No doubt, there is a lot more restlessness going on today among Evangelicals & religious conservatives who are politically active.
This is a far cry from the 1990's leading up to 2000 when there was such a United front among evangelicals.
But because of the War in Iraq, and the additional issues on the poor, immigration & the environment- there is no doubt some heavy passionate discussions on these major issues.
However, at the end of the day, the ISSUE of ABORTION & GAY MARRIAGE will always be the DEAL BREAKER among Evangelicals, Religious Conservatives & some moderates.
There are absolutely NO COMPROMISE on the issues of Abortion & Gay Marriage when it comes to 99% of Religious conservatives & majority of Religious moderates.
Therefore, as long as a Democratic candidate is Pro-Choice, it is almost impossible to get their support. Add any sort of Gay rights stand, that even adds fuel to the fire.
The ONLY shot Democrats will ever have is gaining more ground especially on a long term basis among " Moderate & Progressive Evangelicals".
These two groups are much more open to looking at the Overall Picture & weighing in on importance of all the issues.
Such as fighting for the poor including hunger & shelter, fighting for the environment & fighting for respectful treatment of Illegal immigrants, and Economic Issues such as Increasing Minimum Wage, Protecting Jobs, and affordable college.
It is definitely worth pursuing & courting these moderate & progressive religious voters since they are a large group of voters.
As long as everyone understands that it will require " Moderate" Democrats to win them over.
Many Moderate Democrats have had success in their respective states in getting significant support among moderate evangelicals such as Sen. Nelson of NE, Sen. Pryor & Sen. Lincoln of Arkansas, Gov. Easley of NC, Gov. Brandesen of TN, Gov. Henry of Oklahoma, Gov. Freudental of Wyoming, Gov. Sebellius of KS, Gov. Beebe of AR, and Former Gov. Mark Warner of VA, and Sen. Evan Bayh of indiana.
The great thing of about politics & voting is it becomes a habit. Once moderate & progressive evangelicals start voting for democrats even once in a while, they start becoming more comfortable supporting the right democrats for them.
No one is pro-abortion; most Democrats are pro-choice. So let's do all we can to provide real choices to women who would like to have their babies but see no way of doing so given current social and economic realities. Improving access to health care (e.g., SCHIP) and child care are key, as is improving the employment picture. Speaking for myself, I am in favor of any measure that figures to reduce the number of abortions that does not rely on restriction or prohibition through law. The question for Evangelicals is whether they are willing to accept "half a loaf" on this issue; they're already on our side on many others.
KtinOhio, unfortunately among the overwhelmingly majority of religious people- there is No Difference between the terminology of "Pro-Choice" versus "Abortion".
Your either against abortion or you are for abortion.
For non-religious people, there's a very simple & clear difference between the two, but for people with strong religious beliefs on life- its black or white.
Personally, I go to churh every Sunday. I have strong faith as a catholic. My wife & I would never have an abortion.
However, we respect & understand that "Pro-Choice" does NOT mean being "Pro-Abortion".
That's why we have no problems with the stand of Democrats.
But a clear majority of regular churchgoers who have strong faith have a very had time distinguishing the two. And I can personally understand & respect that.
For many if not most religious people, the issue of Pro-Choice & Abortion is Non-Negotiable.
I don't deny that there is no difference between pro-abortion and pro-choice for some evangelicals, but others can see the difference. It's our job to make it clear that Democratic measures will reduce the demand for abortion.
One thing that makes this argument harder to make is that groups like NARAL seem to be very antagonistic to groups that advocate for people to make the choice for life. That has been my perspective at least.
The fact that abortions have gone down under policies that actually improve the economic well-being of the middle and lower class (read, Democratic Economic Policies), is one reason I don't feel I am betraying my faith by supporting the occasional pro-choice candidate (though I am delighted that my new Democratic Senator is pro-life).
I make no bones about it: I want to see abortion gone; I think it is abhorrent, and I think it is murder. But I know that simply making it illegal will not do that at all. To effectively reduce them, one has to change the culture first, and right now, our culture has no respect for the responsibility and the blessing that parenthood brings.
And I believe Democratic policies that work to care for children, mothers, and families, will go much farther than the posturing of the 'religious' right.
