One might think that a political party and a religious organization would not have that much in common. But the Republican Party, in the wake of its failure to retake the White House, and the Catholic Church, in the aftermath of a series of scandals, actually have a lot in common. Here are at least six similarities:
1. They both select the oldest white guy in the room as their standard bearer.
2. They have a fundamental policy of denying certain rights to gays and women.
3. They are convinced they have a monopoly on morality.
4. They believe putting a Latino face on their product will increase sales to that important demographic.
5. They cater to their base and could care less about public opinion or interest writ large.
6. They think to prevail in today’s world all they have to do is change the messaging without making any change in the meaning of their message.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dennis Jett, a former U.S. ambassador to Mozambique and Peru, is a professor of international affairs at Penn State's School of International Affairs.
McClatchy Newspapers did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of McClatchy Newspapers or its editors.