Sunday, April 19, 1998

Social conservatives take hits

By Steve Ray

Social conservatives took it on the chin in the Texas Republican primary and could leave the political ring badly bruised after losing to more moderate contenders.

Both former GOP Party Chairman Tom Pauken and former congressman Steve Stockman lost their bids for statewide office during the primary.

And Railroad Commissioner Barry Williamson failed in his attorney general runoff against more liberal John Cornyn, a former Supreme Court justice.

That's got to be devastating to a group of folks that brought the Texas GOP out of the doldrums and into the limelight of state and national politics.

And it plays into the hands of some national leaders like Focus of the Family's James Dobson who are putting out feelers about a third political party to push the conservative agenda.

Texas social conservatives, still reeling from their losses, are warning that they want to eat at the political table, not just serve those who do.

"There is some frustration" said Bill Price, who heads the anti-abortion Texans United for Life.

"We've already shown that religious conservatives can produce for the Republican Party. Now the Republican Party needs to produce for religious conservatives. If not, you're going to see more talk about forming a third party."

Price, a Republican, said he's not particularly enamored with the idea of a third party.

But, he noted, religious conservative leaders will have to take a stand at some point.

"The party treats them one way during the election cycle and then it's basically ‘don't call us, we'll call you,' " Price said. "Without election wins for our candidates, people will become disillusioned at the lack of results. They don't want to feel used."

Social conservatives could have to decide between party loyalty and philosophy in the November general elections.

Some Democrats on the November ballot are as fiscally and socially conservative as their GOP opponents.

For example, the race for the Agriculture Commissioner pits former Republican state Rep. Susan Combs of Austin against state Rep. Pete Patterson of Brookston. Patterson is arguably the more conservative of the two.

And there are only shades of differences on the issues important to conservative constituencies in the lieutenant governor's race between Democratic Comptroller John Sharp and Republican Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry.

Analysts say there is some question whether social conservatives will even vote in November without any of their favorite candidates on the ballot.

Some could decide to teach Republicans a lesson and just stay home to show the Texas GOP how much it needs the help of social conservatives to win elections.

Others could turn to Democrats they don't like to show that their candidates need to get the Republican nomination so the party can win a general election.

Either way, Texas social conservatives will have to regroup and decide how they want to flex their political muscle.

Their losses in the Republican primaries have left some questioning their own philosophy of mixing religion and politics.

"I think Christians ought to be involved in politics," one leader said privately.

"But I'm beginning to wonder if we don't give up something when we get this involved in organizing and working for particular candidates. The Bible says you can't serve two masters ... and sometimes I think we are compromising too much."

Steve Ray is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau