According to the established theories on the life cycle of social movements, the Maintenance Stage of a movement is a critical time that marks a crossroads. One path leads to victory and the other to oblivion. The odds are strongly against victory for any social movement because the bureaucratic necessities for long-term maintenance of a movement siphon off spontaneity, excitement, and esprit de corps. Few social movements are totally successful and many are absorbed or cooped by established institutions. This study examines how the Religious Right, under the leadership of the Christian Coalition, has defied the odds and has become more powerful while transforming itself into a mainstream political organization. A carefully planned shift in rhetorical strategy has helped the Christian Coalition coopt an established institution, the Republican Party, rather than being cooped by it
