] Having restored decency to the White House, President
] Bush now has a mandate to affect policy that will promote
] a more decent society, through both politics and law. His
] supporters want that, and have given him a mandate in
] their popular and electoral votes to see to it. Now is
] the time to begin our long, national cultural renewal
] ("The Great Relearning," as novelist Tom Wolfe calls it)
] â no less in legislation than in federal court
] appointments. It is, after all, the main reason George W.
] Bush was reelected. Andrew Sullivan's response to this was "The intensity of the passion, and the inherently totalist nature of religiously motivated politics means deep social conflict if we are not careful. Our safety valve must be federalism. We have to live and let live. As blue states become more secular, and red states become less so, the only alternative to a national religious war is to allow different states to pursue different options. That goes for things like decriminalization of marijuana, abortion rights, stem cell research and marriage rights. Forcing California and Mississippi into one model is a recipe for disaster." Both commentators are right. Only one will get what he wants. Bill Bennett on Election 2004 on National Review Online |
