Really interesting article on the religious right voters.

The snips don't do this article justice. It should be read in its entirety.


http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=74153

Understanding Evangelicals: Tips from the Son of a Preacher Man (and Woman)

Journalists should have a better understanding of evangelical Christians; but it might not help in understanding elections.


By Steve Buttry


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It seems that the Democrats are insensitive to "moral values." This puzzles me because I think that opposing a war, or working for economic justice, or making health care more available in America all derive from a moral vision. Apparently, it is not the moral vision -- the set of faith and family values -- that helped re-elect George W. Bush.
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I can't confess to Roy Peter Clark's ignorance about evangelicals or born again Christians, or church suppers . But I share much of his confusion about the American electorate and his concern about journalism's failure to understand evangelical voters.

I am the son of two Baptist ministers, the brother of two more, and the brother-in-law of a fifth. We could go further if we counted uncles, but let's not. One of those ministering brothers and his wife (mostly his wife) home school their children. I grew up going to church suppers. Chapel suppers, actually. My father was an Air Force chaplain for my first 16 years, so my youth was spent in two worlds that most journalists don't understand: the military and born-again Christianity.

I covered religion for The Des Moines Register for two years and have covered the abortion issue for the Omaha World-Herald for several years. I traveled to Venezuela with a mission team from an Assembly of God church whose pastor and congregation are prominent in Iowa politics.
I have covered gay rights issues for both newspapers and covered some gambling, too. In the process I have grown to understand (at least in part), admire, and like a lot of people whose faith is the guiding force in their lives.

I'll tell you something I've learned about conservatives: They are as likely to be hypocrites as liberals are.

Many of the same conservative voters who chose George W. Bush on Nov. 2 because of his faith and "family values" chose Ronald Reagan 24 years ago over Jimmy Carter. That was a decision of pure politics. Ronald Reagan was a divorcee who impregnated Nancy Davis before they married, was largely alienated from his children, and seldom went to church when he was governor, a presidential candidate, or president. Jimmy Carter was a born-again Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher who lived his faith more consistently than any public figure of our time, stayed married to the same woman for 58 years, and was as attentive a father as any president we've had.
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great article. Especially coming from a journalist who had the total born again experience growing up, its good to see him emphasize the point of Bush's shallow religiosity: Political Capital!!!!

indeed it reveals what Clinton always says: it is better to appear strong no matter your positions. People identify with that.
It is one reason Kerry (apparently) lost.

Bush looked like a teenager who got caught cheating on his tests.

It's not like the Bush voter has any sense of "appearance" either.

The hypocrisy of the right regarding moral values is really exemplified by Carter and Reagan.

I too grew up in that world (and have worked as a journalist), and think this is all spot on.

"Values" is just a smoke-screen.

Most non-fundie Republican voters don't want to be proved wrong. So they won't admit they were wrong in 2000. So they keep smearing anyone who presents evidence they screwed up when they elected Bush. To them, waving the pompoms and cheering for their man is no deeper than attending a football game.

They bought into the rightwing agenda and the "values" mantra because they want to win their rah rah football game.

So let's get back to the fundies.

Most are pessimists. They figure the world's going down the toilet so they want their man's hand on the flusher.

And most are hellbent on the rapture. They want Israel to take over all of the Palestinian land because thats what Revalation says must happen. The sooner the holy war happens, the sooner they get to see Jesus. To them, the scripture must be fulfilled. 9/11 was part of the "signs".

The Republican leadership (other than Bush) pays lip service to the Bible thumpers. But they're happy to do so because it allows them to serve their corporate sponsors in the ripping off of America.

The Rapture already happened and you weren't invited.

The Rapture Kickoff Ceremony is when all the worthy people get sucked up into heaven "to meet the Lord in the air."

Everyone else will be staying here to deal with the tribulations, several years of getting our collective asses kicked at the behest of the “Antichrist.”

How would those pious souls who breathlessly await the Rapture, confident they'll be the first ones to get vacuumed up by the divine dustbuster, react if they found out it already happened, and they DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT. In fact, so few people were deemed worthy that when they disappeared nobody noticed, not even enough to activate the Amber Alert.

That's right, religious whackos, you were LEFT BEHIND with the rest of us sinners. Now don't you feel embarrassed?