h
People of Faith The Problem
2000 Exit Polls: Bush beat Gore 61-38 among
Americans saying they attended religious services
more than once a week (15 % of the electorate), and
won by 56-42 among those saying they attended
services once a week (28% of the electorate).
2002 Exit Polls: Republican Congressional candidates
beat Democratic candidates 61-37 among the more-
than-once-a-week category (16% of the electorate)
and by 57-41 in the once-a-week category (29 % of
the electorate)
White voters identifying themselves with the
Religious Right rose from 15% of the electorate in
2000 to 20% in 2002.
Note: Not a Clinton Problem! And the Religious
Right has not gone away. Not an Intractable Problem
According to a 2000 Pew study, when asked which
party is most concerned with protecting religious
values, 39% said Republicans, 30% said Democrats,
31% said neither. Among Independents, it was 33%
Republicans, 28% Democrats, 39% neither.
In 1996, an identical survey showed a 45-26 margin
for Republicans among Independent voters.
In other words, Republicans are not intractably
identified as the home for people of faith. Many Mansions
Dont believe the stereotypes. Theres no such
thing as the Catholic vote or the evangelical
vote. Religious Americans are more diverse
and nuanced than generalizations allow.
Catholics are divided almost evenly between
traditionalists and moderns. Gore won by
59-41 among white modern Catholics. Gore
also won Hispanic Catholics 76-24.
Frequency of attendance can be more
important than denomination. Bush won only
55% of less observant white evangelical
Protestants, but won 66% of more observant
white mainline Protestants. Targets for Success
There are two big groups of religious Americans who
represent swing voter categories that Democratic
might target:
Freestyle Evangelicals40% of evangelical
Christians, 10% of the populationheavily suburban,
socially conservative, politically independent
Convertible Catholicsculturally moderate-to-
conservative, strong commitment to social justice
Hispanic Catholics: big target for GOP, but still
heavily Democratic; strongly concerned about
education and economic opportunity Rules for Religious Expression
Silence is not golden. 70% of Americans agree its
important for a president to have strong religious
beliefs. If you are a person of faith, dont keep it a
secret
But also dont be conspicuously pious: 50% of
Americans arent comfortable when politicians
discuss how religious they are.
Good indicator of the right balance: by a 63-24 margin
(58-29 among Independents), Americans like the
way George W. Bush talks in public about his
religious beliefs. Use of Religious Language
The issue is not whether religious language can be
used in politics, but how.
Natural use of scriptural language and allegories
connects with people of faith
Identify with faith, not with a particular religious
point of view
Connect policies with religious values: e.g.,
protecting the environment promotes stewardship
of Gods green earth; we honor our fathers and
mothers by working for retirement security.
Think inclusion. Language that acknowledges a
common ground of values underlying different
policies can reduce religion-based opposition
while exposing the extremism of conservatives. Scratching the Itch
Voter fears about Democrats and religion are often
motivated by concerns about our willingness to
reflect and promote their basic values. Identify
and address those concerns wherever possible.
For example:
Express your belief that there are moral absolutes
that must be reflected in public policy.
Share voters concerns about declining moral
values, and advocate policies to address them
(e.g., Clintons values agenda in 1996,
Liebermans criticism of trash culture, various
strategies for supporting families raising kids). Fight Fire With Fire
When opponents aggressively promote an agenda
based on conservative appeals to religious values, one
option is to respond with progressive appeals to
religious values.
Even conservative evangelicals acknowledge a social
gospel addressing the needs of the poor and or
society; remind them of it and appeal to the better
angels of their nature.
As of 2002, 79% of Americans believed people
should do more to help the needy, even if that entails
some personal sacrifice, and 67% favored more
generous government assistance to the poor. Those
with strong religious commitments tend to favor anti-
poverty efforts (public or private) the most. Support Faith-Based Initiatives
Despite George W. Bushs (partially abandoned) focus on
this subject, Democrats have more than Republicans to
gain from support of efforts to engage religious and other
civic organizations in public delivery of social services.
Its a uniter: A new survey shows that government
funding for religious social services is supported by 70%
of Americans, including 83% of African-American
Protestants, 75% of white Catholics, 72% of evangelical
Protestants, 67% of mainline Protestants, and even 57% of
non-religious seculars.
Its a three-fer, allowing Democrats to support a new
attack on poverty and other social problems while
expressing support for religious values and also their
willingness to explore alternatives to traditional
government programs.
Dont be bashful about supporting limits on how religious
groups can use public funds: 79% of Americans think such
groups should not be allowed to discriminate against those Remember: Youre Not From the
Government!
Much of the chilliness expressed by people of
faith towards Democrats reflects a belief that the
party is wedded to big government in any conflict
with civil society (church, neighborhood, locality,
family, or the private sector generally).
Declaring your independence from government-
only solutionsand from pro-government or anti-
religious interest groupsaddresses that concern
powerfully.
Your attitude towards Government is really the
fourth G along with God, Guns and Guts. Its All About Seizing the Center
Never forget: a majority of Americans are self-described
moderates.
Thats true as well of people of faith: 65% of black
evangelical Protestants; 54% of white Catholics, 47% of
white mainline Protestants, and even 37% of white
evangelical Protestants self-identify as centrists.
Seizing the Center best positions you with Democratic
and swing voters, and best positions you to expose the
extremism of the Right. Silence on religious values
confirms negative stereotypes, while trying to neutralize
opposition by moving hard right can divide your
supporters and wont work anyway.
Embrace a values centrism that combines progressive
policies, inclusive language, a commitment to
mainstream cultural aspirations, and an openness to non-
government avenues for addressing social problems.