[poochee]

GOP candidates woo religious right but bios play down faith This is going to be interesting to observe during this campaign.
October 18th, 2007, filed by Ed Stoddard

Something doesn’t seem to add up right here. Religion is a key factor in U.S. politics. Leading Republican contenders in the White House race are trooping to the Values Voter Summit in Washington this Friday and Saturday. The summit is hosted by the Family Research Council, an influential lobby group with strong evangelical ties. This group of (mostly) white evangelical Protestants, often referred to as the “religious right”, is a key base of support for the Republican Party. And they have yet to rally around any single Republican candidate, leaving the race on the right wide open.

But you wouldn’t know the Republican field is trying to win this crowd over if you glanced at the offiicial biographies posted on their campaign web sites. These mini-bios suggest, perhaps revealingly, that the Republican hopefuls are reluctant to draw attention to their religious affiliation — at least on their campaign web sites, the portal where voters often get aquainted with them.

Let’s start with Mitt Romney. His web site bio says he has served “extensively in his church…” But it never mentions that he is a Mormon and his church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. Etc......

That Rudy Giuliani’s website fails to make any reference to his Roman Catholic faith is absolutely no surprise. Etc.....

More at: http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/...ay-down-faith/

[poochee]

Evangelicals Lukewarm Toward GOP Field
By Michael D. Shear and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, October 19, 2007; Page A01

For months, Republican presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and John McCain have courted evangelical Christians, meeting with religious leaders throughout the Midwest and the South.

Today, thousands of Christian conservatives will gather in Washington to confront the fact that none of the candidates has won them over.

For Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, and former senator Fred D. Thompson (Tenn.), the conference will be an opportunity to do what months of private meetings have failed to accomplish: become the consensus candidate for the evangelical movement, a key constituency of the Republican Party.

"At the moment, there's nothing but confusion every place I go," said Chuck Colson, who runs the Prison Fellowship, a national Christian ministry. "They lament the fact that there's no one candidate out there around whom evangelicals and conservative Catholics can sort of coalesce around and get excited about."

He added: "Nobody has rung the bell yet."

White evangelical Protestants represent about a quarter of the electorate, and they voted overwhelmingly for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Political operatives say they are even more crucial to victory in a Republican primary.

The Republican hopefuls have arrived at Frank Page's doorstep one at a time for months. But after meeting with each of them, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the First Baptist Church of Taylors, S.C., remains uneasy and unsure about his choices.

Excerpt from: www.washingtonpost.com

[poochee]

GOP field takes jabs at Giuliani

Story Highlights
Republican candidates woo Christian advocacy group
Thompson maintains he is sufficiently conservative
McCain touts his reliably conservative voting record
Romney says GOP candidate should be conservative on all levels

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Leading Republican presidential candidates, all flawed in the eyes of influential social conservatives, sought Friday to convince the restive group they will carry the torch for the right flank -- and Rudy Giuliani won't.

Without naming Giuliani, the two challenged the candidacy of the former New York mayor, their thrice-married GOP rival who leads in national popularity polls and has sought common ground with social conservatives despite his support for abortion rights and gay rights.

Giuliani argues that whether people agree with him or not on the issues, he has the best chance to beat Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.

All the major Republican presidential hopefuls -- and most of the lesser-knowns -- were speaking to a gathering sponsored by the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy group. This segment of the party's base has not coalesced around a Republican candidate.

Excerpt from: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/....ap/index.html

[valley]

Originally Posted by poochee

These mini-bios suggest, perhaps revealingly, that the Republican hopefuls are reluctant to draw attention to their religious affiliation — at least on their campaign web sites, the portal where voters often get aquainted with them.

Doesnt surprise me. There's a lot of hostility towards religion here in America. The "faith" of the candidates will come out when they need the votes. Hillary has already started trying to earn the favor of the religious right. I cant imagine her winning any of their votes given her feminist agenda and her support of the pro-choice movement, though.

Her religious convictions arent listed on her web site, either!

[linskyjack]

No, there is a lot of hostility towards religious people who don't respect the separation of church and state and seek to legislate their brand of morality. Hostility---how could there be when something like 90% of Americans consider themselves to be religious.

[valley]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

Hostility---how could there be when something like 90% of Americans consider themselves to be religious.

Look at Poochee's opening line and explain it to me then. Why do the candidates downplay their faith on their websites?

[linskyjack]

Thats because getting the nomination is only the start of the process. They realize that in order to win the general election, they have to play to the moderates and independents. If hey cater to the religious right of the Republican party too much, they will stew themselves should they get the nomination. Most of the politicians aren't interested in consistent moral stances----for them, its all about getting elected.

[valley]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

Thats because getting the nomination is only the start of the process. They realize that in order to win the general election, they have to play to the moderates and independents. If hey cater to the religious right of the Republican party too much, they will stew themselves should they get the nomination. Most of the politicians aren't interested in consistent moral stances----for them, its all about getting elected.

well that sucks! How are you going to decide who you are going to vote for of you cant trust them to be honest about who they are from the get-go?

