Evangelicals "Lukewarm" Toward GOP Field -- Even Though Every Candidate Except Guiliani Opposes Abortion and Gay Rights

What a hard group to please. Today's Wash Post and NYT dutifully report on the convening this weekend of the much ballyhooed "Values Voters Summit" in Washington, D. C. where leading right-wing activists and leaders will gather to wring their hands over the state of the Republican presidential field and the future of their precious authoritarian movement to coerce people into doing what they say but not as they do.

But the perplexing thing about all this evangelical pity-partying is that, at least until today, Christian fundamentalists had two bonified adherents and spokesman running for the nomination, Arkansas Governor Mike Hucklebee (who also happens to be an ordained Southern Baptist minister no less) and U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, who is dropping out of the race after dismal fund-raising efforts, poorly attended events, and a general lack of support, particularly from the people meeting today to complain about the lack of a consensus nominee.

If the evangelical right is worried about Guliani, and unhappy with Thompson, McCain and Romney for various reasons, why not support Hucklebee or Brownback? I can't imagine that either candidate fails any of the right-wing's theocratic litmus tests.

Not that I mind the fact that the Christian Fascists are splintered, unhappy and forming circular firing squads. But this media narrative that fails to critically assess just what it is that the evangelical, fundy right really wants is annoying. They have candidates. But those candidates are not doing well in general, and are mysteriously not getting attention and support from "values voters" in particular. Moreover, some, perhaps many, of the Christianist's movers and shakers are affiliated with one of the more "establishment" candidates. What does that say about the so-called "values voters" and their leaders?

Anyway, this "values voters summit" will apparently feature a straw poll tomorrow. Who's bringing pop-corn?