The Wall Street Journal had an item the other day on the Obama campaign rolling out a “new nationwide faith effort” that will, among other things, make it clear that the Democratic candidate is a Christian.
The initiative represents a direct challenge to Republicans, who successfully wooed conservative evangelical votes that in turn fueled President Bush’s re-election in 2004. Liberal evangelicals — such as some members of mainline Protestant churches — have been vocal during this election season, reminding voters that some evangelicals favor abortion rights and gay marriage and oppose the Iraq war, and also vote Democratic.
“The Obama campaign is preparing a robust effort to reach out to people of all faiths, all religious backgrounds and moral beliefs and to bring new faith supporters in,” said Joshua Dubois, the Obama campaign’s director of religious affairs. “We’re trying to connect Americans to one to another. …What we’re conveying is his Christian faith and his core values.”
It’s apparently quite an aggressive initiative on the campaign’s part. The Journal noted that Obama’s team has distributed copies of a letter by the senator, “intended to be read during church services, highlighting the senator’s Christian beliefs.” A letter distributed in Ohio said, “[I]f there is one thing I’ve learned from my time as a community organizer…it’s that ordinary people, with the grace of an awesome God, can do extraordinary things.”
This came up a bit in January, when the Obama campaign produced a direct mail piece, featuring pictures of Obama praying and speaking from a pulpit. It featured a large graphic that reads, “Committed Christian,” touts the “power of prayer,” and includes an account of the moment that “Obama felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life.” Similar pieces hit mailboxes in Kentucky last week.
This seem a bit excessive, but given the coordinated smear campaign against the Democrat, and public confusion over his faith, Obama probably doesn’t have much of a choice.
No Trackbacks To “Emphasizing faith-based appeals“
The dark cloud of cognitive dissonance hangs heavy over the U.S. Homeland.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com.....ze_of.html
Good morning, everyone!
Steve, I agree with your conclusion. Maybe some day things like this won’t be necessary but unfortunately this isn’t that day.
Nobody got this when Obama went on his “We hate fags tour”? A bigot through and through.
So he’s not a muslim, eh?
It’s really disgusting that we’re living in a time and place where a significantly huge percentage of voters actually care about anybody else’s religious beliefs. And I don’t even know if I wanna ask what Steve was talking about at #3… either way, off to work.
Maybe some REAL “christian values” will find their way into our national policies - foreign & domestic.
How about a campaign to reach out to those of us who don’t have imaginary friends?
Talking with my brother on Mother’s Day he repeated the mantra that Obama is a Muslim. I ask, What? To which he replied I don’t want to go there.
He now is the recipient of my email blitz.
The photo is extremely disturbing. I thought the Democratic party respects the “separation of church and state.”
Even Jesus advocated that!
No vote for a church peddler!
I’m an athiest and I find popular myth an affront to my sensibilities …
I have no imaginary friend but Obama’s intelligence and understanding of where our country is today and the changes we need to make are the ways he reached out to me.
I respect any ones religion as long as they don’t demand that I share their beliefs. I also understand that religion is important to many here in the US and around the world. Just because it isn’t important to me, I certainly can’t demand that it not be important to them.
I can’t understand why anyone needs to act offended because he is happy in his spiritual relationship. I believe the progressive party should practice a bit more tolerance of all faiths, otherwise we would be no better than the republican christians. The tent is plenty big enough for people all faiths as well as no faith. There is no reason to place lines of division in this great big tent.
The photo is extremely disturbing. I thought the Democratic party respects the “separation of church and state.”
Even Jesus advocated that!
No vote for a church peddler!
He’s countering a Republican lie, and, as Steve says, he doesn’t have much choice. Do you really not understand the difference?
Scott @ 3:
Thank god you where safe, since it wasn’t a “We hate Morons” tour”. Do you even know what the hell you’re talking about.
