Bush Upsets Some Supporters (washingtonpost.com)

Bush Upsets Some Supporters (washingtonpost.com)

In What's the Matter with Kansas Frank notes that the religious conservatives have been unsuccessful in getting their social agenda enacted (p. 101). Not much progress is made on abortion, even though they've been working on it since the 1980s. Frank seems to imply that the Republican Party in fact benefits from a never-ending, unwinnable, and largely symbolic culture war that continuously keeps the base stoked and feeling victimized. Meanwhile, tax cuts are passed and the welfare state is dismantled.