The Evangelical Vote

Pollsters have noted that in the 2000 election, 4 million evangelical Christian voters sat out the election, and it was widely anticipated that such would not be the case in 2004. Larry Kudlow believes that this made a decisive difference.

excerpt:

Though the established media outlets almost never talk about it, Bush’s core support group has all along been the born-again Christians. They make up roughly 40 percent of the American population. They are middle-class folk who go to church, read the Bible, and practice traditional virtues and values — make that religious values — in their daily lives. They are married and tend to stay married. They are shopkeepers and small-business people. Many are stay-at-home self-employed. Others are salespeople who travel their regions as insurance brokers or financial planners or corporate product representatives. They drive SUVs. They shop at Wal-Mart and JCPenney. They are middle class.

Yes, and they believe in God — as does their candidate George W. Bush. They also believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. And as befits the traditional nuclear family, they love their children and believe strongly in a child’s right to life.

In Ohio, which turned out to be Bush’s most important swing state after all, one-fourth of voters identified themselves as born-again Christians and they backed Bush by a 3-to-1 margin. These folks turned out heavily to support Ohio’s state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. In fact, voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendments limiting marriage to one man and one woman.

12 years ago, I was a hedonistic, abortion-supporting, Christian-hating, Republican-hating, New Agey leftist. Something major happened to me between now and then. Now I am a Republican, conservative, pro-life, orthodox Roman Catholic. If it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone. I believe we are in the midst of a new "Great Awakening" in this country (it would be the fourth one in our history). The Bush ascendancy is a symbol of all of this. It also accounts for all the vitriol and division in this election. At rock bottom, it really is a difference in religious worldview which divides us.

Update: More on the basic moral issues here.

The morals issue - thank the radical gays and activist courts for a Bush win is what I keep hearing!

But even deeper then that is the pure and simple moral fact that you don't attack a sitting war time president as a liar and thief!

The moral bankruptcy that the media highlighted by CBS and it's Rathergate fiasco. The comments I made about Moveon and Moore-on and Senator Kerry's attacks on our troops in battle were reflected in the "morals" vote!

When your a Senator you don't obstruct - you take action not fostering inaction! When your a judge you don't legislate from the bench!

Don't get me wrong, the religious right was a key to victory. Anti gay marriage was important but when it comes down to it the morals issue was more a result of the American belief - which we saw in Australia just last month - that it is IMMORAL TO ATTACK YOUR OWN COUNTRY! The American belief that the pledge of allegiance is a good thing and there is right and wrong, black and white! America is what is good in the world and since his days as an activist Kerry has been wrong on these key issues!

Was morals another word for American values and patriotism - I think so!