Religious Breakdown Among Democrats

This Pew Research Poll highlights several interesting facets of the Democrat coalition.  Less than 6 in 10 Democrats seem to belong to belong to Christian Churches.  When the White Evangelical sliver is factored out, less than half of Democrats self-identify as traditional main-line Protestants and Catholics. Amongst people that Pew surveyed, just 29% thought that Democrats were more friendly towards religion. This reaction may have reflected the  vehement reaction among Democrat delegates against inclusion of the last minute face saving God and Jerusalem plank in the party platform in Charlotte.




Another remarkable feature is the size of the “Nones”.  USA Today reports in the general survey (not by party breakdown) the unaffiliated account for 19.6%.  This is misleading because it groups together atheists (2.4%) and agnostics (3.2%) as well as the religiously unaffiliated (13.9%).  While they may be overlap in affinities, the religiously unaffiliated label themselves believing in God (68%), claim a deep connection with earth and nature 58% and consider themselves “spiritual but not religious (37%).

Putting on the partisan filter, more than 60% of the religiously unaffiliated consider themselves as Democrats or leaning Democrat.   When considered by party breakdown 24% of all registered Democrats surveyed were “Nones”.   The survey says that the unaffiliated skew overwhelmingly liberal on social issues like abortion in which 73% religiously unaffiliated prefer unfettered abortion “rights”. But religiously unaffiliated are not are clear cut liberal on economic issues, as 52% say that they prefer smaller government.

It would seem that religiously unaffiliated are chary about  authoritarianism stemming from the Church yet they claim to keep a personal spiritual element.  Perhaps this can be explained as the ethic underpinning of  "ecumenical niceness" that Charles Murray describes in his recent sociological study "Coming Apart" (2012)
As their liberal social inclinations are delineated, this can be understood as favoring “social justice” which would track the social gospel message that progressive Protestants championed in the early 20th Century but without all of the “churchy” stuff.  Since sine qua non the religiously unaffiliated do not belong to a church, these good deeds can be accomplished by civic organizations as well as through government programs.

To give a cautionary note to the trend of Nones, it is important to remember how often in the 20th century that secularized societies concerned about social justice devolved into fascistic and communist spheres.  And as the recent University of Chicago survey indicates, countries experienced with that atheistic  path do not have robust blossoming of believers once the socialist behemoth is eradicated.  It is logical to deduce that once the inculcation and inculturations of believers is effectively vanquished, these societies lack the believers as well as the ecclesiastical infrastructure to do social works apart from the state.

Wooing Independent Voters

As the 2012 Democrat National Convention concluded in Charlotte, one is left with the impression that the event was intended to rally their base with class envy, the war on women, protecting union jobs (especially in the auto industry) and supporting government “investments” (spending).  This was red meat for the delegates in the hall supporting Democrat nominee President Barack Obama (D-IL), but it is dubious as to whether it wooed the unconvicted and independent voters.

The 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa did not seem to serve up as many partisan pitches.  In fact, much of the base grumbled that Governor Chris Christie (D-NJ) giving the Keynote Address was muzzled as an attack dog for Republican nominee Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA).  But this omission of political red meat may have been intentional.

When an incumbent is up for a re-election, it is usually a referendum on the term.  The economic numbers certainly have not improved during this period, and candidate Obama does not seem to have a real plan to rectify it other than with rhetoric and “hanging in there”.  But Mr. Obama’s 2008 election drew in many independent voters who were sold on the hopey changey thing. Moreover, as Barack Obama was America’s first elected black President, there may be a reluctance to abandon supporting him lest they be charged with racism.   So pointed political pitches might not appeal to reluctantly reticent independents who voted for Mr. Obama.

