Conservative Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson, who calls Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign “rootless, reactive and panicky,” told the Religion Newswriters Association last week that Obama’s camp had abandoned religious voter outreach. Within hours, Joshua DuBois-Obama’s religionist-in-chief-was on the convention podium disagreeing. DuBois said the Obama campaign wants to attract people of “moderate” beliefs, who will see Obama’s attraction to the “core values of all religions.” Why Obama’s emphasis on religious social teachings? Well, nearly a quarter of the country defines itself as Catholic, and another quarter lists itself as evangelical. Add in the Pentecostals and the Mormons, and-theoretically at least-you have a huge and solid pro-life voting block. Which is not exactly Obama Nation.
(Phyllis Zagano is senior research associate-in-residence at Hofstra University and author of several books in Catholic Studies.)