Switching Sides?

I have often heard the phrase, “God is not a Democrat or a Republican.” Nonetheless, some in the Religious Right might say that God would support one party over the other because He would support their stance on key political issues. It was not always this clear cut though, because in the beginning of the rise of the Religious Right evangelicals originally supported Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. However, when it appeared that he was not as conservative as they had hoped, there was a push for them to vote for conservative Republicans. From 1993 to 1996 the efforts of the rising Religious Right culminated in a political cleansing as the Republicans “surged from minority to majority at every level of government” (James Morone, Hellfire Nation, pg 455). Today, many within the Religious Right still choose the Republican Party as their representatives because of their pro-life and pro-family platform.

The article, “Democrats Carrying Anti-Abortion Banner Put More Congressional Races in Play” discusses the recent shift in party lines as some Democratic campaigns include anti-abortion stances. Currently, there are twelve Democrats running for the House who are anti-abortion, the greatest number of anti-abortion candidates the party has seen in recent years. As the article contends, the increase in anti-abortion Democratic candidates threatens the Republican domination over “social issues.” Furthermore, there are tensions within the Democratic Party because their platform supports abortion rights and relies on funding from abortion rights groups. However, one Democrat from Pennsylvania responded to criticism by saying she “believe[s] they have a narrow view of what a Democrat is.”

It is clear that America’s polarized two party system promotes narrow views of Republicans and Democrats, and it is even more interesting how religious issues fall into that polarization. Even though it appears that members of the Religious Right only care about “social issues,” this article highlights an understanding that religious people care about a wide spectrum of political issues. Some are willing to vote for a candidate based on both their religious views and their economic views. This willingness to switch political parties shows that religious issues are not the only ones of concern.

On the other hand, is it a problem that people are so willing to vote for someone solely based on their stance on “social” or religious issues even if they disagree with their economic views? If this is the case, it seems better for the Democratic platform to loosen strict adherence to the abortion rights campaign so that the conservative base is more willing to vote for Democratic policies. Lastly, what does it mean that religious issues are an area of compromise? I believe that it shows religion still matters to many voters, and some within the Democratic Party are shifting their stances so that they can reach a conservative constituency. In contrast, others might say economic issues are becoming more of a priority for religious voters, as moral issues move to the back burner.