As Republicans sort out（挑选） the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla¹ in the pulpit（神职人员） .

Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.

I'm bathing in holy water as I type.

To be more specific, the evangelical（福音的） , right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails² the erstwhile（以前的） conservative party and will continue to afflict³（折磨） and marginalize its constituents⁴ if reckoning doesn't soon cometh.

Simply put: Armband religion is killing⁵ the Republican Party. And, the truth -- as long as we're setting ourselves free -- is that if one were to eavesdrop⁶ on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely⁷ that.

The choir⁸ has become absurdly off-key, and many Republicans know it.

But they need those votes!

So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated⁹ to wooden crates¹⁰ on street corners.

Short break as writer ties blindfold¹¹ and smokes her last cigarette.

Which is to say, the GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows. In the process, the party has alienated¹² its non-base constituents, including other people of faith (those who prefer a more private approach to worship), as well as secularists and conservative-leaning Democrats¹³ who otherwise might be tempted¹⁴ to cross the aisle¹⁵.

Here's the deal, 'pubbies: Howard Dean was right.

It isn't that culture doesn't matter. It does. But preaching to the choir produces no converts. And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party -- and conservatism with it -- eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one's heart where it belongs.

Religious conservatives become defensive¹⁶ at any suggestion that they've had something to do with the GOP's erosion. And, though the recent Democratic sweep can be attributed in large part to a referendum on Bush and the failing economy, three long-term trends identified by Emory University's Alan Abramowitz have been devastating¹⁷ to the Republican Party: increasing racial diversity, declining marriage rates and changes in religious beliefs.

Suffice it to say, the Republican Party is largely comprised of white, married Christians¹⁹. Anyone watching the two conventions last summer can't have missed the stark²⁰ differences: One party was brimming with（洋溢着） energy, youth and diversity; the other felt like an annual Depends sales meeting.

With the exception of Miss Alaska, of course.

Even Sarah Palin has blamed Bush policies for the GOP loss. She's not entirely²¹ wrong, but she's also part of the problem. Her recent conjecture²² about whether to run for president in 2012 (does anyone really doubt she will?) speaks for itself:

"I'm like, okay, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is.... And if there is an open door in (20)12 or four years later, and if it's something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow²³ through that door."

Let's do pray that God shows Alaska's governor the door.

Meanwhile, it isn't necessary to evict²⁴ the Creator from the public square, surrender Judeo-Christian¹⁸ values or diminish the value of faith in America. Belief in something greater than oneself has much to recommend it, including most of the world's architectural treasures, our universities and even our founding documents.

But, like it or not, we are a diverse nation, no longer predominantly white and Christian. The change Barack Obama promised has already occurred, which is why he won.

Among Jewish voters, 78 percent went for Obama. Sixty-six percent of under-30 voters did likewise. Forty-five percent of voters ages 18-29 are Democrats compared to just 26 percent Republican; in 2000, party affiliation²⁵ was split almost evenly.

The young will get older, of course. Most eventually will marry, and some will become their parents. But nonwhites won't get whiter. And the nonreligious（无神论者） won't get religion through external conversion²⁶. It doesn't work that way.

Given those facts, the future of the GOP looks dim and dimmer if it stays the present course. Either the Republican Party needs a new base -- or the nation may need a new party.