Obama's vs McCain's Evangelicals

[**Rowland Croucher**]

This survey will help non-Evangelicals understand the differences
between McCain's and Obama's Evangelicals:

Tuesday November 11, 2008

Nationally, 25% of white evangelicals voted for Obama. In certain key
states, the numbers were higher. He saw a 14% in evangelicals in
Colorado, 8% in Indiana, 8% in North Carolina and 4% in Ohio.

Most important, he won 32% of young evangelicals (up from 16% for
McCain).

Who are these Obamagelicals - and how do they compare with the larger
group of evangelicals who voted for John McCain?

Beliefnet recently surveyed its readership about who they voted for and
why. 1,135 people who described themselves as "evangelical or Born
Again" filled out the survey. (Full survey here)
<http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2008/11/Beliefnet-Election-2008-
Exit-Poll-Results.aspx>

Let's start with the similarities between Obama's evangelicals and
McCain's.

They're both comparably religiously active.

* 87.7% of Obama evangelicals pray every day vs. 92.7 % for
McCain's
<http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2008/11/Beliefnet-Election-2008-
Exit-Poll-Results.aspx#PRAYER> .
* 72% of Obama evangelicals attend church weekly or more vs.75.7%
% among McCain evangelicals.
* Not surprisingly, almost no evangelicals--either McCain or Obama
supporters---agreed with the statement that the bible is "Not God's
word, nor is it divinely inspired."

But there are some stark differences:

They Emphasize Completely Different Values Issues. Obama's evangelicals
ranked their priorities like this:

* The economy
* Iraq war
* Reducing poverty
* Character
* The environment
* Cleaning up government
* Access to health care
* The Vice presidential selection
* Gay marriage
* Abortion
* Fighting Islamic radicalism
* Illegal immigration
* The candidate's experience

McCain Evangelicals listed priorities in a very different order:

* Abortion
* Character
* Cleaning up government
* Fighting Islamic radicalism
* Gay marriage
* The economy
* Experience
* Iraq war
* Illegal immigration
* Access to health care
* Running mates
* Reducing poverty
* The environment


Obamagelicals are moderate (not liberal). McCain evangelicals are
conservative (not moderate). Only 24.6% of Obamagelicals described
themselves as liberals - half the amount that Obama voters on the
Beliefnet survey -- 67% said they were moderate. 8.4% said they were
conservative. Less surprisingly, 79% of McCain's evangelicals describe
themselves as conservative, 19.% as moderate and only 1% as liberal.

They Interpret the Bible Differently. One of the most striking
differences relates to their reading of Scriptures. 58.7% Obamagelicals
say "the Bible is divinely inspired but not everything in it is the
literal word of God," compared to 40% who said "The Bible is the literal
word of God." For McCain evangelicals, the percentages were reversed:
74.7% said it was the Bible is the word of God and only 24.6% said the
Bible was divinely inspired. (More here)
<http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2008/11/Beliefnet-Election-2008-
Exit-Poll-Results.aspx?p=2#THE%20BIBLE>
Many Obamagelicals are new to the Democratic side. While 71% of McCain's
evangelicals said they were Republican, 54.3% of Obama evangelicals said
they were Democrats. What's more, a quarter of Obama's evangelicals
voted for George W. Bush last election and 10.3% didn't vote; only 61%
had voted for Kerry. By contrast, 87.9% of McCain evangelicals had voted
for Bush.

Obamagelicals didn't believe Obama is or was Muslim, McCain evangelicals
did. 87% of Obamagelicals believe Obama "was never a Muslim and is a
practicing Christian." Only 19.7% of McCain evangelicals agreed with
that statement.

Sarah Palin. McCain evangelicals loved Sarah Palin. 71.4% said her faith
and practices made it more inclined to vote for McCain (compared to
56.6% among McCain voters in general). Only 5.2% of Obamagelicals said
her faith attracted them, and 48.5% said it outright made them less
inclined to support the ticket.

