Winning Back Moral Voters

The Raleigh News and Observer has reported on a number of stories this week that have dealt with religion and politics. Today's story deals with a local minister who believes the church should not legislate morality.

I have been amazed with the mass explosion of the evengelical political movement in the United States. I remember an article that my grandmother gave to me during the 1992 Presidential election cycle that profiled the Christian Coalition and Ralph Reid. At the time, I was just taking an interest into the political process and dismissed the Christian Coalition as a small Republican Party faction group. Boy how I was wrong.

Today, groups affiliated with evengelical and family causes provide a solid group of voters that can be compared to the once large block of Union voters in the Democratic Party.

As a practicing Roman Catholic, it has been interesting to see the merger of the evengelical movement with Pro-Life Catholics. Ten years ago I would have never predicted this strong voting block of Protestant Evengelicals and Catholics.

Recently, Democrats have attempted to show their moral stripes. Instead of trying to placate relgious voters, Democrats must formulate ideas that will compete with the social agenda of the Republican Party.

Jim Wallis, the author of God Politics, has raised the poverty question as an area that Republicans have failed miserably. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards has spoken in great length about poverty in the past year. This issue reflects upon the morality of our country. If Democrats would cut their ties with big labor and other narrowed interests and offer a vision, I believe the party would attract Evengelical and Catholic voters back to the party.

Democrats need to understand that a new big government program is not the sollution to this poblem. We must stress the need for responsibility and opportunity of all people. I would welcome a private/public enterprise to deal with poverty across the country. Americans blessed with economic security want to give the impoverished hope, but are concerned with government's failure to stress that help is a hand up, not a hand out.

I spoke with some local business people in Raleigh in the past week about poverty and education issues. The business community is concerned with this issue. If Democrats offer genuine leadership, government and business can work together to fight this pressing problem.

Please click the link below to read this interesting story.

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/414864.html