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74
page 73
But there is a difference; all of
these groups scrupulously avoid
overt partisanship, and all of
them are careful not to directly
link the moral teachings of Ju-
daism to specific political choic-
es. The emphasis is on issues and
positions, not parties and candi-
dates, even though most Jewish
groups remain allied on a day-to-
day basis with the Democrats.
Compare that to this year's
Christian Coalition meeting,
where re-electing the Republican
Congress, and to a lesser extent
a Republican presidential ticket,
were the overarching issues, and
where Democrats were treated
as evil doers of almost biblical
proportions.
Jewish groups engage in vig-
orous get-out-the-vote drives to
muster support for their posi-
tions; groups on the Christian
right stage similar efforts, but
with a different theme. They
make voting for specific candi-
dates and parties almost a moral
and religious imperative.
Increasingly, their political in-
volvement suggests that there
can be no loyal opposition on the
key issues of the day; at its ex-
tremes, it leads to the kind of ar-
gument made by some
anti-abortion activists in 1992
that a vote for Mr. Clinton was a
vote against God.
That points to another aspect
of the Christian Coalition's par-
tisanship: its tacit but undeni-
able endorsement of the
Republicans is based heavily on
a bitter, angry view of the Amer-
ican scene, and an endless quest
for unambiguous political vil-
lains.
That perspective is carried
to its bizarre extremes in the c--\
writings of Mr. Robertson, the
founder and chairman of
the Christian Coalition and a
leading religious conspiracy the-
orist.
It's not clear how many Chris-
tian Coalition activists subscribe
to Mr. Robertson's descriptions
of vast anti-Christian conspira-
cies.
But judging by the applause
and the hoots of derision at this
week's convention, a majority di-
vide the political world into the
just and the unjust, the elect and
the damned, with no middle
ground, There is only absolute
right and absolute wrong, with
liberals, government bureau-
crats, "the media" and Democ-
rats firmly entrenched the latter c
category.
Listening to the crowd's reac-
tion, it becomes clear that a pure-
ly political target such as the
Internal Revenue Service has
taken on the qualities of a moral
pariah to these people — a kind
of bureaucratic anti-Christ.
The Christian Coalition and
its allied groups are actively pur-
suing the politics of negativity
and blame, and they have
wrapped it in religious clothing,
to add to its impact and to its di-
visiveness.
The concept is nothing new in
American life; what is new is the
Christian Coalition's vast size,
its efficient organization and its
newfound • alliance with the
movers and shakers of the land
— at least those who call them-
selves Republicans. ❑
exp. 9/30/96
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SWINGING
in our
Classified
Section
Some Politicos
Seems To Die Hard
NECHEMIA MEYERS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
illiam Jennings Bryan
was often ridiculed be-
cause he persisted in
running for president of
the United States in 1908, de-
spite having unsuccessfully cam-
paigned for that office in 1896
and 1900. But Bryan can't hold
a candle to Shimon Peres, who
has lost five elections and still
won't turn over the reins of the
Labor Party.
This is not because Mr. Peres
really thinks he can lead Labor
to victory in the year 2000, but
because he believes that the man
who beat him in 1996 will need
him in a government of national
unity long before the new mil-
lennium rolls around. And Mr.
Peres may be right.
W
Shimon Peres: Never say die.