Fundies are hungry

To most observers, the Republican coalition between moderate suburbanites, wealthy plutocrats and religious fundamentalists is fragile and perhaps unsustainable. This fragile coalition appears to be fracturing. Fundies, armed with their importance in W's reelection, are starting to flex their muscles and demand substantive policy. They're practically foaming at the mouth over the SCOTUS nomination, and are frighteningly praying for more vacancies. Maybe it's the SCOTUS openning that has them in a frenzy, but the little fundies and their minions have certainly been active of late.

In the past, the fundies have only gotten a lot of rhetorical hot air and posturing. Essentially, they get their Defense of Marriage Amendment voted down and Frist makes some speeches about Terri Schiavo and this is the extent of play the fundamentalists get in the wider GOP agenda. The pro-life agenda of the GOP has primarily consisted of parental notification laws, waiting periods and D & X bans. All these garner wide support among moderates, and allow the GOP to hide the ugly face of the religious right. However, actions this past week indicate that this is no longer sufficient. A blood sacrifice may soon be needed to gain fundie support.

1. Frist Stem Cell Flip-Flop-Flip
After indicating that he supported federal funding for stem cell research in 2001, Frist then said he stood with Bush's policy. Last week, Frist changed his mind and has decided to stick with his original position (and that of science, and the position which is popular with 60% of Americans). Needless to say, this didn't go over too well with the fundamentalists. After his egregious violation of federalism and the independent court system in the Schiavo debacle, Frist seemed to be a Fantastic Fundie Favorite for 2008. Now he won't even be invited to speak at Justice Sunday II, despite having spoken at the first Justice Sunday. It appears as though the combination of the Gang of 14 Compromise and the Stem Cell Bill have neutered Frist in the eyes of his old pals. Of course, there are plenty of GOP pols scrambling to fill the void.

2. George Pataki Vetos Emergency Contraception Bill
Mr. Pataki is doing what appears to be a reverse-Frist: attempting to shore up his fundie cred at the expense of good policy.

Mr. Quinn said the governor would be willing to reconsider the measure if the Legislature drafted and passed a new bill that addressed his concerns about the drug's availability to minors, as well as "other flaws."

Mr. Pataki's decision comes as he lays the groundwork for a presidential run in 2008 and underscores the forces he must negotiate as he steps onto the national stage.

What I've read indicates that invoking the availability to minors quote is a veiled reference to New York's abortion laws. This bill makes no sense, since abortions are available to minors. Why not allow minors to prevent pregnancy? It's a pandering stunt.

3. Bush Says ID Should Be Taught in School
And in a ridiculous bit of partisan pandering, W said that both intelligent design and evolution should be taught in schools because students ought "to be exposed to different ideas." Now this is a ludicrous proposition, as DarkSyde's diary explains quite well. What it does demonstrate is that Bush is feeling the pressure from the fundies.

Conclusion
Taken individually, these cases might not mean much. However, three high profile cases in three separate issue areas with three different politicians indicates to me that the fundies are looking for serious policy, not just pandering. All three of these issues are ones where the Democratic party line plays well with the moderates and public at large. It's becoming evident that the fundies will not support GOP candidates who take moderate stances on their issues. Let's take late term abortions and parental notification rules off the table and replace it with issues we can take to the bank in '06, '08 and beyond.