week of 1/7/04
 
 
 

GOP keeps stranglehold on religious vote
By Scott McLeod

When the subjects of religion and politics cross paths, many Democrats lose their way. Poll after poll shows that Americans who consider themselves religious vote for Republicans by a large majority.

What’s remarkable about this truth is that it is a fairly recent phenomenon that has little basis in political ideology. I mean, saying that one party is more Christian or religious than another is akin to sports teams or fans who have the gall to ask God to help them to victory, as if their cause is more worthy than those lined up on the other side of the field. It’s just crazy.

But the evidence to support this assertion is all-too-abundant. One can’t read the articles on this country’s editorial pages — and even the news columns, it seems — without someone pointing out that those who consider themselves Christian will inevitably vote for George Bush. A recent Gallup Poll of “religious voters” showed that President George Bush gets an overwhelming majority of support when pitted against the Democratic frontrunners. In that poll, Bush was favored by about 65 percent of the voters. Another recent poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press found that 70 percent of Americans want the president to be a person of faith.

Put those two together and one would think that the GOP has a stranglehold on the American electorate. The 2000 election, however, proved that is not the case. The voting public in the U.S. is evenly split, so much so that the disagreements over the last presidential election between Bush and Al Gore will never be entirely resolved.

So what is it that has given the Christian vote — notice I didn’t use the term Religious right — to the Republicans?

Democrats shouldn’t have any problem showing that their issues are just. Supporting legislation to take care of the poor, the elderly and the infirm is certainly something most religious people would support. Protecting God’s earth and the environment are worthy causes. Legislation to reduce the tax burden on the poor, to bolster the educational dreams of children or to help single mothers can hardly be labeled immoral by anyone.

So how did the GOP usurp the God vote? Well, there are the issues of abortion and gay unions, two much-debated issues that many consider cornerstones with which to judge a person’s morality. Many Christians vote Republican simply because of their stand on these issues.

Democrats won’t like this, but another stumbling block in attracting the Christian vote has a lot to do with eight years of Bill Clinton. More than any other national Democrat of the past two decades, he rubbed a lot of regular church-goers the wrong way. Despite his legislative and economic victories, he lied — on television — to the American people about his sex life. Sure, most politicians lie, especially those who make it to the White House. But Clinton’s brazen blunders provided fodder for a right-wing feeding frenzy that lasted eight years and continues to this day. I’ve heard more than one Republican friend refer to Bill or Hillary, or both, as the “anti-Christ.” His two terms allowed Republicans to claim the “family values” voting bloc.

But it’s not just Bill and Hillary’s fault that most people who consider themselves Christians will vote for George Bush in 2004. Bush, unlike many politicians on the national level, does not shy away from talking about his own religious beliefs and how important they are to him. He thinks nothing of professing his faith and speaking about it openly.

Some would say Bush panders to those who want a Christian in the White House, and there could certainly be an argument made that his handlers encourage his frequent discussions of faith.

On the other end of the spectrum, many political leaders refuse to discuss their faith because they don’t want to be accused of using something so sacred and private as a means of capturing votes. It’s a complicated distinction that voters will have to make themselves.

Many Democrats get befuddled when the issue of religion arises. Since they’re typically hard-core supporters of the separation of church and state, they often get tongue-tied when it comes to discussions of faith.

Many Democrats, to their detriment, have confused the freedom from religion that is implied in the First Amendment to also mean freedom from religion. That is simply not the case. Because the leaders of the party are disinclined to discuss religion, many voters — particularly those in the South and Midwest — don’t believe that these politicians have the same values.

Keeping government and church separate is indeed a fundamental part of why this country works, but if Democrats don’t find a way to express their value system to voters they will have a hard time getting to the White House.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)