by Mark Silva
The lights are red and blue across the white ceiling of the hotel ballroom where hundreds of "social conservatives'' are assembling this morning for a first-hand look at the GOP's leading candidates for president today and tomorrow. If the halls have the air of a convention, indeed this assemblage of the religious right will culminate with a straw-poll on Saturday.
Nearly four in ten of all Republican and Republican-leaning voters are evangelical Protestants, surveys have found. And more than four in ten say that social issues will be "very important'' to their vote for president in 2008.
That means issues lsuch as abortion, and same-sex marriage.
And that makes many of these voters' uncomfortable with the party's nationally front-running candidate for president, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who supports abortion rights for women. While the pragmatists among them say they could be willing to set such differences aside in the interests of picking a "winner,'' the most stalwart opponents of abortion in this movement insist that a Giuliani candidacy will only turn voters away from the polls.
Additionally, one quarter of the evangelical voters say they are reluctant to vote for a Mormon, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has found in its surveys. And that poses even further trouble for Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, who not only is a Mormon, but also is a convert to the anti-abortion movement. He supported abortion rights when he ran for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, but says he has evolved.
All this adds something of an open-season flavor to today's assembly of "Values Voters'' inside a ballroom of the Washington Hilton. More than 2,000 are expected at the event sponsored by the Family Research Council, and they will take a straw-poll of voter sentiment tomorrow, after two days of meetings and screenings of Republican candidates for president.
First up this morning: Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee comes later. Romney tonight. And Giuliani tomorrow morning. Plus more.
The Swamp will be there all day-long and Saturday.
Please Join us.
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Comments
I don't understand how anyone can be a Republican and a Christian....
Republican and Christian is
an oxymoron.
Posted by: Lauren | October 19, 2007 7:29 AM
Did you know Romney is a Mormon? Nah, couldn't be. Otherwise, the media would have reported it. And by the way, everyone is always so concerned about the religious right. Who is the NON-RELIGIOUS LEFT endorsing?
Posted by: Harvey | October 19, 2007 7:36 AM
Sobaps should be purged from the Republican Party.
Posted by: Raul | October 19, 2007 8:12 AM
Maybe the rightious right should worry more about how the young are ashamed to call themselves christians anymore because they find the teachings and actions hypocritical. They find the hate spewed towards gays unacceptable. The study showed 9 out of 10 young 18-29 are ashamed to call themselves christians. They say that there hate agenda is not Christ-like at all.
Posted by: bill r. | October 19, 2007 8:15 AM
This is the 'liberal' media's fault. The media continues to only give attention to these right-wing extremists, referring to them as Christians and religious. Those who actually understand the teachings of Christ understand the Republican Party's policies go against everything he believed in, but it's hard to get the truth out when the media is controlled by corporations run by Republicans.
Posted by: Paul | October 19, 2007 9:30 AM
Let the pandering begin!
I'll bet McCain doesn't sound anything like he used to:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/28/se.01.html
Posted by: AJF | October 19, 2007 9:33 AM
Let the pandering begin!
I'll bet McCain doesn't sound anything like he used to:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/28/se.01.html
Posted by: AJF | October 19, 2007 9:35 AM
Harvey:
We of the religious Left do not need to hold conventions so that we can be told who to vote for.
We use our own brains, unlike this bunch.
Posted by: BobinATL | October 19, 2007 9:59 AM
My how things have changed.
I seem to remember a Presidential candidate who was "unelectable" because of his religious affiliation. Where did all of the criticism come from? Of course the extremely intolerant Republican party.
Despite all of that, this candidate was elected, and John F. Kennedy did a pretty good job. Again, no one felt that a Catholic could be elected.
Now the Catholic church is one of the strongest bastions for the Republican party. My how things have changed.
Even though I was raised as a Catholic for much of my life, on Chicago's south side, I also learned quite a bit about other religions.
I am just waiting for all of these "Christian" factions of the Republican party self-destruct because they can't agree on which religion is the "right" religion. Don't worry, it'll happen.
Posted by: dogjudge | October 19, 2007 10:26 AM
Little did I know that the break would come so quickly.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/
Story about a Republican from Michigan fighting with the Catholic Church over children's health insurance.
Have to love it.
