Faith playing larger role in 2008 race

[DeepModem Mom]

AP: Faith playing larger role in 2008 race
By JOAN LOWY
Fri Jun 1

WASHINGTON - Lately it seems all the leading presidential candidates are discussing their religious and moral beliefs — even when they'd rather not. Indeed, seven years after George W. Bush won the presidency in part with a direct appeal to conservative religious voters — even saying during a debate that Jesus Christ was his favorite philosopher — the personal faith of candidates has become a very public part of the presidential campaign.

Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) have hired strategists to focus on reaching religious voters. Obama's campaign holds a weekly conference call with key supporters in early primary and caucus states whose role is to spread the candidate's message to religious leaders and opinionmakers and report their concerns to the campaign.

Democrats in general are targeting moderate Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants and even evangelicals, hoping to enlist enough voters for whom religious and moral issues are a priority to put together a winning coalition.

Next week, Clinton, Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards are scheduled to address liberal evangelicals at a forum on "faith, values and poverty."

Some top-tier Republican candidates, the natural heirs to conservative religious support, are finding the issue awkward to handle....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070601/ap_on_el_pr/candidates_religion

[jojo54]

1. This is strictly MY opinion everyone, but....

I think we're in deep shit for the coming years if faith is a prominent staple for the elections.

[Iris]

27. I completely agree with you.

I thought we'd be over this by now. But keep in mind, the seeds for this were planted way back in the late 70's/early 80's.

[Totally Committed]

32. I totally agree with you.

A government for ALL the people should be a secular one, imo.

TC

[phantom power]

2. I keep hoping that reality and empiricism will play a larger role.

Oh well. Hope in one hand and shit in the other. See which fills up first.

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. The CNN debate is being promoted as a focus on "Faith and Politics"

for the Democratic this coming Sunday. :eyes: I haven't seen/heard what the Cons' topic will be.

[Sapere aude]

4. I think the Dems are trying to enlarge their voter base with this. It doesn't mean

faith wins and non faith looses. It means both faith and non faith voters can be Dems. After all the progressive movement is more in tune with Jesus in the gospels then conservatism is IMHO.

[MadHound]

5. Yeah, that's what the 'Pugs were saying about the religious right back in the '70s

"We're only trying to expand our voter base." And look what happened, the fundies took over the farm. Sorry, but I have serious reservations about any party that increasingly panders to a particular religious group. We already have enough religion intertwined with the state, no need for the Dems to hop on that bandwagon too.

[Warpy]

6. Pandering to the churchy types is a bad idea for several reasons

First and foremost, no true believer is going to buy it any more. They may be a little nuts, but most of 'em aren't stupid and they've been consistently burned by Reagan, Poppy and Stupid. The only thing Stupid did for them was funnel tax money to their preachers. So the preacher is driving a Mercedes instead of a Toyota.

Second, it alarms the secular majority. Yes, people still identify themselves according to whatever religion they got raised in, but most people are not true believers and would be happy to see the Pope butt OUT of our legal system, along with all those fulminating televangelists. They know abstinence teaching is a crock and a failure and would like a return to common sense. Having all the candidates vying for best Christian in the world makes them very uneasy.

Third, the insistence that morals are confined to sexual issues and only to other people is wearing a bit thin. Any candidate who continues to harp on this stuff while ignoring the devastation right wing economics policies favoring the rich have wrought on this country is not going to find much support out there, especially on the Democratic side. The Democrats had better rediscover their working and middle class base, or they're going to have to get used to being a footnote in the history books.

No party can win without its own base and both parties are in grave danger of ignoring their bases in favor of the craziest people in this country. Pandering to the religious right is suicidal.

Dean's CBN interview last year struck just the right note. I just wish our DLC addled politicians would pick up on it.

[valerief]

17. If they believe an invisible god tests them for a mysterious reason,

they'll believe bull from pols.

[Bitwit1234]

7. Remember the reason OUR ANCESTORS came to America

Religion. Because they were forced to bow down to the religious leaders in England and such. That's why the separation of Church and State was made prominent in the Constitution. Wonder what is going to happen when we slide back.

[Christa]

8. We will have to return

to our roots in secular Europe.

[valerief]

15. A-secular-men! nt

[valerief]

9. I hate this religion-in-politics crap. There oughta be a law against it.

Like maybe the First Amendment. I wonder when these idiots running the country will revoke that amendment officially.

[doggyboy]

11. Yes, let's use the 1st Amendment to RESTRICT speech

That's the ticket!

[valerief]

12. To restrict religion from politics, like it promises, YES!

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[doggyboy]

13. The 1st does not restrict the religious

It restricts the govt. It prohibits the govt from establishing a religion.

"Congress shall" is the first hint that this applies to the govt, and not individuals

[valerief]

14. Correct. 2008 race in OP is for P-O-L-I-T-I-C-A-L office. Not American Idol. nt

[sutz12]

16. I don't know about the 1st Amendment, but I'd like to start enforcing the 6th Article...

You know, the whole "there shall be no religious test...." blah, blah, blah.

But that's just me. ;)

[doggyboy]

18. Umm

there is no religious test for office.

[valerief]

19. You can't tell that from the debates. nt

[doggyboy]

21. You shouldn't be looking at the debates

to determine this. It's in the Constitution

Your problem isn't with the rules. Your problem is with the candidates. There's a simple solution to that. Don't vote for them, and get lots of other people to not vote for them.

It's called politics. Lots of things happen that neither you nor I like. The answer doesn't lie with seeing things as they are not. A candidate speaking of their religion does not represent a threat to the Establishment Clause, no matter how hard the OP tries to make the perception.

[valerief]

22. Religion should be banned from politics. nt

[doggyboy]

23. Take that up with The Framers

They obviously disagreed

[valerief]

25. You must be reading the First Commandment instead of the First Amendment. nt

[mitchum]

29. LOL!

nicely done :)

[otohara]

10. Rudy "I considered becoming a priest"

but then I got horny and married my cousin.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Catholic who says he gave serious consideration as a young man to becoming a priest, is fending off critics who say he should be denied the sacrament of communion because he supports abortion rights.

[madinmaryland]

20. OMG!!1!! You owe me a new keyboard!

:spray:

[EFerrari]

24. Priming the election fraud pump?

:tinfoilhat:

[Arugula Latte]

26. I wish that headline read "Mythology playing larger role in 2008 race"

That would be more accurate.

[mitchum]

28. Fuck going on bended knee to the kneebenders

[illinoisprogressive]

30. Does anyone think a dem is going to go Bush on them just because they have faith.

i respect their right to embrace theirs.
we are suppose to be open minded. As long as my not being religious is respected then i respect theirs. that is how it's suppose to be.
All this 'no religion period' is just imitating the right's authoritarian ways.
lighten up and respect a person's right to their faith.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

31. Fair enough,

if people want to practice their faith they should go to church. That's how far I, or anyone living in a secular democracy should go to "respect a person's right to their faith".

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

33. Disgusting

Didn't Jesus say that the truly pious keep their faith to themselves so that only God knows it?

Truly sickening.

[Totally Committed]

34. I can see this thread is going just about how mine did yesterday,

and for the same reason:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3295075&mesg_id=3295075

TC

[Jed Dilligan]

35. Unless AP is quoting directly,

they should write "Jesus of Nazareth" or simply "Jesus." The word "Christ" indicates that the speaker is a believer.