It’s really a shame that a country that was once the leader in Sciences has to have their representatives even have to mention Religion. I am sure that many who are in public office have NO religious beliefs, but are under pressure from the religious community to claim they do.
Believing in talking snakes and women made out of ribs is certainly some kind of insanity. I’m no expert, but the idea of all this is just so much bull, like astrology, people thinking that some distant galaxy or star being in a certain position at the time of their birth makes them special. It’s all so much clap-trap.
What is up with this video blackout of Obama’s record crowd in Oregon yesterday? I have looked on every news sight and even Youtube AND C&L and nobody has any footage of this thing…I can’t believe 70,000plus people showed up to his rally and nobody brought a camera. it’s weird!
This is why I can’t stand Obama. His message is - ‘hey we’re just as superstitious and fundamental as those Republicans.’ Why can’t it be - ‘hey, my religious beliefs are my own damn business and even non-fundagelicals can be good americans.’ Bah, just furthers the idea that you have to be Xtian to be a patriot.
Ick.
But what if faith doesn’t appeal to me?
I have a problem with “faith-based”. Are there any “faith-based” organizations which aren’t religious? Faith-based is a term created by the Bushies to deflect criticism from the patently unconstitutional use of government money in support of established religions.
Since such use is one of the few areas where the constitution is (or was) unambiguous it is necessary to use subterfuge and newspeak to get around the provision. To wit: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”
The, majority conservative Catholic, supreme court was willing to trash this provision for having some of the money thrown to their religion as well. This did this by means of the most outrageous bending of the law imaginable, claiming that the president used his “own” funds to fund his “faith based” office and, therefore, it wasn’t congress. Of course, all the president’s fund are allocated by congress to begin with so this is a transparent lie.
All of which is to say, if you mean religious groups then say religious groups, not “faith-based”, or do people feel uncomfortable tying candidates and public officials to established religions? If they do, then using euphemisms is not the solution, examine the sources of discomfort instead.
15 ♠Bangkok-Bob♠
The Bible refers to a serpent not a snake. Additionally it refers only to a forbidden fruit not an apple, which seems to come from Greek/Norse/Celtic mythology. Greek has the golden apples of Hesperides, Norse the apples of immortality of the Goddess Idun, and Celtic of course Ynys Avalloch, now our Isle of Avalon (before it became a car.)
As for Eve, according to tradition Adam was mating with animals so God made his first wife was Lilith (whether the elder or the younger I’m not sure, more or less a reflection of God’s wife Shekhina), there was also an Elder Eve that was never brought to life, because Adam watched her creation and was grossed out by the site of tissues, bones and veins etc, so he was put to sleep for the third and final mate. Of course Adam was the terresial version of the Cosmic Adam Kadmos.
Campaigning with homophobes, pushing xtianity down my throat, elevating his faith as the only legitimate wellspring of “values”…. This is why Obama had always been pretty far down on my list. I’ll support him because McCain is undoubtedly more dangerous to the country but he and Clinton are both much less superstitious than Obama.
Constitution Article. VI. snippet:
CoIntelPro for Democratic Party Victory @ 4:
I hear he’s black.
Oopsie, I forgot to mention that in Medieval and Renaissance art, the snake became the accepted form, but wasn’t the devil, but Lilith tempting her successor, Eve.
I’ve often wondered if this was the original version of the crone offering an apple to Snow White.
ysbaddaden @ 20:
Thanks, I can always use a good chuckle.
Once again, I find myself hating the GOP for what they have turned elections into. When you are on the defensive all the time, it is much harder to make your case and move forward.
This issue is totally superfluous to Obama’s potential qualities as president. His religion is his own business. The GOP (or Fox News) made it open season from day 1.
It’s a slippery slope for Obama too. His most reliable voters, supporters and campaigners will be the well educated. This is the same group that can see through the fallacy of dogmatic religion. He needs this (atheist leaning?) base, and we need him. I fear the campaign slipping into distraction and loss of momentum because of nonsense like this.
