Riehl Politics reports:
If the Ralph Reed-inspired Faith and Freedom Coalition event this past weekend taught me anything, it was that there is a discrete formula being used by speechwriters to address the emerging “teavangelical” social conservative base, being orchestrated by Reed. The self-conscious effort to meld the tea partiers to the evangelical base was on explicit display at the conference, and Reed made clear he sees this highly motivated minority as a game changer in 2012 turnout. I don’t think he’s wrong. If the libertarian tea partiers can be melded to the Christian evangelical cohort, Reed would have achieved something along the lines of the “fusionism“ of earlier conservative leaders who brought together anti-communist crusaders and more subdued Wall Street Republicans.
Another thing is clear: The messaging people behind all of the major GOP candidates who are wooing this critical base are all reading off the same script. Bachmann, Hunsman, Pawlenti, Romney, Santorum, Cain, Palin — those who appeared at the event, and those who didn’t — all give the same speech, with the only notable differences being in style and delivery. Here is the not-so-secret talking points memo. ...>more
If the Ralph Reed-inspired Faith and Freedom Coalition event this past weekend taught me anything, it was that there is a discrete formula being used by speechwriters to address the emerging “teavangelical” social conservative base, being orchestrated by Reed. The self-conscious effort to meld the tea partiers to the evangelical base was on explicit display at the conference, and Reed made clear he sees this highly motivated minority as a game changer in 2012 turnout. I don’t think he’s wrong. If the libertarian tea partiers can be melded to the Christian evangelical cohort, Reed would have achieved something along the lines of the “fusionism“ of earlier conservative leaders who brought together anti-communist crusaders and more subdued Wall Street Republicans.
Another thing is clear: The messaging people behind all of the major GOP candidates who are wooing this critical base are all reading off the same script. Bachmann, Hunsman, Pawlenti, Romney, Santorum, Cain, Palin — those who appeared at the event, and those who didn’t — all give the same speech, with the only notable differences being in style and delivery. Here is the not-so-secret talking points memo. ...>more
