Pat Robertson just endorsed Rudy Giuliani:

The other major effect of Robertson’s support for Giuliani is that it will quiet talk in social conservative circles that nominating Giuliani would lead “values voters” to abandon the Republican Party. The stamp of approval from Robertson should assuage the doubts of many (although certainly not all) of the rank-and-file social conservatives.

Yes and no. What Robertson’s endorsement really does is highlight yet another massive fault in the religious right movement. Throughout the 1990s, Robertson’s Christian Coalition became the single most powerful and effective organization of religious conservatives by embracing extreme pragmatism. They understood the progress of politics occurred incrementally. Therefore they had no problems working with pro-choice Republicans or liberal Republicans or moderate Republicans or anyone else.
It was precisely Robertson’s pragmatism that lead him to hire a young political operative named Ralph Reed. And it was precisely this pragmatism that lead to battle after battle with other Christian leaders like… James Dobson. The latter regularly blasted the former for selling out. But it was the Christian Coalition’s success that kept Dr. Dobson and others in line.
Robertson’s Giuliani endorsement will result in yet another earthquake in the social conservative movement. This could really be the “big one”.

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