Bush's faith plays a big part in his political strength, pollsters say, as he receives high marks from the public for providing moral and trustworthy leadership. Bush is a born-again Christian who frequently studies the Bible, prays and candidly discusses his faith in God.
"If you can connect with people spiritually, that is an important connection," said retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, a Catholic who frequently attends Presbyterian services. "That's what George Bush tries to do."
Clark, in one respect, is trying to emulate Bush: He recently talked in depth about his faith for the ecumenical Web site Beliefnet.
An overwhelming majority of Americans consider themselves religious. A recent poll conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that nearly 70 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of Republicans expressed strong religious beliefs when asked questions designed to measure these attitudes.
A Pew study in June found that nearly twice as many respondents said "There has been too little reference to religious faith and prayer by politicians" (41 percent) than said "There has been too much" (21 percent). While Bush is sometimes criticized for his references to New Testament theology, only 14 percent said he mentions faith too often; nearly two-thirds said he is striking the right balance. What voters said they do not want are politicians who obviously pander or moralize.
In a recent briefing for national, state and local politicians, the centrist Democratic Leadership Council cited Bush as a model for how to talk about religion without offending voters. The DLC's policy director, Ed Kilgore, told the audience that "natural use of scriptural language and allegories connects with people of faith," and he urged them to "connect policies with religious values." For example, they should talk about "God's green Earth" when advocating environmental policies, he said.
A Spiritual Struggle for Democrats
Silence on Religion Could Hurt Candidates
By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 27, 2003; Page A01 |