Stark Differences on Abortion. Almost all McCain and Obama evangelicals
believe that reducing the number of abortions is important. But they
different dramatically on the right way to achieve that goal. 61% of
McCain evangelicals believed that the best approach is through legal
restrictions while only 8% of Obamagelicals believed that. Instead,
86.3% of Obama's supporters said the best way is "by preventing
unintended pregnancy (through education and birth control), or providing
financial assistance to pregnant mothers."

As a result of these different perspectives on how to reduce abortion,
they also differed sharply in their expectations about the impact of the
President. Among Obama's evangelicals, 50.4% believe the abortion rate
is unlikely to be affected by an Obama or McCain presidency, while 27.2%
believe it will likely fall more under Obama and only 4.2% that it would
fall more under McCain. This seems to indicate that the argument of
progressive pro-lifers - that abortion rates could go down more under
Obama - has only been half persuasive. Obama evangelicals don't believe
a McCain presidency would actually reduce abortion, but they're not that
convinced that Obama would be much better.

McCain voters, of course, disagree. 57.6% believe abortion would be
lower under McCain. (That actually struck me as quite low. Stated
another way, 42.4% of evangelical or Born Again Christians who voted for
McCain have no confidence that abortion would have actually declined
under a McCain presidency). (More on evangelicals and abortion here).
<http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2008/11/Beliefnet-Election-2008-
Exit-Poll-Results.aspx?p=4#EVANGELICALS:%20REDUCING%20ABORTION.aspx?p=4E
VANGELICALS:%20REDUCING%20ABORTION>

Obamagelicals support gay civil unions, McCain evangelicals don't.
Obamagelicals are far more supportive of gay marriage than McCain
evangelicals, but on balance they don't support gay marriage either.
Only 28.7% said they supported gay marriage. The big difference is that
most McCain voters want neither marriage nor civil unions (66.4% of
McCain voters wanted neither), whereas a substantial number of
Obamagelicals support civil unions or domestic partnerships (53.4%).

Obamagelicals Believe McCain's Campaign Was "Unchristian". 59.7% of
Obama evangelicals said "John McCain has run amore unchristian campaign
than Barack Obama." Intriguingly, only 37.6% of McCain evangelicals said
that about Obama. Of all of John McCain's possible "character issues"
the one that bother Obamagelicals most was the "tone of his campaign,"
far more important than the Keating Five scandal, his cheating on his
first wife or his gambling. McCain evangelicals thought Obama's biggest
character problem was his relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, though
they were also deeply bothered by his association with Bill Ayers.

Praying About the Election. Most evangelicals surveyed did pray about
the election but in subtly different ways. 75% of McCain evangelicals
prayed for "God's will to be done" and 36.7% prayed for "wisdom to make
the right decision in casting my vote." Only 57.9% of Obamagelicals
prayed for "God's will to be done" while more of them (42%) prayed for
wisdom.

The clergy role. Obama evangelicals seem more likely to attend churches
where the pastors are either apolitical or politically moderate. 19% of
Obamagelicals said their pastors preached against abortion or gay rights
prior to the election, while 41.5% of McCain evangelicals said so.

Note, too, that in the Beliefnet sample, African Americans and Latinos
sometimes self declared as born again or evangelical. Together, made up
20% of the Obamagelicals.

For more on the full Beliefnet survey click here.
<http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2008/11/Beliefnet-Election-2008-
Exit-Poll-Results.aspx?p=1>
--
Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/ (20,000 articles 4000 humor)

Blogs - http://rowlandsblogs.blogspot.com/

Justice for Dawn Rowan - http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/

Funny Jokes and Pics - http://funnyjokesnpics.blogspot.com/

[l***@hotmail.com]

McCain', like Bush, is not a conservative. That is why he did not
receive any warm handshakes from basically conservative
"evangelicals." Actually, it was Palin who brought conservatives into
the fold and I very much agree with recent reviews that hold that if
it were not for Palin's evangelical conservatism, Obama's victory
would have been total.

