Commentary; Posted: 3/9/05
Religion and the 2004 U.S. elections
Rev. John C. Blackford
Religion Columnist
Much to the surprise of the mainstream media religion and moral values made the greatest impact on the Nov. 2004 elections.
More than terror threats and the economy the voters chose religious issues as their top priority. Not since 1960, when John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, ran for presidency, has religion been a large factor to the people.
Exit polls indicated that 22 percent cited moral and moral values as the main reason for their choices, and abortion and same-sex marriages were the prime bases for their decisions.
Two large segments of the population, conservative Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants, led the moral values voters.
Two key states, Florida and Ohio, tipped the election toward George W. Bush. Mr. Bush received 57 percent of the Florida Catholic vote and John F. Kerry 42 percent.
In Ohio it was Bush 55 percent and Kerry 44 percent. In the Jewish vote Mr. Kerry received over 3?4 of the national vote, and Mr. Bush 24 percent. (In 2000 Bush received 19 percent of the total Jewish vote.) Altogether, the President was the choice of 52 percent of the Catholics and 78 percent of the Protestant evangelical Christians. His strong stand on abortion and same sex marriages was the reason for his strong showing.
Albert J. Hunt, in an article, ìNo Easy Answers,î (Wall Street Journal, Nov. 11, 2004) said, ìDemocrats, however, were undeniably on the short side of the values debate and paid a price.î
In the same issue there was the observation that ìCulture and character are far more important to connecting with voters than policies and programs.î Mr. Bush made a strong stand on these issues, thus relating to the deeper concerns of the people.
Minnesota voters, (24 percent) cited moral values as uppermost in their minds, yet Mr. Bush lost our state.
Vin Weber, a former congressman, who guided the presidentís Upper Midwest campaign, commented that the role of morality is vital to understanding the nature of national politics in these times, and that there has been a shift in the electorate. Previously it was on socioeconomic lines, but now it is along cultural lines. Before the shift Republicans appealed chiefly to the business class; now they have the support of those with strong conservative cultural and moral values.
Can the churches bridge the increasingly divisive political atmosphere to find a common ground? An inner-city Minneapolis pastor asks this question, and then says, ìPeople with diverse political views, but who share a sense of compassion and a vision for the common good must see each other not as enemies, but as participants who bring a different perspective to the political process.î
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Bishop Stephen Bouman of New York summed it up well when he declared, ìMaybe this election was a wake-up call to have a serious conversation about what morality means, to look at what sort of a country we are becoming.î
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