Posted on 03/26/2006 3:59:37 AM PST by Liz
What seems a little odd about that map is the two heaviest blue areas, the west coast and the northeast, are very heavily Catholic.
2008 should be fun for both of them. They can both go out campaigning and rarely be with each other.
Americans who regularly attend worship services and hold traditional Christian religious views increasingly vote Republican, while those who are less connected to religious institutions and more secular in their outlook tend to vote Democratic, according to a major study by the Pew Forum.
Some of the conclusions of this report were already evident in 2004 exit polling data. For example, voters who attend church more than once a week (16 percent of all voters) chose Bush over Kerry by a margin of 64 – 35 percent.
Likewise, those who attend Christian denominational Churches on a weekly basis (26 percent of voters) supported the President by a 58 – 41 percent margin. Also very telling, those who never attend Church (15 percent of voters) overwhelmingly supported Kerry 62 – 36 percent.
The study further found that traditionalist elements within each religion tended to vote Republican, while modernist groups within the religions trended towards the Democrats. A multiple regression analysis of exit poll and public opinion survey data from 2000 and 2004 enabled the Pew Research Center to assign a relative weight to various demographic markers.
Interestingly, church attendance was tied with race as the most significant factor. But even that number is deceiving; in that race is only an important factor due to the high level of support the Democrats receive from black voters.
These trends represent a major shift over the past forty-five years. White Christian Evangelicals in 1960 favored Democrats by a two-to-one margin; now they are Republican by a 56 – 27 percent margin. Seventy-eight percent of them voted for President Bush in 2004.
In 1960, 71 percent of Catholics were Democrats and now Democrats have only a slight edge among Catholics (44 – 41 percent) and Catholics voted for President Bush (52 – 47 percent) in 2004. These trends have also brought an increased acceptance of religion in the public square.
While Americans do tend to favor the separation of church and state, 70 percent of voters want their President to have strong Christian religious beliefs. Likewise, the study reveals that 52 percent of Americans believe that Christian churches should express political views. Surprisingly, support for political involvement of churches is strongest among younger voters age 18 to 29 (59 percent).
Hillary may indeed fool a bunch of women. But, not women who are paying attention and have standards and values. Democrats have no standards, they only have a fierce desire to win at any cost. Sadly, old media buys into the same rhetoric.
Those Catholic voters they have left are either non practicing ones or the die hards that have been voting Dem ever since FDR.
Notice how the MSM always "advises" GOP candidates to move away from Christian voters?
Sadly some in the GOP have only a desire to win as well.
However, we do need to keep reinforcing the conservative agenda because of Hillary Clinton's rightward slitherings, and other ominous signs that the conservative agenda is in danger of being co-opted.
I call it "the Uriah Heep Factor."
There are people who are rank opportunists ---they gravitate to whoever's got the power.
Many, many savvy Repubs years ago predicted these left-leaning, pro-abort squatters-with-an-agenda having corrupted their own party, would bring their foul nest into the Republican party.
Conservatives need to be aware that the post-election "Uriah Heep Factor" is kicking in big time.
Conservatives know the "Uriah Heeps" are out there plotting and planning to co-opt the 2004 conservative victory for their own hidden agendas.
The Uriah Heeps of the world would manhandle the social conservative victory----and dilute the mandate----for their own self-serving agendas.
Charles Dickens' Uriah Heep character was notorious for wielding undue influence, a bounder who was always planning and plotting, ingratiating himself into the confidence of others. Uriah Heep was obsequious, manipulative, and wormed his way into positions of influence. Uriah was a consummate con man, and not to be trusted.
Translated into the language of the popular culture, the Uriah Heeps would position themselves as amenable to conservative qualities of faith and compassion, but are insincere in these feelings, using conservatives and our issues only to advance their own agendas and ambitions.
They have smelled the power of conservatives, and now these Uriah Heeps grow in their desire to exercise control over conservatives, and the conservative agenda.
The Uriah Heeps of the world with their vulgar sense of entitlement feed on the victories of others. They become more and more power-hungry and will deploy their self-serving strategies to selfish purposes.
We need to watch out, for they will bring more harm to conservative interests, to the rights of the unborn, religious freedom, the restoration of American culture, and so on.
At their very core, the Uriah Heeps evince an elitist, unmitigated contempt for Christian conservatives, and all they stand for. They hold their noses in the presence of the conservatives they loathe, in order to co-opt conservatives for their own self-serving purposes.
Christians are aware of whom they serve and watch carefully to see if promises made to them are empty.
There are those in the political spectrum who coyly speak the conservative language to appeal to Christian values, but who are not believers, just latter-day Uriah Heeps.
Agreed. Then again, that's what is happening now! It's comical and sad to see Bill doing his thing while Hillary is hanging in the wind. Hillary cannot win without Bill helping her. He draws as the attraction and I have yet to see Hillary able to stand on her own. Hillary is more scripted than any other politician I have ever seen.
Gore faced the same dilemma in 2000.
She would not understand what the scriptures say or mean even if it were possible to give her a brain transplant already pre-programed with scripture.
If she is still alive and kicking at the time of the "Rapture" her response will likely be "what happened"!
Actually, I agree with you. This has not been as much of a problem out here, or in the southern states as much as it's happened in the NE areas. I will say one thing, this kind of behavior is not supported in Colorado. Republicans would defect in droves were this going on.
Republicans everywhere have to get better control on our party, and demand accountability and responsibility from our candidates, even office holders.
Agreed. Gore really is a nut case. Americans are very fortunate he did not win in 2000.
If there is any doubt that Hillary is running for president in 2008, her pandering to Christians should eliminate those doubts. The last time I checked New York is not remotely considered part of the bible belt.
Then the empress would be exposed.
I would like to find the picture of those two leaving church on Kwaanza - the one where Hillsy had the daisy wreath around her neck: A ridiculously fawning picture.
That's her strategy----to create doubt in the minds of Christian voters. That's been very effective for the Clintons---how they've won previous elections.
Christians are aware of whom they serve and will watch carefully to see if promises made to them are empty.
Hillary has repositioned herself within the political spectrum and will coyly speak the Christian conservative language to appeal to Christian values, but Christians know this radical pro-abort, pro-homo candidate has aligned herself with Christian haters in order to win elective office.
The decision to vote pro-choice as Catholics clearly puts politics over religion.
It is shameful.
You can't defend the indefensible.
Those who have live to regret it.
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