Republican Leaders Affirm U.S. is the Only God-Initiated Country

Christians are surrounded by paganism, and the U.S. is the only God-initiated country, according to Newt Gingrich. He was joined by Mike Huckabee, in pointing to a number of social issues as evidence. Are these Republican views designed to win?

On Friday Gingrich spoke at a forum in Virginia Beach and titled Rediscovering God in America. He said, “I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history. We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism.” He went on to tell his audience about the religious ties to religion in American government, using Thomas Jefferson and the famous quote that men are endowed by God with certainty and alienable rights. He affirmed that he is not a citizen of the world with a citizen of the United States because “only in the United States does citizenship start with our Creator.” Huckabee took exception to Barack Obama's speech in Cairo where he indicated that one nation should not be exalted over another. He said, "The notion that we are just one of many among equals is nonsense," he said, calling the U.S. a "blessed" nation. He went on to say that California's overturning a state law legalizing same-sex marriage was "a miracle from God's hands." Jonathan Holt explains in his treatise, The Third Culture, what makes a Republican. He says that a lot has to do with moral psychology. He maintains one of the rules of moral psychology is that “morality is not just about how we treat each other (as most liberals think); it is also about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions, and living in a sanctified and noble way.” Holt reviews some of the information that has already been found about why people vote Republican determined by research and diagnoses for many years. For example, psychological research determined that strict parenting along with personal insecurities help to turn people against liberalism, diversity and progress. He goes on to say that conservatism is a partially-inherited predisposition for some people to be cognitively inflexible and afraid of change and uncertainty. A principal reason people vote Republican is because Republicans offer the moral high ground, a simple vision of good and evil, that allows one a clear way of looking at the world. He says Democrats appeal to reason as they give long-winded answers to policy questions. People who like simple answers that appeal to moral principles gravitate to Republicans. Will these strategies work in securing Republican converts? Some don't think so, given the results of the last two elections. Tony Fabrizio, who is considered highly as a pollster, maintains national security attacks on Obama makes the party look “out of touch and irrelevant.” “What are we, in a time machine?” pollster Tony Fabrizio asked during a recent interview. “We just got clobbered in two successive elections and lost majorities in both Houses, and the leadership appears to keep on playing the same cards.” Given the religious card being played in recent comments, one wonders whether Gingrich and Huckabee really will establish clear leadership and if so where that might lead in future elections.