A coalition of disturbances as fall elections draw near

I don't know what you were doing in the wee hours of last Saturday morning, but I have to confess that I was watching C-SPAN. Worse, I was watching C-SPAN's taped coverage of the Christian Coalition's annual conference in Washington. By and large, it's a bad idea to stereotype evangelicals or the so-called 'religious right.' If you listen to Christian radio or peruse the Christian media more generally, you'll already know that there are inspiring oases of common sense on issues like the increasing burden of consumer debt in America or the lunacy of the pending conflict with Iraq. The Coalition conference, however, was a caricaturist's dream: Numerous paeans to Strom Thurmond, including one unsuccessful joke about the 99-year-old's sexual prowess (a tough crowd for ED humor); Senator Orrin Hatch's bizarre vision of an American flag subjected to "urination and defecation" in the absence of a constitutional amendment protecting the Stars and Stripes; and an extraordinary communal prayer that God compel the DC sniper to end his predations immediately, thus allowing absent Coalition delegates to journey up I-95 and fill the auditorium's many empty seats.

The theme to which speakers kept returning, however, was the upcoming election: Give us the Senate, pleaded Republican politicos, and we'll ban "partial birth abortions," abolish the "death tax" and ward off the Democrats' "radical liberal" agenda. Even the title of this year's Coalition meeting — "Road to Victory 2002" — reminded delegates (and bleary-eyed viewers) that the cause of the Coalition and the Republican party were the same.

While I find the lockstep march of these two to be eminently unnerving, it was hard to believe that the speakers were so scared of their "radical liberal" opponents, particularly in the Democratic-controlled Senate. This is the Senate that's already struggled to intervene on the Enron issue, since leading Democrats took cash from the Crooked E as surely as Bush and his cronies; the Senate that refused to improve America's appalling record on fuel efficiency and carbon-dioxide emissions, thus further degrading the environment and increasing America's dependence on foreign oil; and, just hours before the Coalition conference, the Senate which authorized an American attack on Iraq. Interestingly, the Coalition speakers — including some of the most prominent figures in the GOP — made little reference to Saddam Hussein, perhaps in the knowledge that they'd already carried the day on this issue. After all, even their bête noire — Hillary Rodham Clinton — had signed up for Bush's war.

There's no doubt that the Coalition is serious about November, and keen to wrest control of the Senate from the Democrats. If nothing else, a tiny Republican majority would allow Trent Lott to control the Senate's numerous committees, dominate the legislative agenda and ensure speedier confirmation of Bush's political and judicial appointees. From where I was sitting on Friday night, however, you could easily believe that, given the Iraq vote, the Coalition had traversed the 'Road to Victory' and was already partying at its destination. (Orrin Hatch's rendition of his self-composed, Ashcroft-esque hymn, "Heal our Land," did nothing to avert this sinking feeling.) Of course, this isn't the case: The Coalition is particularly appalled by abortion, and virtually every speech to the conference made it clear that no-one in America can take Roe v. Wade for granted. But beyond a small core of issues — abortion, school prayer, pornography on the internet — the Coalition seemed almost serene about the direction of America: One Congressman even suggested that, after 35 years in the wilderness, Sept. 2001 marked the beginning of the nation's spiritual and moral reformation.

All this adds up to a difficult choice in the coming elections. While the repeated references of the Coalition's speakers to a Republican-controlled Senate promised a legislative Armageddon beyond November, when surveying recent events you might easily conclude that the end times have already arrived. The Bush administration's unilateralism, economic chicanery and assault on civil liberties are bad, but the sight of a Democratic-controlled Senate unable or unwilling to stand in the way is somehow even more disheartening. Although it's understandable that some voters will see any Democrat as a force for good in this Republican moment, there's never been a better time to make a careful survey of your representatives' voting records and to cast your ballot accordingly, perhaps with an eye on Independent or Green candidates. Given the difficult times ahead, it's also important not only to vote your principles in November but to hold politicians accountable in the long periods between elections: Becoming informed about the issues, writing to representatives, even taking to the streets in protest when necessary. This means a little more work for everyone, for sure; but in the current Congress, you just can't depend on anyone else to get the job done. Nicholas Guyatt, a graduate student in the history department, is from Bristol, England. He can be reached at nsguyatt@princeton.edu.