This must be part of that “appealing to bigoted voters” strategy.
ysbaddaden @ 24:
Dogma chasing Karma
Margaret @ 21:
You’re funny because even when you’re spinning this stuff, you do it in such a way that leaves the reader feeling insulted that you’d think he/she can’t see through your rhetoric.
Scott @ 3:
I don’t know what drug you’re on, or coming off of, but Obama clearly has the most diverse, inclusive organization of any of the candidates. Please provide factual information to support your ridiculous bullshit claim, troll.
Marge Simpson @ 29:
If you can see through rhetoric, it isn’t rhetoric.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 28:
Dogma chasing catharsis.
ysbaddaden @ 31:
Thanks, your making my evening better, It’s like a snark tank.
Marge Simpson @ 29:
“Spinning this stuff”? Are you attempting to deny that Obama toured South Carolina with Donnie McClurkin? Partisan Democrats are every bit as insane as partisan republicans in some cases. Bad news Marge: Obama is not perfect and he did tour with a vocal bigot to drum up right wing xtian votes in South Carolina and those are the facts, despite your scorn. Maybe you could drag your nose out of the bible long enough to read a newspaper.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 33:
You can say I’m jumping the snark.
Scott @ 3:
Wasn’t that already the name of a Culture Club with Boy George tour?
Margaret @ 21:
Actually, no.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/20/02150/0194
Why be honest and forthright when one can do what, and only what, these sorts of “christians” will accept, since it’s the only talent they have: grovelling in the most publically obsequious fashion before their feet-of-clay idea of “god” ?
If such a thing as a sould existed, it would not be worth selling it in such a manner, even for such a purpose. How can you lead a people whose respect you are unwilling to risk losing?
A.J.Joe @ 36:
Lucky Rabbits foot ? … not so lucky for the rabbit (unless he threw salt over his left shoulder)
Obama finds himself in the Rethug-created untenable position between an agnostic and a Muslim. I think he, unfortunately, has to respond by doing some sort of ad to show that he IS a man of faith to appeal to the middle of the country.
Sure, he won’t be Christian enough for them all (thank GOD…) or “white” enough for others (what can ya do?), but this sort of ad will appeal to (hopefully) enough semi-religious people. Sad, but this IS politics, folks.
I can see why Obama has to do this but I can also see a possible silver lining behind it as well. There are many liberal religious people (and I know several) out there that are turned off by the extreme views held by the Republicans. Yet, when they look at the Dems they really don’t see much to identify with either so they simply do not vote or they vote independant. They see the two parties as being opposite ends of extreme views. They see one party as being completely absorbed by extremist religious views while the other totally excludes religion which in turn they see as excluding them. Obama may find a whole, untapped block of voters that have been left out all of these years. These voters do not expect or want a candidate that beats Jesus or some other figure into their lives. Just a simple recognition of the candidate’s faith if he/she has any will suffice.
It saddens me that we have to make our tent big enough to include idiots. If xtians spent like 10 minutes researching their man-god, they would realize he is no less fictional than Zeus or Superman.
But for Obama, I guess I’ll be biting my tongue on this till November.
SM @ 9:
Just like getalife, Dennis, man hater Marge, it is clear from your 100% anti-Obama posts SM, you hate the guy…we get it. The other night when you whined and complained all night after Edwards endorsed Obama, you were so sad and pathetic. All the candidates (including Hillary and Bill(who you once incredibly called a “black icon”)) pander to a degree to get the religious vote. So don’t just point out the one you hate.
ysbaddaden @ 24:
Probably. Religion is myth, and myths just get recycled over and over.
You have to wonder what the dwarves represented.
Miatch @ 41:
Yeah, I still have a collectors copy of the San Francisco Chronicles Front Page Story titled
“Superman Kills Self”
Numinous @ 43:
I think I’ll break out of here and do an hour of Google to find out what the Seven Dwarfs were supposed to represent.