Later Tuesday evening, at a fundraiser across town, Biden
continued to focus on religion, accusing Republican nominee
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., of hating, but embracing, the
religious right."The only place John has changed is with regard to the
religious right, which he hates but he's embraced," Biden said
to supporters at a Democratic Victory Fund event hosted by
the American Association of Justice. "That's the only change
with John. The only change."
The political and religious right doesn't support Republican candidates because
they feel embraced or loved by them. It's because they share the same stances
on issues. It's a matter of shared values not emotion. The religious right would
rather support an unbeliever who's pro-life and for traditional marriage than a
fervent believer who is pro-choice. They make a mistake thinking that evangelicals
solely liked George Bush because he referred to himself as a "born again" Christian
or Ronald Reagan because he often used religious language in his speeches. It is
obviously more than that.
Sen. Obama has actively seeked the evangelical vote this year. He will probably
do well among young evangelicals but I doubt he will make any big inroads. The
problem isn't that Democrats haven't reached out to religious people enough,
as some seem to think. The problem is that Democrats are wrong on the issues
they most care about. Sen. Biden may very well be right that John McCain hates
the religious right. However, when it comes to the social issues the religious right
has found an ally in John McCain. Sometimes when you need to get things done
you partner up with people who don't like you very much. It's nothing personal.