RELIGIOUS OUTREACH BY DEMOCRATS TRUMPS REPUBLICAN VALUES-SPEAK

Statement by Jesse Lava, Executive Director of FaithfulDemocrats.com:

One of the most significant revelations to emerge from the 2006 election is the Democrats’ enormous success with faith-based outreach. Democrats who were willing to share their faith with voters consistently exceeded expectations. Lost causes became close races. Close races became solid victories.  Solid victories became landslides.

Bob Casey Jr. in Pennsylvania, Ted Strickland in Ohio, and Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee — some of the most devout and faith-friendly candidates this campaign season — are cases in point. Even in a political climate that was destined to be hard on Republicans, the Casey race was supposed to be a nail-biter; it wasn’t.  The Strickland race was never expected to be a blowout; it was. Ford’s candidacy was dismissed as quixotic; though we don’t know the outcome of his race as of this writing, Ford made his race competitive and proved the pundits wrong.

Why?  Because these candidates, among others, showcased their religious convictions instead of hiding them — using moral and, indeed, biblical language to communicate their values. This approach resonated with church-going Americans of all denominations, from the traditional black base to conservative white evangelicals — thereby trumping the values rhetoric that Republicans usually expect to be their saving grace.

As a result of such efforts — along with the work of leaders like Barack Obama and the emergence of new organizations like ours — the conversation in this country is changing. Republicans are no longer assumed to be the party of faith and values.  Indeed, their recent litany of scandals, abuses of power, and acts of corruption have laid bare the hypocrisy of Republican values-speak. 

But even more importantly, Democrats are starting to provide a positive alternative. A million flowers are blooming showing how Democrats can engage the faithful in a way that is genuine, respectful, and effective.

Our party now has an opportunity to build on this success and solidify the trust of millions of devout Americans. To that end, we must continue to appeal directly to religious voters and emphasize the moral values that inform who we are — not the Republicans’ moral values, but our moral values: justice, opportunity, and the common good. This approach is a winner both strategically and morally.  And we at FaithfulDemocrats.com are proud to have contributed to its success in 2006.