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In 1990, the Reverend Pat Robertson told an assembly of Christian Coalition activists and supporters that the organization's goal was to elect a Republican majority to Congress by the mid- 1990s, and to couple that with a conservative Republican president by 2000. After the 2000 elections, for a brief moment, Robertson's goals were achieved. The Republicans retained a narrow margin in the House of Representatives, and held onto the Senate with the help of a Republican vice president to break ties. More importantly, George W. Bush ran with the strong support of Robertson and other Christian Right leaders (1).
The 2000 elections brought a man to the White House who had frequently testified to his born-again experience, who had declared a "Jesus Day" as governor of Texas, and who had stated during the Grand Old Party (GOP) primary debates that Jesus was his favorite philosopher and that the Bible was his favorite book. Bush appointed an attorney general whose evangelical faith led him to hold prayer and Bible reading sessions before the start of his workday with selected staff. Combined with the growing evangelical contingent in Congress, it was clear that evangelicals had arrived in American politics.
Ironically, although the Christian Coalition had achieved its electoral goals by the 2000 election, few of its policy goals had been met. The Christian Right enjoyed some minor successes in education, including federal funding for "abstinence only" sex education programs, but most of its education agenda was still unrealized. States continued to regulate abortion, but abortion remained legal. Indeed, on some issues the Christian Right lost ground: Mothers entered the paid labor force in increasing numbers during the 1990s and gays and lesbians gained new protections in many jurisdictions.
It is possible that the movement will make important strides to achieve its goals in the future. Yet never before in American history has a social movement been so successful in elections and so unsuccessful in policy. To fully understand this paradox, it is useful to consider the history of the Christian Right in the twentieth century. Throughout the century; Christian Right organizations have mobilized and pushed for policies only to retreat into political passivity)Th cycle has repeated itself many times.
Surge and Decline of the Fundamantalist Christian Right