Rhetoric Race and Religion
One of the most striking features of the Republican Party’s recent self-assessment, the “Growth and Opportunity Project” report, is the almost complete absence of religion. The moment of the Religious Right is undoubtedly over. But the largely secular Tea Party moment also seems to be fading. The Growth and Opportunity Project offers a plan to move forward. While its 99 page report offers reflections and recommendations on how Republicans can appeal to various racial and ethnic minority groups, minorities are (oddly) conceived of as secular, and religious groups are not conceived of as distinct constituencies to which Republicans might appeal.
Given the rather unsuccessful attempts at Republicans to appeal to minority voters – witness the bad publicity generated by racist comments made at a meeting supposed to help the Party appeal to black voters – one would think religious communities provide language and infrastructure that would help address the Party’s woes. Indeed, the recent self-assessment calls on the Party to build a “relationship with blacks based on mutual respect and with a spirit of caring” – exactly the ethos that religious communities would seem to foster. Moreover, some of the most visible success of conservative appeals to racial minorities has been through religion, namely, through African American churches, particularly on gay marriage.
So, why is religion missing from the Republican’s self-assessment? I think there are four especially significant reasons.
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