Not letting the Republicans be a “religious party”

The guy who would have been a key presidential advisor if Paul McCain had won the election is saying Republicans must embrace gay marriage and avoid the impression that they are a “religious party.” McCain Strategist Warns GOP Risks Becoming ‘Religious Party’:

John McCain’s top adviser from the presidential campaign urged fellow Republicans on Friday to warm up to gay rights and warned that the GOP risks becoming the “religious party” with its opposition to same-sex marriage.

Steve Schmidt, in his first political appearance since the election, spoke at the Washington, D.C., convention for the Log Cabin Republicans — a grassroots group for gay and lesbian Republicans.

He urged Republicans, in the near-term, to endorse civil unions and stop using the Bible as rationale for gay-marriage opposition.

“If you put public policy issues to a religious test, you risk becoming a religious party,” he said. “And in a free country a political party cannot be viable in the long-term if it is seen as a sectarian party.”

So what will Christian and other cultural conservatives do if they are purged from the Republican party?