For several years we have noted strands of creeping religious rightism in the Democratic Party. We have noted, among other things,  that some political consultants were advising candidates not to talk about separation of church and state because it might offend "people of faith," and that ostensibly progressive religious leaders were internalizing an anti-secular world view indistinguishable from the leaders of the Religious Right. (I summarized these themes in an article in The Public Eye last summer.)  Moiv wrote a ground-breaking piece on Jim Wallis and his views on the criminalization of abortion. And  Chip Berlet posted an urgent statement declaring that human rights are not political commodities:

While public debates over social issues are a sign of a healthy democracy; we do not believe is proper for politicians to negotiate away basic human rights for any group of people in the United States.

But elements of the Demcocratic Party continue to  find new ways to engage in the kind of negotiation Chip warned against.  And the strains of creeping religious rightism are becoming more evident.