McCain vs. Obama: Getting religion
Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 9:21 AM by Mark Murray
A new poll by the Barna Group shows Obama leading McCain among all faith groups – except for evangelicals. “For the most part, the various faith communities of the U.S. currently support Sen. Obama for the presidency. Among the 19 faith segments that The Barna Group tracks, evangelicals were the only segment to throw its support to Sen. McCain. Among the larger faith niches to support Sen. Obama are non-evangelical born again Christians (43% to 31%); notional Christians (44% to 28%); people aligned with faiths other than Christianity (56% to 24%); atheists and agnostics (55% to 17%); Catholics (39% vs. 29%); and Protestants (43% to 34%). In fact, if the current preferences stand pat, this would mark the first time in more than two decades that the born again vote has swung toward the Democratic candidate.”
More: “During the past two months, Sen. Obama’s lead has eroded substantially among non-evangelical born again Christians (a decline of nine points); active Christians (a 20-point drop); Protestants (down 13 points); and Catholics (down 11 points). While some Christian voters seem to be questioning their early support for Obama, the McCain candidacy does not seem to be gaining momentum among evangelicals. Since June, the current level of support Sen. McCain has among evangelical voters has declined significantly (dropping from 78% to 61%).
Speaking of, Obama and McCain will be making a joint appearance this weekend with evangelist Rick Warren. The Los Angeles Times previews the event. "Warren has been called perhaps ‘America's most influential pastor,’ an evangelical megastar who leads the nation's fourth-largest church, reaches thousands of ministers through the Internet and crusades against poverty and AIDS. That globe-trotting work -- and his phenomenally successful book, ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ -- have propelled him into the vanguard of a movement that inspires young and socially conscious Christians.”
“But Warren's willingness to soft-pedal political issues once central to U.S. evangelicals, such as opposition to abortion, has opened him to criticism that he has strayed from his calling to spread the Gospel. It's likely that both fans and critics will be watching closely when Warren plays host to the two presidential contenders at his church complex in Lake Forest, home to 22,000 weekend worshipers. The presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees won't debate during the Civil Forum on the Presidency. But they will make a brief joint appearance, their first of the campaign, and Warren will interview each separately about the Constitution, poverty, AIDS, human rights and other subjects."
Have you noticed that during these Olympics (on, shameless plug, NBC) that both candidates are running ads? But they are distinctly different in tone -- McCain's is negative; Obama's is forward-looking. "Evan Tracey of the Campaign Media Analysis Group suggests that McCain's strategy is risky but could pay off. 'They're using a gigantic stage to make their national case against Obama,' he told USA Today. 'It doesn't seem to be causing any uproar. They may have guessed right.'"
More proof this campaign is a referendum on Obama? Both the DNC and RNC Web sites are focused on -- you guessed it -- Obama.
