Collective Insanity

There can be no doubt that the Evangelical Christians have played a huge part in the success of the Republican party for the last 30+ years. Over at the Left Coaster larre has a long post on this collective insanity.

.....One of the couple's major interests in life -- the major source of hope they have that things will get better for them -- has been a class action suit filed in behalf of the several hundred workers in federal court. I happen to know from the initial federal district court decision he sent me that this lawsuit depends heavily on a congressionally-passed statute which the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court seems very likely to reject or to render meaningless.

Thus, it is no stretch to say if Bush is reelected and the court continues or expands its conservative leanings, the workers' lawsuit is as good as lost. So I figured my telephone call would be another quick touch-and-go conversation of mutual agreement.

"Oh yes, we'll be voting," the wife said, "for President Bush."

"Bush?" I was stunned. "Why?"

"Because, you know, we are Christians."

Still reeling from her first unexpected answer, all I could think to reply was, "John Kerry's a lifelong Catholic. So, he's a Christian too, right?"

The wife -- this mild mannered, shy, quiet woman -- snorted. Even over the telephone, there was an unmistakably ugly, even vicious quality to the sound.

"He's not as Christian as we are."

He's not as Christian as we are? He's not as Christian as we are???

Talk of the lawsuit made no difference. Discussion about the wrongfulness of the Iraq war made no difference. Agreeing that more than eleven hundred American soldiers have been unnecessarily sent to their deaths in Iraq made no difference. Both husband and wife were deaf to all arguments and dismissive of all policy issues, even when they clearly understood the adverse effect on their own circumstances or even disagreed with Bush's position. They clearly understood the negative implications for their own lives of a Bush reelection. It didn't matter. For them, a vote for Bush was a religious act of self-affirmation, a way of proving to their god (or to their community of fellow worshippers) that they are "faithful."

Collective insanity, that's the only way to explain it. There is no place for the "Reality Based Community" here.