In Defense of the Religious Right: Why Conservative Christians Are the Lifeblood of the Republican Party and Why That Terrifies the Democrats

Political consultant and commentator Patrick Hynes dispels common stereotypes and misapprehensions about the most powerful political constituency in the country while undertaking the most exhaustive effort yet to define what the Religious Right is, what its members believe, and why they are right.

A detailed look at the place of the religious right in American politics, Hynes' book examines his subject across a wide range of issues. Hynes does a good job demonstrating the demographic diversity of this voting bloc as well as the diversity of their beliefs-showing how they cannot all be lumped under the banner of a single high-profile leader, such as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. In this, Hynes provides a much-needed corrective to the stereotype of the religious voter developed in the reactionary left's collective conscious: poor, dumb, white Southerners. The book is less effective considering issues such as the church-state debate in Revolutionary America or constitutional theory, where the level of discourse approaches low-brow telejournalism, picking apart sound-bites from left-wing politicos and pundits rather than taking on reasoned arguments. Given that Hynes is both a respected political consultant and a blogger (AnkleBitingPundits.com), this dichotomy makes a bit more sense. Unfortunately, the lion's share of the book is more like a snarky blog than a serious consideration of the religious right. Despite its title, Hynes' work is not a defense in the standard sense; Hynes is more interested in strengthening group identity among one of America's largest voting blocs than convincing opponents of that bloc to reconsider their position.
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