Opinion
Family Values
By Mark Silk — October 15, 2008
We’ve got Values Voting. What about Ethics Voting? Sure, the economy is melting down and the conviction is taking hold that Obama is a lock for November 4. But doesn’t it still matter that an official investigation found that John McCain’s running mate violated state ethics law by using her gubernatorial office to pursue a […]
K of C Blinks?
By Mark Silk — October 15, 2008
What’s the big question that’s raised about Catholic voters and abortion? That’s easy. It’s whether it’s permissible to vote for a candidate who is pro-choice. Some bishops all but say no. The position of the U.S. bishops conference is more nuanced. When a prominent conservative like Douglas Kmiec argues that a vote for Barack Obama […]
COMMENTARY: Small-town faith in the big city
By Tom Ehrich — October 15, 2008
NEW YORK- If I could wish anything for the religious communities of America, it would be that we put down our swords and spears, relax about being right and pray for our leaders without demonizing anyone. Let us imagine life outside the rituals of weekly worship, hear the desperate stories our people are living and […]
COMMENTARY: Small-town faith in the big city
By Tom Ehrich — October 15, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ Across 96th Street and three stories down, young families from a nearby Orthodox synagogue shared a festive Sabbath meal. As I finished my evening’s work, I saw two dozen Jews crowded into a living room, laughing and enjoying their common faith, creating a small “village” in the […]
14 Big Ones
By Mark Silk — October 14, 2008
If you believe the new NYT/CBS poll, then in accounting for his 14-point national lead, Obama has, in only a week, cut McCain’s lead among white evangelicals from 55 points (75-20) to 36 (63-27). At that rate, he would pick up a good 30 percent of their vote come November 4–outperforming both Gore and Kerry. […]
Bye Bye Reagan Dems, etc.
By Mark Silk — October 14, 2008
Quinnipiac’s latest on CO, MI, MN, and WI disclose a few salient points on religious voting blocs. 1. In Michigan, where all Catholics barely split for Kerry 50-49, white Catholics are now backing Obama 55-37. Meanwhile, white evangelicals have gone from supporting Bush 2004 76-24, to preferring McCain 58-32. No wonder McCain kissed the state […]
Nutmeggers Support Gay Marriage
By Mark Silk — October 14, 2008
CT Gov. Jodi Rell can relax. Here in the Land of Steady Habits, the populace supports its Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage. Rell thought we didn’t, but we do. Maybe she was just thinking of her fellow Republicans, who don’t. But they’re more or less a dying breed in this state. Everyone else does–Democrats […]
Rasmussen Shifts
By Mark Silk — October 14, 2008
I’ve been looking at the crosstabs (premium access, I’m afraid) for yesterday’s Rasmussen polls of five battleground states won by Bush in 2004 (VA, FL, OH, MO, and NC), and the news about religious blocs is this. Catholics in the South have shifted significantly toward Obama, most importantly in Florida, where Obama has turned what […]
Show me
By Mark Silk — October 13, 2008
SUSA’s new Missouri poll has Obama up by eight points, 51-43. That’s a 13-point turnaround from SUSA’s end-of-July poll, when McCain led 49-44. Looking at worship attendance, Obama improved his standing with all SUSA categories–regular and occasional attenders, and those who almost never darken a house of worship’s door. But not at the same rate. […]
Catholic Partisan Preferences…the latest
By Mark Silk — October 13, 2008
While we’re on the subject of Catholics, here’s some late breaking data from our new American Religious Identification Survey–ARIS 2008. Since the 2001 ARIS, the gap between Catholics who prefer Democrats and those who prefer Republicans has nearly doubled, from eight to 15 points. Overall, Catholics are essentially tracking national trends, just a few points […]
White Catholics?
By Mark Silk — October 13, 2008
I just heard Cokie Roberts on Morning Edition claiming that the only bright spot in the polls for McCain is white Catholics, who, she said, according to the latest ABC (WaPo) poll favor him by 11 points. I can’t verify this, since the version of the poll published in WaPo doesn’t provide that crosstab. As […]
The Kristol Ball
By Mark Silk — October 13, 2008
Last week it was take the gloves off. This week it’s put the gloves on. How about: Start praying.
McCain, Palin slam Obama on abortion
By cmcmorri — October 12, 2008
Last Thursday at a GOP rally in Waukesha, WI, McCain said that, on the issue of abortion, “Sen. Obama has a clear radical, far-left, pro-abortion record.” Yesterday, Palin at a rally in Johnstown, PA, continued with this line of criticism, proclaiming that she and McCain will be “defenders of the culture of life” and slamming […]