Deal Hudson on the Role Social Conservatism Played in Yesterday's Election Results [UPDATED]

Despite the assinine assessment of the blogger referring to himself as "Allahpundit", it is clear that yesterday's election results were ANYTHING BUT a repudiation of social conservatism. Deal Hudson writes on the subject today at InsideCatholic:

... It's important, as well, that the GOP notes the kind of candidates who won in New Jersey and Virginia -- pro-life, pro-family, and aligned with religious conservative groups, both Catholic and Evangelical.

Bob McDonnell, the new governor of Virgina, is a bona fide religious conservative among Republicans, and a practicing Catholic who attended Notre Dame and who maintains strong ties to Evangelicals as a result of his Master's degree from Regent University.

The attempt of his Democratic opponent, Creigh Deeds, to smear McDonnell based upon his Regent's Master's thesis not only fell flat, it turned around and bit Deeds.

The new Virginia attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, has been a Catholic pro-life GOP activist in northern Virginia for many years. His election is the product of Cuccinelli's decades-long effort of building a religious conservative coalition to back his candidacy. That coalition undoubtedly helped both McDonnell and Bill Bolling, the new Lieutenant Governor.

The election of Republican Chris Christie in New Jersey, a pro-life but moderate candidate (conservative in the context of NJ), will really shake up the Democrats in Congress and the White House. New Jersey, as was said endlessly last night, is a "blue state."

But what is continually forgotten in states like New Jersey is that it is also Catholic -- 42 percent of voters are Catholic. As a result, there will also be a residual attitude of social conservatism that a committed candidate, and party, can depend upon on election day.

This deeply-rooted stratum of social conservatism exists throughout America as a result of the high percentage of religious activism. This is what John McCain refused to address and what the GOP still treats with ambivalence.

And which know-nothing pundits like the guy at HotAir continues to treat with ambivalence.


UPDATE
Deacon Keith Fournier of the Diocese of Richmond, VA, has more on the subject with "Pro-Life, Pro-Family Bob McDonnell Wins Governors Office in Virginia".


UPDATE #2
Bill Donohue of The Catholic Leagues says that last night was a "Big Night for Catholic Values".


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
HotAir's Strange Assessment of the Virginia GOP Electoral Juggernaut