So the first RNC ad after both convention builds upon the Republican pitch to give permission for Independents to change their minds through a spot entitled: “The Break Up”:



In two months, it will become evident whether this is a matter of stoking the base as Democrats think or appealing to independents

h/t: Steve Breen

Those Hoppy with Obama in Charlotte

At the Democrat National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, there was a lot of pandering to identity groups.  One of the more interesting special interest groups which received attention were craft brewers.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO), was one of the founders of Wynkoop Brewing in Denver. During Hickenlooper's  time as the Mayor of Denver, the microbrewing wave continued to thrive in the Mile High city. But also on the DNC dais was Bill Butcher, the founder of Port City Brewing in Alexandria, Virginia.  Butcher was there to tout the Obama Administration's record helping small business start ups.

Mother Earth Brewing, a craft brewery from Kinston, North Carolina, prepared Endless River for the DNC Convention.  It helps that Mother Earth Brewing prides itself on being environmentally conscious,  using solar power, blue jean insulation, and soy spray based ceiling insulation.

Some beer enthusiasts have suggested that since there has been home brewing at the White House since Obama has been President that bottles be released for charitable auction.  But considering the recent Freedom of Information Act revelation  of the White House Brew recipes as being extracts as opposed to all grain, this could be novel but disappointing.  Besides it would be acting stupidly (and against Federal law) to release beer for sale (even if for a charitable auction) without jumping through the appropriate regulator hurdles. So don't expect to see Ground Force One swigged among the hoi polloi.  Thus  we may just have to settle for more beer summits in a prospective Obama second term.

White House Beer Summit 2009

Why are so many craft brew aficionados hoppy with President Obama?  It may be coincidental, but hops are a close cousin to cannabis sativa. And Democrats were stoked to win stoner support in 2012.

Fun With Political Platforms

When primary voters elect delegates to a party convention, their major work is to approve a party platform and affirm the candidate with the most votes as the nominee.  But there has not been much of a floor fight since the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City or an open convention since the 1952 Democrat National Convention in Chicago.  So political conventions tend to be big parties for partisans, while a few wonks work in back rooms to develop a party platform to which  no-one pays attention.  So much so, some modern pundits have speculated that 2012 may be the last time there are the grand scale political conventions as they exist today.

But platforms have caused some trouble both for Republicans and Democrats this year.  In Tampa, there were some hard feelings by base Repubicans and some Paulistinians who chaffed at a inside-baseball platform item which allowed the Republican National Party to pick their delegates for primary winners.  This represented a shift away from state parties to the RNC.  Activists fear that elites might choose moderate RNC party favorites rather than conservative Tea Party types if that is what voters elected.  Morton Blackwell, a stalwart of the conservative wing of the Republican Party was incensed by the move.  Paulistians have been looking for their leader, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX 14th), to bolt from the GOP and launch a quixotic last minute Libertarian run, but he has demurred.

On the Democrat side, there was considerable consternation coming from the Republican opposition that the DNC rules committee had dropped any mention of God in the 2012 Democrat Party Platform.  Moreover, the DNC conscientiously dropped the plank  affirming Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel, which was in the 2008 DNC party platform.  This move highlighted President Obama’s wafffling over  what was  the capital of the state of Israel, despite clear Congressionally passed legislation on the question.

To stifle the mounting criticism over the issues, party officials quickly drafted a substitute plank which affirmed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and also inserted God back into the platform.  This was done over an emergency 15 minute meeting on Wednesday afternoon.  DNC Convention Chair L.A. Mayor Antonio Virraigosa (D-LA) offered the measure expecting an easy voice vote approval from the delegates.




Well, not so much.  Maybe the third time was the charm or more likely the sound meter did not matter for a CYA measure from the Democrat intelligentsia.

 But the loud sustained boos from the delegates, particularly the Arab-American coalitions (and presumably the aggressive atheists) will not endear the DNC to these constituencies in the general election campaign.

Usually, party platforms collect dust.  Sometimes the arcane rules changes matter only to party activists, like the National Republicans choosing delegates. The minutia over mentioning God or designating foreign capitals should not have mattered, except in their absence.  So correcting the omissions only drew more attention to the changes.  Moreover, the phony vote on the platform change and ignoring the will of the delegates show how Democrats govern, even in their own house.

So contrary to popular perceptions, platforms do matter.