Hewitt - As for politics, Ronald Brownstein and Richard Rainey continue to provide the sort of excellent post-election coverage in the Los Angeles Times that readers would have enjoyed --and the paper might have profited from-- pre-election. Bush-Cheney '04 won 97 of the fastest growing 100 counties in America, a domination of the exurbs that should chill every Democrat for whom the MoveOn.org KoolAid has worn off. Dems can barely imagine operating in these areas much less winning them because they are defined by church-goers and married parents with children, two demographic groups that view the Democratic Party as not just different but as an enemy of much of what they value.
Yesterday, before returning home from Kentucky, I worshipped at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, a congregation of tens of thousands, which celebrated its 40th anniversary two years ago by providing 3000 suitcases of assistance for the homeless. There wasn't a hint of politics in the service, at which Kyle Idleman, who can barely be 30, preached with tremendous effectiveness. About two dozen infants were dedicated at the beginning of the service, with more scheduled for dedication late in the day. The music was the product of rock-and-roll mixed with classic hymns, and the congregation of all colors and economic backgrounds. Reading Brownstein this morning I thought of yesterday's service and concluded all the ACTs and Media Funds in the country are no match for the new communities represented by Southeast because they are in fact communities, not collections of index cards. There was a long piece on the Dems' get out the vote effort in Ohio in yesterday's New York Times Magazine, and some memorable space is devoted to the activists' disbelief at what appeared to them to be GOP inactivity on election day.
But the Republican and independent voters of Ohio had been organized "virtually," and reminded continually, by their friends, neighbors and relatives in their communities --communities of shared values, not simply agreed upon candidates. This is a powerful political evolution, the modern equivalent of the old Democratic machine that operated in immigrant neighborhoods among those communities. And it is only going to grow stronger and larger in the years ahead.
This is also Target's problem, for these new communities with church and family at their heart are very generous and also very sensitive to the antipathy of cultural elites, and judging from what I was told by two audiences of more than 600 on Friday and Saturday night, and from my e-mail, Target has deeply offended a significant portion of these new communities of faith and family. (By no means all, of course, and some aren't bothered in the least, but Target isn't gaining any customers from exiling the Salvation Army, only losing them.) Target may not have acted out of antipathy, but because its action matches so much of the anti-Christian tenor of the times, it is being categorized as among that group determined to whitewash the public square of religious belief. (Read the post and comments at CrookedTimber to understand why this merging occurs.) It doesn't have much time to change course as consumer patterns, once shifted, will be hard to reconstruct. E-mail guest.relations@target.com --polite, please-- and urge them to allow the bell ringers back on Friday through Christmas. The posters at Yahoo's message board on Target's stock are aware of the possible dire consequences of Target's decision. Hopefully CEO Robert Ulrich will act quickly.
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