A Time for Passionate Progressive Faith

The LA Times has posted an insightful but defeatist essay about "Politics as Religion" by Neal Gabler. Gabler says American conservatism has become a religion and cannot be overcome:

You cannot beat religion with politics, which is why the extreme right "wins" so many battles. The fundamentalist political fanatics will always be more zealous than mainstream conservatives or liberals. They will always be louder, more adamant, more aggrieved, more threatening, more willing to do anything to win. Losing is inconceivable. For them, every battle is a crusade -- or a jihad -- a matter of good and evil.

There is something terrifying in this. The media have certainly been cowed; they treat intolerance as if it were legitimate political activity. So have many politicians, and not just the conservative ones who know that if they don't fall in line, they will be run over. This political fundamentalism has also invaded the general culture in deleterious ways. The ugly incivility of recent months is partly the result of political fundamentalists who have nothing but contempt for opposing viewpoints, which gives them license to shout down opponents or threaten them, just as jihadis everywhere do.

Those who oppose the religification of politics may think all they have to do is change tactics, but they are sadly, tragically mistaken. They can never win, because for the political fundamentalists, this isn't political jousting, this is Armageddon.

Gabler's diagnosis is fairly astute but the prognosis is not as dire as he projects.

The antidote for the fundamentalist religification of politics will be a passionate progressive faith that advocates with unyielding fervor for equal liberty of conscience for all persons and separation of church and state.