Fractures and Schisms: Religious Right vs. Republican Party

The right's problems with infighting continue, this time with prominent religious right leaders publicly threatening to withhold support in the upcoming elections unless Congress does more to restrict civil rights, reproductive rights, and freedom of speech. In a recent New York Times article, conservative organizer Richard Viguerie comments, "I can't tell you how much anger there is at the Republican leadership. I have never seen anything like it." Viguerie also cited dissatisfaction with government spending, the war in Iraq and immigration policy. As the right's internal tensions become increasingly public, the left, by taking strong, clear positions, can force confrontations over such issues as gay rights, reproductive rights, and immigration to further aggravate the disintegration of powerful right alliances.