Obama and McCain Fight for the Evangelical Vote

An atypical democrat, targeted by rumors regarding his religion, Illinois’ senator is flirting with the Christian electorate. His Republican opponent is betting on the issues of marriage and abortion.

In theory, Barack Obama is the complete opposite of the ideal candidate for American Christian conservatives. He is in favor of the right to an abortion, of civil unions between homosexuals and of the separation between church and state. However, he has approached this powerful electoral block in the same way he’s tackled other components of the country: by trying to broaden his powerful brand in seemingly hostile territory.

In 2004, 77% of the 70 million or so evangelical Americans voted for George Bush. The former president was flawless in their opinion: he quoted Jesus as his “favorite philosopher,” named conservative Supreme court justices and made the decision to invade Iraq by taking advice from an informant with a higher rank than his biological father. As an orthodox conservative who’s fiercely opposed to abortion and an advocate of traditional marriage in the Senate, John McCain believed he would inherit the same support. The latest Pew Forum religion poll published last week credits him with 67% of likely white evangelical voters against 24% for Obama. The 10% gap compared to Bush’s tally could carry a lot of weight on November 4th.

Not the Messiah

The Democratic candidate never intended to reverse the trend in his favor. But he did everything in his power to score a few points on faith. He writes about the subject at length on his Web site: “God is constantly present in our lives, and this presence is a source of hope,” he professes, and adds that in regards to strategy, “Progressives should boldly approach matters of faith and values.” He brings up the role that the separation of church and state has had in “preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice.” In his speeches and interviews, he admits that he prays daily, says grace before meals and takes his Bible when he travels. “[Faith]’s what keeps me grounded. It’s what keeps my eyes set on the greatest of heights.”

John McCain is not as longwinded about his convictions. He stated that prayer had helped him during his captivity in Vietnam, but he doesn’t call himself a Baptist, preferring the more generic Christian label. His electoral platform doesn’t mention faith, preferring to insist on “banning abortion” and “protecting marriage”. When questioned by by Reverend Rick Warren at his megachurch in California at the end of August, the Republican thought he scored points by declaring that “life begins at conception,” while Obama sputtered that the question was “above my pay grade.” Nevertheless, Pew Forum puts him in first place among traditional Protestants (48 %- 43 %), and Catholics (49 %-41 %).

Barack Obama has come a long way in this values race. Because of his name and his father’s Muslim religion, a portion of Americans (about 12%) still think he took his Senate oath on the Koran. The Clarion Fund, a pro-McCain group, distributed a propaganda film to 28 million households and religious institutions implicitly tying him to radical Islam. Baptized in 1988 at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, the candidate has had to distance himself from his minister, Jeremiah Wright, who was accused of incendiary phrases such as “God damn America!” Since then, not one rally has started without a clergyman thanking God for “the messenger Obama.”

The candidate jokes that he is not the messiah, unlike a blog devoted to this cause (obamamessiah.blogspot.com). But even Tom McClusky of the very conservative Family Research Council agrees: “His speech about religion sounds more familiar and natural than McCain’s.”