How is that evangelical outreach working for you, Mr. President?

[RandySF]

There are a lot of things I have defended the president over during the past few years. After all, I realize that it's not as easy getting things done in Washington as some expected, even with a Democratic Congress. But one thing I have been willing to call him out on, with all due respect, is his overture to the Religious Reich. He invited Rick Warren, the country's top opponent of marriage equality to give the prayer at his inauguration. Then, over the past three years, he tried to be chummy with Franklin Graham, citing all those "humanitarian" efforts which never seemed like much more than publicity stunts for right wingers like Sarah Palin. Tonight, the president got to see Graham's true colors as he endorsed Donald Trump's flagrantly racist birther campaign.

I grew up in these fundie churches. I saw the kind of people who went there. I heard the racist jokes around the table from my parents and their church friends. I even went to a church that refused to admit African American members until its final years of existence. you and your staff may look shocked and outraged that you were stabbed in the back, but you shouldn't be. This is how they act. This is how they operate. They know that no matter how friendly a Democratic president may try to get, the real power comes from having a Republican, no matter how phony a Christian they may be.

So, Mr. President, how is all that outreach working for you?

[LoZoccolo]

1. Actually, something like 31% of the Democratic Party are evangelical Christians.

And something like 37-38% of Republicans are. The difference between the demographics between the parties isn't as large as you think. Republicans probably wouldn't push religion as a wedge issue if there weren't some Democrats to flip.

[99th_Monkey]

2. That's some good information there. Thanks for sharing it in this context.

I'm as left as the day is longish in the summer, and yet I did manage to spend a sizable season of my life in an evangelical context, as an adult mind you.
yet also managed to find my way back to relative sanity to kick some serious corporate ass for well over a decade, so all's well that ends well?

[Bluebear]

3. Citation, please, that a third of Democrats are evangelical Christians?

[LoZoccolo]

6. The link isn't where it used to be; if I don't find it in five minutes I'm going to bed.

[Bluebear]

8. You'll certainly ask the post to be locked before retiring, I'm sure?

[LoZoccolo]

10. No, but even if I did, you could still find statistics that refute my claim

and post another OP.

Anyways, it was a Pew Research study from 2004; they have a lot of demographic studies and if you're interested, I saw that they have more recent research reported if you want to refute my claim.

[slay]

5. Poll: Evangelicals and Mass-Attending Catholics Helped Sweep Democrats from Office

link: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/poll-evangelicals-and-mass-attending-cat

Also, I'm not sure that 30% of Dems are evangelical, it's just that 30% voted Dem. I think they were more afraid of Palin than pro-Obama if evangelicals voted this way in 2008. I hope I'm wrong. maybe they've, ahem, "seen the light". :evilgrin:


i've just - you know - found that logic and reason seem to ALWAYS be a better choice than blind faith. :shrug:

*updated to reflect new info

[LoZoccolo]

7. My numbers were from 2004.

[slay]

9. Ah

i thought i had read something similar for 2008.. maybe not.. :shrug:

[autorank]

4. Rick Warren: The New National Preacher k*r

What a guy. He's been helpful,no doubt.

http://www.apj.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2094&Itemid=2

[bluestateguy]

11. 30% is all he needs from their ranks

but I do think much of the outreach should be targeted towards the mainline and progressive Christians who are more receptive.

[ecstatic]

12. As the POTUS, he should reach out to all Americans

no matter how ignorant they are.

[TheWraith]

13. Precisely right, and well spoken.

Bush reached out to strictly "his people." We all saw how well that worked out.

The President has to be the President of all Americans, not just the people we approve of.

[Maven]

14. Well, a lot of Americans are white supremacists.

I hope he's reaching out to them too. Wouldn't want to leave anyone out.

[JoePhilly]

18. Silly response ...

Any child could come up with a group who falls outside this truth.

Obviously, evangelicals are not White Supremacists.

What you did, is VALIDATE the right wing meme that Gays are also PEDOPHILES. Do you get that?

They use the same absurd logic that you used.

And we on the left MOCK them for such stupidity.

Let's not be as dumb as them.

[Maven]

19. Actually, no, the comparison is totally valid.

And I honestly don't get the connection to RW memes about gays and pedophilia. WTF are you talking about?

Actually, you're proving MY point. It's evangelicals who smear and persecute GLBT people regularly using these kinds of lies, the same people you're saying Obama should "reach out" to.\

Let's not go down this road. This whole lie that when Obama does it it's not pandering, it's "reaching out" and "unifying" has been debunked since the primaries. Have some integrity and maybe people would be more likely to support you.

[ruggerson]

23. actually it's a great response

and the point Maven makes is a sound and important one.

As witnessed by the fact that no one ever seems to be able to answer it.

[RandySF]

15. I respectfully disagree

Some people in this country are hateful, bigoted and destructive. What good is reaching out to them when have a high old time exchanging emails with pictures of watermelons on the White House lawn, or the president as part of a family of monkeys? They may have every constitutional right that comes with being American citizens, but as far as I'm concerned, the "outreach" should just end there.

[Maven]

16. No, no, see, racists and antisemites don't deserve "outreach."

Only homophobes.

[JoePhilly]

17. ding ding ding

[ruggerson]

20. So you don't see the connection between giving McClurkin and Warren a public stage

and what happened to the young woman at McDonalds and all the gay teen suicides?

You really don't see that?

[QC]

21. +1

[Maven]

22. They would see it if it benefited Obama in any way for them to see it.

Otherwise, not so much.

[ecstatic]

24. I read up on the girls. They have a history of fighting with...well, everyone

That fight started because the victim was accused of flirting with the attacker's man. I think those girls need help for their violent tendencies, but it appears they are equal opportunity bullies.

[Ignis]

25. +1. When you give these people the public stage, you legitimze their message.

And that message is purely one of hate. There's no room for that message in our party.