Secession

I just read a vitriolic post on Steve Gilliard's blog essentially calling those who voted for Bush counter to their own interests stupid. He went on to describe a plan for giving them what they asked for by eliminating all federal taxes in favor of local taxes. This would, in his view, punish the largely rural states that Bush won and favor the states with large, liberal metropoles. The idea is that the return on federal taxes per capita is much smaller in blue states than red states, so eliminating federal taxes would hurt the red states more. He described this plan as secession.
Whether or not it is truly secession, it certainly shares one thing in common with that word--it is the opposite of unity. To quote Martin Luther King, Jr., "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." I believe that the solution is not promoting a new brand of hate to counteract existing brands of hate, but rather providing more opporutunities for love. People supported Bush either because they trusted him or people that they trusted trusted him. I do not believe it is hatred they responded to, but rather trust. I believe that if some liberal provided a community of support and love in a largely conservative area, he or she would earn that community's trust regardless of politics.
In that same post, Mr. Gilliard quotes a comment on another blog, dailykos, which gave examples of people who voted for Bush. One example included a woman who was struggling financially and, while not religious, turned to the local churches for some support. Those church communities offered her food and assistance in exchange for her attendance at Bible study. She diligently attended the meetings, and ultimately voted for Bush on values even though her financial problems could arguably be traced to Bush policies.
People want love and support, and when they get it, they overlook differences. Anyone who has ever fallen madly in love with the someone completely wrong for them knows this. We just watched Angels in America this weekend, and one of the main characters is a Mormon attorney named Joseph, devoted to Roy Cohn, a major player in the McCarthy hearings. Roy has done many things to advance Joseph's career, and Joseph adores Roy, overlooking the incredibly immoral behavior Roy has exhibited throughout his career.
So it is understandable that those who suffer and find solace in conservative circles will support those who promote conservative values. While I would not suggest that these conservative circles are seeking unity with their ideological rivals, they are seeking unity with their fellow Americans by reaching out to help them. Some might see this more cynically not as unity, but as bribing people to listen (like those vacation home marketing ploys). I see no problem with churches using their assistance as a opportunity for evangelism. I see this reaching out as recognition that we are all people with basic needs that should not go unfulfilled. Those needs include sustenance, shelter, and clothing, but also community.