The Politics of Values Games Political Strategists Play

The Politics of Values shows how Evangelical moral influence morphed into public policy and partisan political support for the Republican Party. It will show how the politics of values were used as a means to gain and hold political power, and articulate how those who tried to implement the politics of values in campaigns and public policy began to fall into disrepute. Due to their own arrogance and scandalous behavior, many were voted out of elective office, losing significant races in the 2006 mid-term elections, and leaving the Republican Party severely compromised for the 2008 Presidential election. This book argues that the ensuing erosion of the Evangelical-Republican symbiosis will soon become more visible and powerful as growing demands for an emphasis on new spiritual values and adjusted political priorities. In short, the nexus of conservative ideology, religion, and politics is imploding. In its place, progressive alternatives are developing; in fact, some are already being presented to the voter by candidates who are motivated by new challenges and cultural directions.

Jo Renee Formicola is professor of political science at Seton Hall University.