Is there any way 2012 can mark the death of the Religious Right?
In short, no.
Could we see more libertarian elements of the GOP take power?
In a way, I think we may already be seeing that, as much of the teabagger anger against Obama seems to be directed against taxes and spending, rather than traditional religious right targets like gays, feminists, and abortion.
Will the statists in AR and WV and KY go back to the Democrats?
not until Obama is out of office. He's black, you see.
The Religious Right will always have an influence in some sphere of American politics. They ruled the Democratic Party during the 20th century before Reagan. There's virtually no chance they just up and disappear.
The Religious Right in its current form didn't really exist until the late 1960s, when it sprang up in response to the Counterculture. Even then, it didn't really get going until Roe v. Wade.
They've always been just a paper tiger.
Not so much that as that they're always fighting a losing battle, even when it looks like they're winning. The trend in our nation's history has, for the most part, been towards more freedom and equality, not less.
