I've had an ongoing debate in one of the forums I frequent with other conservatives about the problems with social conservatism and the prominent leaders of the social conservative (or Christian conservative) movement have been just as divisive as the secular liberals have been. Being a Christian libertarian myself, I have often found myself in a defensive posture, arguing that immorality does not come from government but from God. Most social conservatives agree, but then assume that it is the government's role to fill in the gaps for believers.
I often have to point out that social conservatism doesn't win elections. We had a social conservative President for eight years now and abortion is still legal in all states, regardless of the will of the people in those states, and Planned Parenthood is still racking in Federal tax dollars. Gay marriage still looms it's ugly head and the Supreme and Inferior Courts are still full of socialist morons. And yet, many of these conservatives voted for John McCain because of abortion. I know this not only because of the conservatives I've chatted with, but when I was listening to the Dave Ramsey show on election day, most of the McCain voters said one word to sum up their vote, "abortion."
John McCain was just another George Bush who happened to not be Christian. Certainly the merits of leaving your invalid wife for a younger, hotter, richer woman leaves someone to wonder if he was a morally upright person. I'm sure there was more to the story, but no one bothered to ask these questions. So much for the Clinton attack machine. In any case, the American were very clear, along with a handful of dire conservatives like myself, to indicate that the policies of debt and war were no longer options for us. Too bad Obama is the new boss who happens to be the same as the old boss, right down to torturing people.
But social conservatives are now blaming folks like me for McCain's loss. Frankly, I don't know why they'd be supporting the man, who has snubbed them countless times in the past, but whatever. I find it hard to believe that someone who actually voted for his conscience, instead of merely the lesser of two evils, is to blame for McCain's loss. I argue that abortion and gay marriage are not what win elections.
Conservatives need to re-prioritize their own standards when look at politicians. Instead of voting for the pro-life guy, why not vote for the fiscal conservative, regardless of party affiliation? If he happens to be pro-life, great. If not, don't worry, I doubt you'll be getting an abortion, right?
Social ills will always be with us. The best thing we can do is minimize them in order to make all our lives more bearable. Don't be a jerk is really all I ask from people. But I don't expect them to be respectful. Ayn Rand, for all her flaws, had a better understanding of human nature than all the progressive atheists in the world. People are selfish and no man-made government will change that.
If conservatives want to win future elections, then they will need to focus on pushing out fiscal conservatives. Talk radio show hosts especially need to prioritize their votes and push listeners to pick the fiscal conservative in the primaries (like Ron Paul, for example).
Meanwhile, social conservatives continue to demonstrate their intellectual bankruptcy time and again by citing mantras and one-word slogans. These are the methods of the secular liberals, who manage to get the poor to vote for them because they're too stuck in their own victimhood to see a light at the end of the tunnel and the rich and middle class because of the guilt trips imposed on them.
But I won't let this or anything else get me down. Regardless of who is in office, I refuse to let their decrees, orders, and laws interfere with my life too much. Heck, if things go well for me, then the next four years of my life could be even better than the last four years. The only difference is that I won't credit Obama or McCain or Bush or Pelosi or that funny talking gay guy on the status of my life.