Because I'm conservative and for the last several elections have voted
Rep., working in a decidedly Democratic union shop often garners quips
about being a Bush Boy so some such derogatory. But when given the
chance, I always pointed out to my opponents that neither Bush was a
conservative so maintaining a Rep vote was more a vote against the
liberalism of the Democrats. And I think that was largely the point
of this election that more people voted for McCain as a vote against
the liberal agenda of the Democrats that actually voted for McCain and
his policies.

just my .02

[robin shepherd]

To Roland Croucher
{This survey will help non-Evangelicals understand the differences
between McCain's and Obama's Evangelicals}

To "Roland"

Thank you very much. As I digest it, (if I accurately get the gist),
Obama evangelicals return to a more balanced (ie Biblical, in my view)
take on public policy. The Bush evangelicals -- essentially hard right
--- the government can do no wrong if Republican, and those in POWER
have their power from God -- in other words, kiss up, and toady up to
the wealthy, the fat cats, the robber barons. No matter how much they
oppress the meek of the earth, their power is none of our concern.

Where is responsibility?

Where is the Biblical regard for the poor?

I read the book of James, or of Amos, or Isaiah, and those prophets
thundered against the abuse of power. Jesus constantly challenged the
powerful, their hypocritical religion, their oppressions.

The Bible may have a balanced approach, but to me, it is more
"liberal" than "conservative."

People attack Brother Jeremiah Wright because he is a demogogue,
raging against white racism with a Bible-thumping racism all his own
(black racism against white oppressions in our history). They attack
his fundamentalist, hellfire and brimstone STYLE of preaching. Don't
people know that such preaching has a long tradition in this country,
regardless of current politics. America has a penchant for all sorts
of GREAT AWAKENINGS, big and small, we've had so many revivalist
movements, so much evangelicalism, right out of brush arbor or slave
camp meeting days, right through history. Sometimes labeled
conservative. sometimes virtually socialist (like William Jennings
Bryan, another Bible-toting Fundamentalist)

Religion probably has been our greatest curse here in the states. (At
least the Europeans said so), but I almost suspect it's been our
greatest blessing as well, the myths that sustain us, and the dream
that never dies.

---

[While it might be useful to look at differences, this is clearly
more propaganda than understanding. I often don't agree with
conservative evangelicals, but toadying to the robber barons is an
assessment that doesn't even pretend to be objective. --clh]

[Hall Monitor2]

Post by robin shepherd
To Roland Croucher
{This survey will help non-Evangelicals understand the differences
between McCain's and Obama's Evangelicals}
To "Roland"
Thank you very much. As I digest it, (if I accurately get the gist),
Obama evangelicals return to a more balanced (ie Biblical, in my view)
take on public policy.
The Bush evangelicals -- essentially hard right
--- the government can do no wrong if Republican

Well, they know that any Republican is going to govern clsoer to their
values than virtually any Democrat.

Post by robin shepherd
and those in POWER
have their power from God

No, this is a fallacy. I don't think Right-wingers believe this...or else
they would have ot believe Obama has his POWER from God as well.

Post by robin shepherd
-- in other words, kiss up, and toady up to
the wealthy, the fat cats, the robber barons. No matter how much they
oppress the meek of the earth, their power is none of our concern.

Where do you get this stiff?

Post by robin shepherd
People attack Brother Jeremiah Wright because he is a demogogue,
raging against white racism with a Bible-thumping racism all his own
(black racism against white oppressions in our history). They attack
his fundamentalist, hellfire and brimstone STYLE of preaching. Don't
people know that such preaching has a long tradition in this country,
regardless of current politics.

There are a lot of things that have a long tradition or history, that
doesn't make them any more right.

Post by robin shepherd
America has a penchant for all sorts
of GREAT AWAKENINGS, big and small, we've had so many revivalist
movements, so much evangelicalism,

And what does this have to do with Racism?

Post by robin shepherd
Religion probably has been our greatest curse here in the states.

Let's see, the Catholic Church provides more hospital beds for AIDS patients
in NYC than anyone else. Curse?

How many hospitals were started by the Church?

How many universities? How many soup kitchens?

THe Salvation Army who does good works......or are they a curse too?

Post by robin shepherd
(At
least the Europeans said so)

Why do we care what the Europeans think?

,>but I almost suspect it's been our

Post by robin shepherd
greatest blessing as well, the myths that sustain us, and the dream
that never dies.

I don't know if you suceeded in pointing out whats so "mythical" about it.