Religious conservatives making play on Tea Baggers
A hardcore religious right activist who cut his teeth working with the American Family Association, the Christian Coalition, and former Family Research Council head Gary Bauer, says elements of the tea party movement are like Johnnies-come-lately who don't understand the central role Christians play in the conservative movement.
This is both a defensive move, to make sure the religious conservatives stay at the core of the Republican party, and an attempt to co-opt the Tea Baggers. The Religious Conservatives can see the Tea Baggers are the hot new movement, and want to incorporate it into the Religious Right wing.
It isn't an obvious fit though. Many of the Tea Bag types are more libertarian, they want the government out of social issues like marriage and abortion, even if they lean towards the conservative end of the spectrum. And the issues the Tea Baggers do care about, such as lower taxes and higher military spending, are not natural issues for the Religious right.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. This is just an opening salvo of something that is sure to play out behind the scenes over the next few years.
Jay