The Evangelicals Drift
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Elections, Religion
The conservative base is starting to crack and the “God gap” is narrowing.
A nationwide poll of 1,500 registered voters released yesterday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of white evangelicals are inclined to vote for Republican congressional candidates in the midterm elections, a 21-point drop in support among this critical part of the GOP base.Even before the Foley scandal, the portion of white evangelicals with a “favorable” impression of the Republican Party had fallen sharply this year, from 63 percent to 54 percent, according to Pew polls.
In the latest survey, taken in the last 10 days of September and the first four days of October, the percentage of evangelicals who think that Republicans govern “in a more honest and ethical way” than Democrats has plunged to 42 percent, from 55 percent at the start of the year.
That 21 point drop is significant, especially this close to an election.
And here’s the most likely reason why: Iraq.
The slippage is particularly striking among evangelicals. According to Pew data, the portion of white evangelical Protestants who identify themselves as Republicans rose steadily from 2000 to 2004 but leveled off this year at about half. The percentage who support keeping troops in Iraq has dropped to 55 percent, from 68 percent in early September.
Again, a 13 point swing here is just too much to overcome this close to an election. Bush’s hands are tied until after the polls close.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 6th, 2006 and is filed under Elections, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 6th, 2006 at 11:50 pm
I keep feeling more comfortable being an atheist. Religion can only lead to self destruction based on misinterpretations of now ancient scripts. I feel comfortable in my philosophy, but not in my survival. Please, read the message of your own script and understand it. I do.
October 7th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
It’s about time some evangelicals are seeing things as they really are. I only wish values voters would realize what has been done in their name by the likes of Ralph Reed, Jack Abramoff, Delay and others (including enablers like Rove & Mehlman) to thousands of teenage girls in the Northern Marianas.
For profit, the GOP agressively fought to maintain a system whereby young girls were recruited, borrowing large sums from their families & communities for the promise of work in the USA, only to find themselves trapped in island sweatshops making never enough to repay their debt. Often the girls, some as young as 14, were pressured to work in sex shops and forced into prostitution. Forced abortions were also the norm. If you don’t believe me, begin your search with these sites and conduct your own investigation. See what you find out.
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/05/09/sex_greed_and_forced_abortions.php
http://www.laborrights.org/press/sweatshops/mariana_washpost_060706.htm
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001591.php
http://www.pacificislands.cc/news/2005/12/08/cnmi-fitial-will-cooperate-with-feds-in-delay-probe
This is a far worse case of GOP craven greed and corruption destroying lives of innocent children than the headlining Foley scandal. I just can’t believe this scandalous situation has been simmering for a decade without mainstream notice.
Evangelical GOP supporters desparately need to do a gut-check and redecide whether they are backing good or evil.