OPINION:
Walking the line between religion and politics as a presidential hopeful is a difficult challenge. Religion and politics inevitably overlap. Fifty-two percent of American voters polled in December 2007, according to Rasmussen Reports, recognized a candidate’s faith and religion as a “somewhat important to very important factor” in voting. John McCain has been considerably less aggressive than prior Republican standard-bearers like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in courting evangelical voters. For his part, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama has met with Christian leaders including Dallas Bishop T.D. Jakes and Franklin Graham, son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham.
Should Mr. McCain avoid discussing religion? The polls and Mr. Obama’s decision to delve into the issue after his own faith was questioned lead us to say no. Voters want to see that Mr. McCain isn’t uncomfortable about acknowledging his faith. But at the same time, they don’t want him wearing religion on his sleeve. It’s a difficult line to walk. Some recent reports indicate that Mr. McCain’s reluctance to talk about faith, particularly when addressing evangelicals, may cost him support from those voters. The Associated Press reported June 12 that religious leaders, particularly Southern Baptists, have been wary since Mr. McCain failed to attend an annual meeting which President Bush attended in 2004. The senator need not be flashy or ostentatious, but he needs to win the trust of ordinary Americans of faith. Mr. Obama has attempted to do so. In his June 2006 Call to Renewal keynote address, the Illinois Democrat acknowledged that “Faith doesn’t mean that you don’t have doubts.”
The difference is that Mr. McCain has, among other things, a solid pro-life voting record to back him up. Earlier this year, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, e-mailed her supporters asking for money to finance a campaign blasting him for opposing abortion rights. NARAL said that as of February, the Arizona Republican, a member of Congress since 1983, voted pro-life 123 times out of 128 - 96 percent of the time. Shrill attack ads from NARAL will certainly help Mr. McCain appeal to pro-life evangelicals. But they are no substitute for a robust effort by the candidate to reach out to this core component of the Republican base.
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