Posted by: dogjudge | October 19, 2007 10:30 AM
"He [Mitt] supported abortion rights when he ran for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, but says he has evolved."
Evolved? My suspicion is that his present, public stance is very much by intelligent design. Not that you have to be particularly smart to dupe the Religious Right. Tell these zombies what they want to hear and they'll beat a path to your door. Both Mitt and Rudy are amply smart enough to have figured that out.
Posted by: a blinkin | October 19, 2007 11:02 AM
The religious right is completely irrelevant to anything and if the republican party continues to suck up to them they'll continue to fall out of favor with the American public. It's obvious that you guys don't want to win this election. Throw the crap at somebody else and then bitch about the outcome. 13 Republican Congress"Men" are refusing to seek re-election because it's too hard to work 5 days a week. Your lazy ass trash doesn't even deserve to be in the political arena.
Posted by: Mrs. Jesus | October 19, 2007 11:17 AM
Religious Right is a joke! I thought our Founder wanted separation of Church and State? This is why! Way too many moronic sheeps following the wolf in the name of Religion.
1. They are against abortion but allow the war to continue. I guess death can be justified.
2. They are against abortion but are against health care for the poor children.
3. They want someone with moral values but none of their candidates can live up to it. Why? Because, they forgot the principle of Christianity. Nobody is perfect. All are sinners. Cast the first stone, anybody???
So, what are people suppose to do? Have babies and no system to support them?
Or, in case of a Religious Right point of view: "People are suppose to stare at each other, if you can't afford to have a kid."
Geez. . .what a discrace!
Posted by: Lou | October 19, 2007 12:37 PM
The radical christian right are trying to find ways to make this a fundamental, christian country. They want to institutionalize gays, teach christianity in public schools, censor everything "immoral" in all forms of media, & set this country as an example of christainity thrughout the world. These people are scarier then the terrorists in some 3rd world desert plotting their next attack.
Posted by: RomanB | October 19, 2007 1:11 PM
Lou, abortion is the taking of an innocent life. Loss of life through war, usually doesn't involve the innocent. Anyway, most of those killed in Iraq have been at the hands of their fellow Muslim, NOT the U.S.
As far as health care for children. First of all, studies show that Christians and especially conservative Christians give more to charity than do the Left. Second, I and my fellow conservative Christian is not against helping poor childre, but we are against expanding socialized medicine to children and adults who can afford their own insurance. Third, in practically all countries with socialized medicine, the quality of care comes up way short of that in the U.S. Folks from Canada and Europe, for instance, often come here to get operations and other medical procedures done.
3. Yes, we do want candidates with moral values. But no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Having said that, please tell me where Mitt Romney has not lived a moral life. Or how about John McCain? Giuliani has had affairs and is on his third marriage. Frankly, I am not wild about that, but it seems to be his only flaw. And he did not perjure or obstruct justice or obstruct investigations during any of those times.
Finally, if you want disgrace, look at the Democratic party.
Posted by: John D | October 19, 2007 2:46 PM
Johnny D:
His only flaw???
Try putting the emergency communications in the WTC AFTER it was attacked, even though he was told NOT to put it there.
What about not upgrading the communications equipment so that the police and fire could talk to each other on 9/11?? How many firefighters and policement died because of that??
Posted by: BobinATL | October 19, 2007 3:11 PM
"Loss of life through war, usually doesn't involve the innocent."
What fantasy world are you in John D? Civilians casualties usually outnumber military causualties in modern wars. That's what makes war so terrible.
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
"Third, in practically all countries with socialized medicine, the quality of care comes up way short of that in the U.S. Folks from Canada and Europe, for instance, often come here to get operations and other medical procedures done."
Again John, you're in a fantasy world.
http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html
"Or how about John McCain."
John McCain has admitted cheating on his first wife.
Posted by: AJF | October 19, 2007 3:19 PM
[quote]
First of all, studies show that Christians and especially conservative Christians give more to charity than do the Left.
Posted by: John D | October 19, 2007 2:46 PM
[/quote]
AND YOUR LINK TO A STUDY OR STUDIES THAT BACK UP THIS ALLEGATION IS WHERE?
Posted by: BC | October 20, 2007 5:37 PM