Lilia Abecassis, Staff Writer
I am a Republican. Even though I live in liberal Los Angeles and was raised by a Democrat, I will proudly display a “Honk if I’m paying your mortgage” bumper sticker on my car when I start paying taxes.  I am socially and fiscally conservative.
But I am not a proud Republican. In fact, I am ashamed to admit that I am a Republican.
The GOP has become the laughing stock of American politics and it’s because the Republican Party focuses so much on religion. The Republican Party has done something brilliant, albeit morally wrong.
The Republican candidates gain so much support all over the midwest and the Bible Belt because they convince religious people who otherwise don’t care too much about politics to vote for them on the basis that they are good, devout Christians. The GOP candidates gain a lot of support because they regard Jesus Christ as their savior and thus believe they deserve to be president.
What so many GOP candidates fail to realize is that the United States was not founded on Christianity. One of the foundations of this country is the separation of church and state.
I don’t believe that religion should ever play into an election. A candidate or nominee should win because they can make good decisions for the country; it shouldn’t matter if they’re Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or any other religion.
Rick Perry stated in his “Strong” video, “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school. As President, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion. And I’ll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again.”
What Perry really means is, “there’s something wrong in this country when I can’t  shove my narrow-minded Christian beliefs down your throat, but American citizens who happen to be gay can’t proudly serve and protect our country.”
Michele Bachmann, referred to as “the indoor Sarah Palin” by Bill Maher, blamed a hurricane on God being annoyed at politicians. I see why people can’t take this woman seriously.
Religion put Mitt Romney at a disadvantage. He may have led the polls, but it was never by much because he’s a Mormon and thus doesn’t have the Evangelical vote. (Another main reason being that he cannot make a statement without going back on it later. Romney changes his views as often as Rick Santorum brings up gay marriage.)
All in all, the Republican candidates focus way too much on religion rather than logic and the true beliefs of the Republican Party, giving us Republicans a bad name.
Unfortunately, the GOP has lost the best candidate, Jon Huntsman. As Rob Reiner brilliantly put it, “Jon Huntsman is the only candidate in that whole group that believes when an apple falls from the tree, it hits the ground.”
Huntsman 2016, anyone?