Posted on 08/19/2008 12:41:06 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
CARRBORO - Throughout the primary election season, Barack Obama's campaign argued that his nomination would expand the electoral playing field. In particular, they pointed to Southern states, including North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. Even in states like South Carolina and Mississippi, local political observers have made the case that high African-American turnout could turn their states "blue." As pollsters, pundits and others make their predictions, African-American turnout has been the focus of arguments and discussions. However, there is another side of the coin. What will turnout be like in the conservative Christian community?
Republican victory in the South has always relied on a substantial get-out-the-vote effort within the evangelical Christian community. This year seems different.
Many of the right rejected John McCain in the primaries, and some swore never to back him. (Remember Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter disparaging the nominee?) Only in the past month have the leaders of the Christian right grudgingly agreed to back McCain -- and still there are holdouts, the most prominent being James Dobson of Focus on the Family.
In addition, a new breed of evangelical leaders, including Rick Warren, has said that it's time to move beyond the social issues that have defined Christian conservatives. Instead, they urge their followers to focus on issues such as global poverty and even environmental concerns. Some in the old guard who stressed morality are either dying off or have lost credibility because of their own moral shortcomings.
The booming Clinton economy of the 1990s allowed the rank-and-file Christian conservatives to focus on issues that had little to do with their daily lives. They voted against choice, against gays, for guns and for prayer in schools. What they got was an ill-planned war, staggering gas prices and a crumbling economy.
This year, many of those voters are likely looking at their pocketbooks, and some may be having buyer's remorse.
I'm not suggesting that large numbers of Christian conservatives are going to rush to the polls to support Obama. And I have the utmost respect for the GOP turnout machinery. However, I am suggesting that this year, voting behavior might be different.
After 20 years of combative politics around social issues, Christian conservatives have made very little progress, and new leaders say it's time to refocus. John McCain has never inspired the community and, until a few weeks ago, was bashed by much of the leadership. Finally, the rank-and-file are predominantly middle- and working-class families who have been hit hard by economic policies promoted by the leaders they helped elect.
I don't think they will come out to vote Barack Obama. I'm just not sure that they will come out at all.
Interesting — ping for later.
I am a product of the “backwards” religious South. I can guarantee you Hussein will not win here. Despite the fact that Christian conservatives are not big fan of Mccain, they know Hussein is much worse. In fact, i think people will show up that don’t normally vote to keep him out of office. Unfortunately, there are a good number of people who will vote on purely racial reasons to. While i don’t agree with there way of thinking, i will agree with their outcome. And its not like black folks are voting for Hussein because they support his platform anyway.
Hussein has also consistently polled high so i think the polls are less accurate than usual. And I also think McCain will win by atleast 5% in the popular vote. What we have to watch is the Demonrat’s dirty tricks in key states.
Although McCain is doing better in forums like Saddleback, I still do NOT trust him. He is sounding very pretty, but there are years of pandering to the left that he will revert to once in office. Nevertheless, the choice is him or ... Obama.
So the question is: is voting against Obama going to be enough to get conservatives in the polling booths. We’ll see...
I am more than distrusting of McClame. He has neve been a leader, but a dirtbag with his own interests first. I’ve said my piece here many times before .... He has turned to democrats more than he has ever turned to conservatives.
I have never voted for a democrat. Interpet that the way you see fit
I’m writing a conservative name in on my ballot. Being a good sheep and blindly pulling the lever for RINOs doesn’t seem to be getting the message across.
If the truth about Obama and his very leftist roots gets to all the people so they can consider it, the people this article points to will turn out to vote AGAINST Obama.
It won’t have a thing to do with race (at least not more than 3% or so IMO) but that is how it will probably be portrayed. The media will never accept that a candidate is just too liberal.
If Michael Steele was running against a very liberal white guy, Steele would win IMO.
This is wishful thinking on the part of the author to try and present the maxist christianity movement as real. (see liberation theology of south america)
Christians will not be voting for Obama unles they are hedonists who want chinese menu christianity.
I’m writing a conservative name in on my ballot. Being a good sheep and blindly pulling the lever for RINOs doesn’t seem to be getting the message across.
Was that the same message sent to the Congress that left us with a dem. congress & senate? Now, we send another message and get a leftist president? Thanks in advance from President Obama. Not me, I’m voting McCain and hopefully we can keep the country afloat for a while longer.
I’m writing a conservative name in on my ballot. Being a good sheep and blindly pulling the lever for RINOs doesn’t seem to be getting the message across.
Was that the same message sent to the Congress that left us with a dem. congress & senate? Now, we send another message and get a leftist president? Thanks in advance from President Obama. Not me, I’m voting McCain and hopefully we can keep the country afloat for a while longer.
You can blame me for an obama presidency all you want but in the end you’ll still know its a lie. There will be no one to blame but the pathetic piece of garbage who is the GOP nominee.
You and those like you don’t vote. Obama becomes president. Will that make you feel better and will you and your family be better off four years from now? I admire your conviction but this is bigger than just you. By not voting for McCain you are putting not only your family in harm’s way but also mine. That, my friend, I resent.
Unfortunately there are lots of Christians who put their beliefs, or I should say their professed beliefs, second to their personal financial circumstances. I remember a deacon in a large Baptist church who told my aunt that he was voting for Clinton in '96 because Clinton's economic policies had created a strong economy, and that his business was making money like never before.
She asked how as a Christian he could justify voting for a man who would appoint nothing but pro-abortion and pro-homosexual "rights" judges and Justices. He just repeated that he had lost money during the "Bush recession" and had to vote to protect his business interests. So much for doing the right thing and then trusting God to supply your necessary financial needs.
I wonder what the 1st century Christians who were willing to become lion food in the Colosseum rather than to deny their Lord would think about the authenticity of many of today's Christians.
An ill planned war, staggering gas prices.Yup its our fault.What crap!
“This is wishful thinking on the part of the author to try and present the maxist christianity movement as real”
Huh? Did you read the same article I did? Second to the last line: “I don’t think they will come out to vote Barack Obama.”
Obama SCARES me. No, Mcain wasn’t my first choice. But not to vote is to not have a say. If you don’t vote, don’t complain. And Obama WILL ruin this country.
did you read what I was addressing?
The author is focusing on the Walis soujourner style of left wing outreach to portray conservatives as non-christian. This is what was done in south america.
The goal is to argue christians are going to stay home period.
I don’t see that happening. (nor do I see them voting for some bufoon in a third party)
You don’t trust McCain.
Do you trust Obambi?
not voting conscience scares me even more. See ... I don’t win elections. The person running wins or loses it ... McLame loses its his own fault .. mot mine.
Voting out of fear is why we have 70% of our republicans as stinking, spineless RINO’s to begin with ... we have held our nose for so many election cycles that we got what we derserved
“The author is focusing on the Walis [sic] soujourner style of left wing outreach to portray conservatives as non-christian.”
You’re reading a lot into a few paragraphs. I don’t see liberation theology advocated anywhere. The author’s saying a lot of serious Christians are wary of McCain. They won’t vote for Obama, but they don’t consider McCain to be one of them in the same way that they considered Bush to be one of them. That’s a fact. I know conservative, Christian women in my church who are seriously considering sitting it out this election. McCain will have to work for their vote or risk not getting it.
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