Bedrock American values as set forth by European Americans persist
By Cheryl Wetzstein
The midterm elections that swept congressional Democrats into power sparked fresh obituaries for the religious right.
Are the obituary writers correct? Is the traditional-values movement declining? Has the nation had enough of “moralizing busybodies,” as Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter put it, influencing policy?
In a three-part series, The Washington Times looks at the future of the traditional-values movement, including the status of the abortion debate and the role of women.
According to analysts on the left and right, the traditional-values movement isn’t dead or even dying. In fact, four of its largest groups — Family Research Council Action, Focus on the Family Action, American Values and Alliance Defense Fund — are planning their second “values voters summit” in October.
All 2008 presidential candidates have been invited to the event, which should rival the groups’ first summit, which drew more than 1,700 people in September. That gathering was similar in size to the “Road to Victory” Christian Coalition of America conferences of the 1990s.