by Tan Copsey
This little gem was drawn to my attention by openDemocracy’s Arts and Culture Editor Maryam Maruf. At a conference of Christian Conservatives organised by the Council for National Policy, Grover Norquist (yes that Grover Norquist) drew a rather amusing parallel between Republican Presidential candidates and teenage ‘virgins’ who happened to have already had, you-know, sex (shhhhhh).
From the IHT - 'He (Norquist) argued that with the right promises, any of the four could redeem themselves in the eyes of the conservative movement despite their past records, just as some high school students take abstinence pledges even after having had sex. "It's called secondary virginity", Mr. Norquist said. It is a big movement in high school and also available for politicians".’
He was of course speaking to the fears of many conservatives that the current batch of Presidential hopefuls are, well, just not quite conservative enough. From campaign-finance reform to calling the Christian Right ‘agents of intolerance’, John McCain hasn’t always endeared himself. Whilst we all remember this little Rudy Giuliani number. But the whole field seem to be making up for it now by bashing their bibles, pumping their shotguns, and chasing those darn homosexuals right outta town – and here secondary virginity comes into play.
Of course whilst this pleases the right, it does leave one wondering – aren’t they jettisoning the very qualities that might make them electable as post-Bush Presidents. Can the Republican primaries produce a candidate capable of winning an election in this altered political landscape? Or will attempts to appeal to the holy base, wholly de-base their chances of actually winning the Presidency?
