Exit Polls Pigeonhole Evangelicals Again
They did it again! Just as in Iowa, yesterday’s media-sponsored Election Day poll failed to ask Democrats in New Hampshire if they were evangelical. Voters from both parties were asked about their church attendance and if they were Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Something else, or None. But only Republicans were asked if they were born-again or evangelical Christian.
The Religion Newswriter's Association named "Democrats courting people of faith" the #2 religion news story of 2007; all of the leading Democrats speak openly and extensively about their religious faith. Two weeks ago, a Boston Globe story with the headline, “In N.H. churches, candidates find a different breed of evangelical” quoted Rev. Bruce Boria, pastor of New Hampshire’s largest evangelical church, which attracts about 2,000 people each Sunday: "It kind of makes me laugh sometimes when they lump evangelicals all in one group…At my church, there have been people who have opened their homes to Barack Obama" and a variety of other candidates from both parties.
It would be informative to know the percentage of evangelicals who voted for Democrats yesterday. It would be informative to know which Democratic candidates were helped or hurt last night by Democratic evangelical turnout. It was certainly informative to learn this morning that the Republican evangelical vote split pretty evenly among McCain, Romney and Huckabee.
Asking only Republicans about their religion shows that the media is still stuck on the outdated and false notion that evangelical Christians are the GOP's political property. No party can own any faith. Evangelicals have broadened their agenda to include care for the planet, the poor and the stranger, and as a result are increasingly independent politically. Exit polls need to abandon the hidebound frames of the culture war -- evangelicals already have.
Election Day exit polls are conducted by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International for the National Election Pool (NEP), a consortium of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News and the Associated Press.
The media sponsors of the NEP still need to fix this problem before any more primary votes are cast.
Comments
I have blogged today about how I, as a native South Carolinian, see the religious political landscape there as it sets up for the Primary.
Mike Huckabee makes an appearance at my alma mater, Furman, tonight.
Posted by: Stephen Fox | January 9, 2008 01:35 PM
Glad that you're drawing attention to this issue. It is a great example of polling reinforcing assumptions rather than uncovering telling shifts in the electorate. It's how the MSM reinforces old fault lines. It would be very informative if this religion bias in polling was fixed by SC.
Posted by: Alex | January 9, 2008 02:12 PM
This evangelical nonsense is crazy! Since when is God in political elections? I think this country has gone Jesus happy and it will come back to bite them. Obama is Muslim no matter where he hides or what church he attends. This is going to be one heck of a year politics wise!!!!!
Posted by: betty | January 9, 2008 04:18 PM
Oh, Good God, if the Democrats go Jesus crazy too, all is lost! Elect anyone president from either major political party and you could end up with someone who believes it's his duty to provoke apocalypse and open the gateway for Jesus. It really is the end of the world at hand.
Posted by: The Flying Chain Saw | January 9, 2008 04:45 PM
It's damn time we grow up and start looking for a leader that has qualifications of managment skills, intelligence, and character... instead of his supposed relationship to the 'invisible man in the sky.' I think any candidate that says his faith 'defines him' should be immediately disqualified. Faith is the willful abdication of reason and America needs a leader who will lead based on sound decisions made in the realm of reason and reality, not "faith"!!
Posted by: William | January 9, 2008 07:25 PM
The assertion that "Evangelicals have broadened their agenda to include care for the planet, the poor and the stranger" seems like an amazing statement to me. What happened? Did they finally get around to reading The Sermon on the Mount?
Posted by: Mickey | January 9, 2008 07:27 PM
I just read this entry from a link from Carpetbaggerreport.com.
I am often attacked for the absurd view that I am a Christian and believe in God.
the general idea is that you are stupid is you are not an atheist.
I think that it would be far better if the left leaning blogs didn't attack people who believe in God as much as they do.
Posted by: neil wilson | January 9, 2008 11:11 PM
"It's damn time we grow up and start looking for a leader that has qualifications of managment skills, intelligence, and character... instead of his supposed relationship to the 'invisible man in the sky.' I think any candidate that says his faith 'defines him' should be immediately disqualified. Faith is the willful abdication of reason and America needs a leader who will lead based on sound decisions made in the realm of reason and reality, not "faith"!!"
Above is the reason they don't bother to ask Democrats if they are evangelicals or not. When you have this kind of vitriol espoused by many on the left, why bother.
Posted by: Steve | January 10, 2008 12:56 AM
Oh.......by Gosh by Golly ...it's time for Misteltoe...and Holly.....Tasty pheasants, Christmas presents
Countrysides covered with snow
Oh, by gosh, by jingle
It's time for carols and Kris Kringle
Overeating, merry greetings
From relatives you don't know
Then comes that big night
Giving the tree the trim
You'll hear voices by starlight
Singing a Yuletide hymn
Oh, by gosh, by golly
It's time for mistletoe and holly
Fancy ties an' granny's pies
An' folks stealin' a kiss or two
As they whisper, "Merry Christmas" to you
[Interlude:
Then comes that big night
Giving the tree the trim
You'll hear voices by starlight
Singing a Yuletide hymn]
Oh, by gosh, by golly
It's time for mistletoe and holly
Fancy ties an' granny's pies
An' folks stealin' a kiss or two
As they whisper, "Merry Christmas" to you
Posted by: Buccaroo Bucky | January 10, 2008 02:49 PM
People in a religious war project attributes of the human ego into their concept of what God is so they can rationalize killing each other. It’s like two kids arguing over who has the best imaginary friend.
If you believe in Judgment Day, I have to seriously question your judgment…. And at the end of the day, is magic underwear really that much crazier than giant arks, or virgin births, or talking bushes? - Bill Maher
My god told me not to believe anyone who tells me that she talks to them.
Posted by: PlacitasRoy | January 13, 2008 06:02 PM
Sorry, you MUST follow the script the corporate media has written for this country. Period.
Posted by: ThomasMc | February 12, 2008 11:13 AM