Democrats will have about as much luck attracting evangelical voters as Republicans have had wooing African-Americans, Peter Brown argued in an op-ed piece in Tuesday’s Opinion pages. This despite the fact that evangelicals may be more in line with Democrats on the environment and some other issues.
His reason: “Voters — regardless of race, ethnicity or religion — make their political choices based on their overall comfort level with the views and values of a candidate. And evangelical Christians favor traditional social values, tend to be skeptical of government and fond of the military. That is why they vote Republican.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
24 Comments
I don’t know why Democrats would even care to court the evangelical voters. The Democrats need to get the young people, the senior citizens, moderates and those voters who feel they have no voice as one big group. The evangelical voters really are not that big of a group by themselves. And lets face it, George W. has ticked off the young people by giving them more debt than they will ever be able to pay off. He ticked off the senior citizens by the messed up prescription plan and all of the above mentioned groups are ticked off about this insane Iraq War. The Bushies can only bring up issues like gay marriage and abortion to keep and control the evangelical voters and be the divisive wedges in order that that his cronies can “stay the course”.
But they tend to be motivated to act. If not for the R.R. the Neo-cons would still be in the tink tanks. The Marriage ban would not have passed and so forth.
It’s hard to motivate sheep to be anything other than sheep.
Democrats do not want them.Nuff said.
Especially after Brownback’s embarrasing and ludicrous ’snowflake baby’ thingy.Institutionalized insanity.
They have Fred Phelps and family.
But that being said, here is a great statical breakdown of people and how they lean politically.
http://people-press.org/reports/tables/242.pdf
Unfortunately, the Democrats cannot prevent the Phelps klan from registering with their party.
We don’t want them.
The Rapture Heretics and Falwell Taliban are the reason moderate Republicans are bailing out of their own party.
Screw ‘em.
Capn..
That’s the attitude that has cost the Democrats the White House the last two elections.
It would be good for the Democrats and for America to lure a few of the RR to more middle ground!
Those evangelicals who follow Jesus’s admonitions to feed the hungry more than Paul’s admonitions against homosexuality will find a better home in the Dem party than in the Rep Party.
Ben: I think the defining issue really is abortion. As long as the Democrat party continues its inflexible stance of opposing even reasonable restrictions on abortions, “religious conservatives” will not support it, even if some of the other social issue stances of the Democrat party might be more in line with their thinking.
Valid point outlander – however I don’t know too many people who do not support “reasonable restrictions on abortions”; trick is defining reasonable.
Kssam–
You mean like in 2000 when the Democrats got more votes than Republicans?
We ARE the mainstream.
Outlander is right on the abortion issue. I say we outlaw it altogether and take that wedge issue away from the Republicans. Any bets on whether the Repubs would allow that?
Look where they are at with discarding stem cells vs. abortion clinics.They are clearly insane.
Ah, the dems, the party that wants every felon and wetback to vote, at least once! :)
Viva La raza Blanco!!
Which one are you Ian?Both?Hell, you can vote twice then!
VERY good TRACY…..made me laugh on that one!!!
The major issues for Democrats is universal health care, Americans to stop dying in Iraq, cleaner environments, energy independence and preventing jobs from going overseas.
It’s no surprise the majority of the population wants to keep their job, live in a pollution free environment, wants cheap energy and gas, doesn’t want their children or parents to die in Iraq, and doesn’t want to be burdened with debt from expensive health care.
Is anyone really opposed to all that?
The Republicans are opposed to it, Doug, because you’d need taxes to fund some of it.
They prefer that their fellow Americans DIE, even their poor relatives, as long as they get to keep their money.
Nice try Dougie, but it was scumbags gore and clinton who were the biggest cheerleaders for nafta and the other globalist nonsense that has destroyed our manufacturing sector. There is no major difference between the dems and repukes, partisan cheerleading notwithstanding.
v.L.R.B!!
Well, Jesus fed the masses fish and bread. He didn’t teach them to fish or to make bread. Guess Jesus was a Democrat:)
Actually Jesus was a communist.
Hey Ian, have you ever caught me praising Clinton and Gore for NAFTA? NAFTA was the reason the Democrats lost so many votes in the manufacturing belt. So next time you open your ass to try to catch me in a contradiction it’d be best if you quote me.
BTW, Democrats learned from their mistakes that’s why the majority of people voting against CAFTA were Democrats. Numbnuts.