Hmmm, John, I certainly do not regard the religious right (which I don’t think of as a monolith anyway) with “mystified distaste.” Far from it. Where I do disagree with those folks, I’d prefer the term “informed disagreement”. Disagreement is not the same as distaste. As to the GOP and Christian Democracy, I’ve always (usually?) been careful to say that what I am talking about is an American equivalent of Christian Democracy. The two won’t be identical (thank heavens), but, if I’m correct about the way matters might evolve over here, there will be strong similarities. We can discuss what they might be if you’d like. As to the fact that European Christian Democrats are these days largely secular: well, yes and no. Besides, what of it? That fact does nothing to change where they, and their ideas, originally sprang from. As a debating point, it also overlooks the fact that the European CDs are a long way down a road that I would argue the GOP is only just beginning to take. I will, however, admit to being “mystified” by your last point!