[linskyjack]

Accept that fact that they are politicians and pick the one who will do the least harm.

[poochee]

Originally Posted by valley

Doesnt surprise me. There's a lot of hostility towards religion here in America. The "faith" of the candidates will come out when they need the votes. Hillary has already started trying to earn the favor of the religious right. I cant imagine her winning any of their votes given her feminist agenda and her support of the pro-choice movement, though.

Her religious convictions arent listed on her web site, either!

She is a Methodist.

[valley]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

Accept that fact that they are politicians and pick the one who will do the least harm.

the lesser of the two evils...sad but true in a Nation where a favorite saying is "United We Stand"..maybe we need to start thinking about the second half of that phrase: "Divided We Fall"

[poochee]

Originally Posted by valley

well that sucks! How are you going to decide who you are going to vote for of you cant trust them to be honest about who they are from the get-go?

IMO, that's why religion and politics don't mix. A person should vote their convictions without someone telling them who they should vote for. I fear, the religious right may come out of this looking like hypocrites if they select Giuliani because they think he would beat Hillary. If so, how can they rationalize a vote for him in view of his baggage? Besides 911, 911, 911.

But will they select the Mormon? Probably not, even though morally he would be the best, IMO.

It's called being between a rock and a hard place.

It will be interesting.

[valley]

Originally Posted by poochee

IMO, that's why religion and politics don't mix.

Thats never going to change though. Linsky said it...90% of Americans consider themselves to be religious. So its a huge issue that will never cease to matter.

A person should vote their convictions without someone telling them who they should vote for.

Ideally, thats true. So far, i'd vote for McCain but if he has no chance of winning then I dont want to just waste my vote so I will go for the person who supports the issues I support most closely. While i'm not a one-issue voter...abortion is an issue that i feel very strongly about and there's no way that i'd support any candidate who is determined to keep it legal and pass it off as a matter of women's health and nothing more.

I fear, the religious right may come out of this looking like hypocrites if they select Giuliani because they think he would beat Hillary. If so, how can they rationalize a vote for him in view of his baggage? Besides 911, 911, 911.

Every single candidate is carrying baggage and before we are finished we will hear about every dirty little secret that has ever been done. Its sickening.

It's called being between a rock and a hard place.

It will be interesting.

Very true, Poochee! Sorry we are on opposite sides of this. I dont mean to be disrespectful of you personally and I hope you remember that as you read some of my comments about Hillary. I will be wanting to talk about and question some of her activities as the election approaches.

[poochee]

Originally Posted by valley

Thats never going to change though. Linsky said it...90% of Americans consider themselves to be religious. So its a huge issue that will never cease to matter.


Ideally, thats true. So far, i'd vote for McCain but if he has no chance of winning then I dont want to just waste my vote so I will go for the person who supports the issues I support most closely. While i'm not a one-issue voter...abortion is an issue that i feel very strongly about and there's no way that i'd support any candidate who is determined to keep it legal and pass it off as a matter of women's health and nothing more.


Every single candidate is carrying baggage and before we are finished we will hear about every dirty little secret that has ever been done. Its sickening.

Very true, Poochee! Sorry we are on opposite sides of this. I dont mean to be disrespectful of you personally and I hope you remember that as you read some of my comments about Hillary. I will be wanting to talk about and question some of her activities as the election approaches.

90% are Christian, but all 90% don't vote the way a group tells them to. I know quite a few. Voting is not discussed in my church, other than to say "don't forget to vote".

BTW, I wouldn't take it personal from you.

[poochee]

Giuliani woos religious right but wins few hearts The plot thickens!
Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:36pm
By Ed Stoddard

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney narrowly won a Republican presidential straw poll of Christian conservatives on Saturday, while Rudy Giuliani's persuaded few to look past his support of abortion rights.

The poll at a summit of self-styled values voters was largely symbolic but highlighted the continuing failure of ardent anti-abortion social conservatives to rally behind a single Republican candidate in the 2008 White House race.

Romney took 27.6 percent of almost 6,000 votes cast, just ahead of Mike Huckabee, the folksy former governor of Arkansas, who gained 27.1 percent at the conference organized by the Family Research Council.

Maverick Texas congressman Ron Paul was third with almost 15 percent while former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson got under 10 percent, a major disappointment for his campaign.

Giuliani was eighth with 107 votes -- under two percent.

The victory was a lift for Romney, struggling to overcome the distrust and hostility that many evangelical Christians feel toward his Mormon faith.

In his speech on Saturday, Giuliani appealed to his audience to look beyond his support for abortion rights and focus on shared values, such as fighting crime and his vow to relentlessly pursue the war on terror. Don't forget 911, 911, 911!

Excerpt from: http://www.reuters.com/article/polit...32739020071020