Conflicted Evangelicals Could Cost Bush Votes

[Rose Siding]

....Some of these targeted voters remain conflicted — torn between their religious convictions on so-called values issues, and concerns typical of suburban moms and dads, such as jobs, healthcare, the Iraq war and the environment.

Some, such as Wendy Skroch, a 51-year-old mother of three who prays regularly at the evangelical Elmbrook Church in this heavily Republican Milwaukee suburb, blame Bush for failing to fix a "broken" healthcare system and for "selling off the environment to the highest bidder."

Others are like Joe Urcavich, pastor of the nondenominational evangelical Green Bay Community Church, where more than 2,000 people worship each Sunday. He is undecided, troubled by the bloodshed in the Middle East.

"It's hard for me to say that Christians should be marching against abortion and carrying signs, and then turn around and giving a pep rally for the war in Iraq without even contemplating that hundreds and hundreds of people are being killed on a regular basis over there," Urcavich said.
...
A poll published last week by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 70% of self-described evangelicals or born-again Christians planned to vote for the president, down from 74% in the same survey three weeks earlier. That was not only a slight decline, but lower than the 80% to 90% support that Bush campaign officials had been forecasting.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/latimests/20041027/ts_latimes/conflictedevangelicalscouldcostbushvotes

[apnu]

1. So could it be that many of these undecided voters are GOP base people?

Boy... that would be interesting eh?

[freedom_to_read]

2. this is good news

hopefully if they can't make up their minds, they'll just stay home.

[BayStateBoy]

17. Kerry Needs to Do Everything Possible to Make Them More Conflicted

Remember the toll the DUI Bush ads had in the final days of 2000?

I am looking for more "juicy" morsels about the Bush past to be publicized. God knows there has to be more dirt.

[bluestateguy]

3. If that poll is correct, he's toast

Without 85% of that white, Bible thumping fundamentalist wacko vote he is toast.

[UpInArms]

4. common sense is intruding upon

their fundamentalism?

Have they figured out that they cannot eat their buybulls?

Who would a thought it?

[barb162]

10. did you see the CNN program on the fundies last Sunday? A lot of

them would rather starve and maintain their religious beliefs than have common sense.

[Anakin Skywalker]

25. Big Disappointment.

I don't know whether to laugh or be saddened by such stupidity :) :(

[barb162]

26. this one woman couldn't wait for the second coming of Jesus

and she was fully prepared to see her family die so they could all be in heaven. So earthly things like jobs, eating, etc., what do they care. I couldn't watch the entire show as the whole concept of secular government and reasoning, etc., doesn't work with these people

[sonicx]

5. bush's civil unions flap will cost him even more votes

[amandabeech]

6. Pat Robertson opened the door to doubt when he said

that God told him that Iraq would be a messy disaster. Even though Robertson still supports Bush, Robertson's statements may give the most reasonable conservative Christian types some spiritual cover for doubting Bush.

[MADem]

16. You nailed it

He opened the door, and the rest of them are rushing in. I think wiley ole Pat sees the handwriting on the wall, and he wants to be able to play both sides on this issue. Imagine the bump he will get when he is able to say "I TOLD THE MAN, BUT HE DID NOT LISTEN!"

The implied message is that when PAT gets Jesus on the line, he has a much better connection than even the Jesus Pretzeldunce!

Pat knows how to take the inevitable, and turn it into his own idea. He may be a dickhead, but he is a clever dickhead!

[The Magistrate]

24. And Into The Bargain, Ma'am

The response of the criminals of the '00 Coup to Robertson's statement was to call Robertson a liar. That cannot have sat too well his followers....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[amandabeech]

27. Mr. Magistrate, I grew up around some very conservative, but

sincere Christians. It may come as a surprise to some here, but many of those folks are modest, sincere and honest, and believe Robertson to be the same. Calling Robertson a liar is an insult to Robertson's honor and to theirs. It is not the type of response that they would expect from a stand-up, straight-shooter Christian guy like George Bush.

Clearly, the criminals' response created a considerable amount of cognitive dissonance.

[loudsue]

31. Amanda....these folks should start thinking about what they're doing.

ESPECIALLY in the 'name of Jesus', as far as their politics is concerned. They are being PLAYED, sooooo completely, by the republicans.

The bush administration doesn't hold their values... they're USING them.

Why can't TRUE Christians let themselves be used by the Christ of their heritage, rather than the right-wing "kristian koalition" of the republicans. The two are a world -- LITERALLY -- apart.

:kick::kick::kick:

[napi21]

7. Shrub's comment yesterday about gay unions will make their decision.

I've seen several posts that many of Shrub's statement yesterday that he "supports Gay Unions" have made them decide NOT to vote for him. Some said they were single issue voters and would leave the Presidential section of their ballot blank, some said they will vote for the Libertarian or Constitution Party candidate, and some others said they'd just stay home!

When I heard him make that remark to Gibson, I yelled out "Shrub just committed political suicide!"

That remark will also help the confused voters you mentioned make their decision.

[whistle]

8. They aren't conflicted, they know they are loosing the anti-christ....

...but don't know if they should vote and give John Kerry the mandate. If evangelicals stay away from the polls, that will insure that Bush looses and also gives them a clear conscience to oppose Kerry, just as they did when Clinton was elected. We may be looking at another 4 years of neo-conservative resistance, mud-slinging and Kerry bashing government stalemating from the fundamentalists to further their causes. These people are determined to advance their dominionistic movement by whatever it takes. Four more years of running interference is only a brief detour in the apocalyptic march they envision for 2012.

[spinbaby]

9. My in-laws aren't voting

They're deep southern Baptist. They think Bush is evil but can't bring themselves to vote for Kerry either because he's a "librul."

[lakemonster11]

23. My grandparents are southern baptists

but they're voting for Kerry. I didn't even have to talk them into it!

[JPace]

11. Sounds like they are getting confused about which side God is on....

someday they will "come into the light" and find out
God is on the "Peoples" side.

[maddezmom]

18. kick

[Rose Siding]

19. It sounds like confusion is melting away

Maybe these few who are quoted always had a handle on it but I hope it's very widespread.

[info being]

12. Evangelicals think? News to me.

[Thor_MN]

28. Conflicted Evangelicals?? Evangelical Democracy??

The first is redundant, the second an oxymoron. You can be for both evangelism and democracy. Evangelism is about stuffing your view down someone else's throat - the only right way is your way. Democracy can tolerate Evangelism, but Evangelism doesn't tolerate anything except itself.

[Nicholas_J]

13. Means they wont vote

And if they dont, thats good for Kerry

[Nicholas_J]

14. Means they wont vote

And if they dont, thats good for Kerry

[Nicholas_J]

15. Means they wont vote

And if they dont, thats good for Kerry

[Kimber Scott]

20. They're THINKING. Thank God! nt

[anarchy1999]

21. Wonderful, finally some conflicted "christians".

It's taken way too long to hear.

[wrate]

22. Perfect timing for the fundies to feud and the sheep to run scared! n/t

[cubsfan forever]

29. Good! n/t

Professor 2

[RaleighNCDUer]

30. I've been saying this would happen -- they don't have a solid

party, they have a loose coalition of antagonistic factions. How can the fundamentalists live with the moonies? How can the libertarians work with the neo-imperialists? How can the neo-cons and the Rockefellar republicans find common ground? Does the pro-Israel faction of conservative jews really have common cause with the Christian Zionists who only wish to see Israel preserved as the future battleground of Armageddon?

They cannot stand.

[Tight_rope]

32. It's 4 days before the election and these dumbass are still undecided!

:wtf: