republican Party on a national basis flunks the principal of social tolerance. If you want to continue to have control of your life with regard to--

        What you do in the bedroom with another consenting adult.
        What you can watch on television and movie theaters.
        What you can be offered by your physician to resolve physical ills concerning your own body.
        What end of life decisions you and your family members are allowed to make

then the Republican party must be handed a resounding defeat in the coming election that will break up this unholy alliance. This is not the first time such a defeat has been necessary. The rejection of Prohibtion from the election of 1932 offers significant historical parallels. Only defeat will force a re-assessment of their philosophy.

Democrats aren't perfect. They have groups which also offer philosophies that deserve rejection. But for now, the Republican party offers the greater threat to personal liberty in America and must be defeated.

Here is a link to the American Prospect article.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_plutocrats_v_the_theocrats