Religious Right FAILS
The Agonizing (yet Most Entertaining) Death Throes of America’s Bourgeois Christian Cults: Glory to God for All things.
“‘But the religious right failed. “
I don’t know a thing about the new Mayor’s politics. I tend to imagine she is at least as conservative as the usual dixiecrats ie: a full-on Republican in all but name. I may be wrong there – this story was not even on my radar. But, lo: if Houston, Texas, can withstand a smear campaign from the religious right and elect a partnered Lesbian as mayor, things can’t be all bad.
To be clear: I’m not saying I would have voted for her because she was gay. But I’m damn happy to see the defeat of those who didn’t vote for her for the same reason.
I wasn’t following this either, but it is a very interesting development. While the Religious Right may still be able to motivate their cohort to vote or boycott or whatever, a win in a region at the heart of their primary support is not a good sign for them! The trajectory of change is not with them.
Of course, now they will re-doubt their efforts to shore-up their base. This is only make them all the more extreme, negative, and unappealing to coming generations.
Ahem, there is nothing wrong with being moderate and a Democrat and believing in being involved with social issues. Don’t drop the term Dixiecrat too quickly. (Imagine my tongue sticking out!)
I am reliably told (yes, since you know my state of origin, and I know her campaign manager) that she’s one o’ those fiscally-conservative-socially progressive sorts of people. Her platform was essentially similar in all respects to that of her opponent, and that actually reflects Houston pretty well… they’re sort of small-L libertarian liberals, unlike their Dallas/Fort Worth northern kindred. Now if a lesbian won the DFW mayoral race, I would be surprised, but Houston is far from being a unanimous RR hotbed. I remember one of their previous mayors going around to the gay bars after winning to thank them for voting for her.