Right advised to cool rhetoric; necessary to appear tolerant in campaign, Coalition meeting told - Christian Coalition

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 30, 1994 by Arthur Jones

Neuhaus and Novak drew on the Christian enemies of the recent past -- Nazism, Marxism and Maoism; Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin -- to provide a comparison with today's secularist forces who are -- another popular convention metaphor -- today's "barbarians at the gate."

The "barbarians" were identified variously as Hollywood, extreme liberals and leftists; and People for the American Way, a civil liberties advocacy organization, was identified as a spear-carrier. People for the American Way charts religious right activities as part of its effort.

"Religion and politics are not the same," Novak instructed, "and when gathered in a political coalition we're not doing exactly what we're doing in church. There is what St. Augustine called the 'City of God' and the 'City of Man.' We have to observe those differences. Religion is about the transcendent and the eternal. Alas, with politics, we just deal with the contingent and the temporal and the compromise and with sin. The sin in us, too."

Having finished with religious basics, Novak next produced his political organizing primer: "A different set of attitudes and techniques must be used. ... Don't underestimate the intellectual task," he said, smiling benevolently. "Religion in America historically has been good at rousing the feeling, the experience, of being converted. It has not been so good at articulating in a language that people who are not converted can understand.

"We must learn to speak in a language persuasive to ... those who are not in our tradition. It's hard for us because it's not possible to use the texts from the Bible that we love so much and that mean so much to us. Sometimes we need to find a correlative, a way that fixes the point for them so they can see it."

After getting a brief lesson about Thomas Aquinas, the participants were urged to conduct their civil conversations with respect and reverence. Novak then treated them to more familiar "barbarians at the gate" rhetoric and finished to applause and cheers as he urged his listeners, "Let's restore civility and let's win."

Less demanding intellectually, Dan Quayle had the audience cheering, howling with laughter and responding with the sort of whoops and hoots usually heard in aerobics classes. Even though he waffles publicly on abortion, Quayle opened to a standing ovation and things kept getting better.

His announcement that his book was outselling both Roseanne's and Howard Stern's aroused a response that sounded as if the barbarians already had been defeated.

Quayle said, "A grassroots movement is sweeping our country" and continued:

"Talk radio: Rush Limbaugh is king."

Yells. Cheers. Applause.

"There is a conservative tidal wave about to hit the shores of America."

A tidal wave of enthusiasm.

"Victory in '94 and goodbye Clintons in '96."

Audience ecstasy.

"The president said in New Orleans it would be in the best interests of children to be born in an intact family. Sound familiar?"

"Yeah!" screamed the crowd.

"The president has been complaining about the treatment he's been receiving from the media."