Reaching out to the far right, especially the religious right, is a waste of time. They will not be appeased by symbols or tokens. They are more likely to view such actions as a sign of weakness and a validation of their importance and strength. The second part of that equation is particularly important. For the last thirty years, the religious right has tried to portray themselves as the standard measure of Christianity in the United States. Most of them no longer use their denominational name and refer to themselves as simply "Christians". That was a brilliant strategic move. First, it underlines the basic claim that they are normal Christians and all others are diverging from their standard. Second, any criticism of them can be framed as attacks on "Christianity" forcing all other Christians into their defensive camp. Third, it forces the press to reinforce their message by constantly describing their extremist message as "what Christians believe." The long term effect has been to convince other Christians to either support their program as good Christians must, or explain why they do not. The great majority of more moderate American Christians have been put on the defensive and essentially silenced.

Obama had a chance to reverse that trend. He could have provided a forum for mainstream Christians. He could have marginalized and silenced the extremists. The religious right is not representative of American Christianity. They are not even representative of evangelical Protestantism. According to Christine Wicker, the religion reporter for The Dallas Morning News, they represent about one third of evangelicals or seven percent of the population. In a futile effort to appease an unappeasable seven percent of the population, Obama has delivered a swift kick to his most faithful supporters and condemned the majority of American Christians to silence and impotence. This is not a wise choice; this is bad strategy, bad politics, and a bad beginning.