CBS Uses Democrat Helpers To Explain How Democrats Now 'Get Religion'

Photo of Tim Graham.

Monday’s Early Show on CBS picked up on Time magazine’s promotional cover story "How The Democrats Got Religion." Reporter Jeff Glor used two guides to explore how the Democrats would "level the praying field," but didn’t exactly tell viewers that these guides were involved in the drive to help the Democrats. The first expert was Time magazine’s Amy Sullivan, who wrote a "God Gap" essay for the magazine. CBS didn’t explain she was an aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and during her stint with the liberal magazine The Washington Monthly, she advised the Democrats on how to "get religion" in the last presidential election cycle, to no avail.

The other expert was so-called "conservative evangelical" Rev. Joel Hunter, a man eager enough to help the Democrats that he was selected by the people at the left-wing magazine Sojourners to ask Hillary Clinton a question at the CNN/Sojourners Democrat debate (clips of that event were sprinkled throughout the CBS story.) He asked Hillary Clinton a seemingly pro-life question that enabled her to proclaim that she's always been for abortion being very rare. Rev. Hunter’s also written a book titled Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why The Tactics of the Religious Right Won't Work with Most Conservative Christians.

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(Since that doesn’t sound like he can claim the label "conservative," it will be republished next year with the title A New Kind of Conservative. As in the Hillary-helping kind?)

CBS isn't telling viewers that when it spots a favorable political trend for liberals, it's using people with a rooting interest in that trend -- and whose certainty that this trend will pan out is perhaps a little colored by their involvement. Here's Justin McCarthy's transcript of the CBS story:

MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: In the race for the White House candidates are discussing faith more often and more frankly than in previous campaigns but there's a twist and "Early Show" national correspondent Jeff Glor is here to tell us about. Good morning Jeff.

JEFF GLOR: Good morning Maggie. Good to see you. In 2004 62 percent of weekly church goers voted for President Bush. And a recent CBS News poll shows a large majority of voters want their candidates to have strong religious beliefs. Typically this would benefit Republicans but this year we could be in for a change.

RUDY GIULIANI: Religion is very important to me. It's an important part of my life.

JOHN EDWARDS: My belief in, in Christ plays an enormous role in the way I view the world.

MIKE HUCKABEE: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

GLOR: Across the political spectrum, the presidential hopefuls are paying homage to the almighty.

BARACK OBAMA: I am my brother's keeper. I am my sister's keeper.

MITT ROMNEY: And I'm a happy, proud member of my faith.

HILLARY CLINTON: I take my faith very seriously and very personally.

GLOR: From faith forums to stump speeches, talking about religion has become a political necessity.

AMY SULLIVAN, TIME: 70 percent of Americans say that they want their president to be a person of faith and that's a pretty astoundingly high number.

GLOR: "Time" magazine's Amy Sullivan is writing a book about the role of religion within politics.

SULLIVAN: It's very difficult to run given that belief and desire among the American voters if you don't have an open faith that you're willing to talk about.

GLOR: Sullivan believes the emergence of faith in politics stems from Watergate when the nation felt deceived and betrayed by President Richard Nixon.

SULLIVAN: Americans care more about than just policy positions of the candidate. They care about what their character is, what their kind of moral grounding is, and religion is one kind of proxy for that.

DR. JOEL HUNTER: Preserve justice and do righteousness.

GLOR: Dr. Joel Hunter is one of the nation's leading evangelical voices. Is it possible that an atheist could be elected president?

HUNTER: Very, very unlikely. Many of us want at least somebody who has some sense of a higher accountability. You want to elect somebody who you can have some confidence in personally.

GLOR: As mega churches continue going up across the country, including the $42 million building being put up by Dr. Hunter near Orlando, the debate over religion and politics is shifting.

HUNTER: There is a shift. There's a broadening. I think Christians are saying, you know, these other things are important, too, because they were important to Jesus. But to build for ourselves --

GLOR: Hunter is among a group of conservative evangelicals trying to broaden the political discussion beyond personal moral issues like abortion and gay marriage. He wants religious voters to consider issue he puts in the category of social morality.

HUNTER: Social morality is where you address the needs of your neighbor. You love your neighbor as you love yourself. And so you're concerned about poverty. You're concerned about disease. You're concerned about the environment. [As if conservatives aren't?]

GLOR: You talk about the environment a great deal.

HUNTER: Yes.

GLOR: That's an Al Gore issue it seems like.

HUNTER: Well, no, it's not. It's a Biblical issue. We, we, our first order in the Bible is to take care of the garden. And to protect it.

GLOR: Democrats had a disadvantage among religious voters for some 20 years see a chance.

OBAMA: Faith got hijacked partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian right who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us.

GLOR: When you hear him say that, what's your reaction?

HUNTER: Well, I think objectively he's correct.

GLOR: While 78 percent of evangelicals voted for President Bush in 2004, Hunter says there's no reason a Democrat can't win over the faithful.

HUNTER: It's really bad for Christianity to be in the pocket of any one political party. It's just totally inappropriate.

GLOR: Then there are the candidates themselves.

SULLIVAN: We have never seen this many Democratic politicians who are both so sincerely religious and also very comfortable with the language of faith.

GLOR: From Clinton --

CLINTON: This is the day the Lord has made.

GLOR: To Obama.

OBAMA: We traveled because God was with us.

GLOR: To Edwards.

EDWARDS: I pray daily.

GLOR: So far in this campaign, the Democratic frontrunners are being more vocal about faith than their Republican counterparts.

SULLIVAN: I don't think Republicans can get back their monopoly on religion if only because the only reason they had it in the first place was that Democrats ceded that ground to them. Now that Democrats have kind of turned a corner this is a completely different game.

GLOR: What remains to be seen is how this will translate into votes. The Republican ground operation reaching out to religious voters still far surpasses Democratic operations, Maggie.

RODRIGUEZ: Jeff, did this poll gauge whether voters cared if the candidates shared their particular religious beliefs?

GLOR: It did. It talked about that. A majority of Americans don't care what the particular beliefs are if they share their beliefs they're just concerned that these candidates hold some sort of a religious foundation.

RODRIGUEZ: And they all seem to be doing that.

GLOR: Indeed.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.


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Yeah, right....

There are plenty of Democrats who SAY they are religious and tale their faith seriously. I don't see most of them living by the tennents of their faith. For instance, if you claim to be a member of a Christian denomination, there is no way that you can be pro-abortion and still be practicing your faith. The killing of an innocent person is NEVER EVER justified for ANY reason. There are plenty of Republicans in that boat too.

IMO what they are trying to do is their typical "marketing" campaign where they say all the correct words and are seen in the appropriate places. It will undoubtedly fool some of the people. Where the Republican party natually attracted many Christians and a few Jewish too, because of the values and the the ideas that they put forth, the Democreats are trying to use Religion as a campaign slogan, thus demeaning it and proving that they really don't get it at all. They are acting for themost part like a candidate who dons the local home team jersey to "show their support". It's purely for show.

 

The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic

IMO what they are trying


IMO what they are trying to do is their typical "marketing" campaign -
c5then

that's right, c5. In 1996, Donna Brazile, Gore's strategist, said Democrats were going to "take back God." They then hired consultants to "teach" them the language to talk about faith and religion.

And I love how, when Democrats talk about God and faith, the press "oooohs" and "aaaahs", isn't it wonderful, but when a Republican talks about God, theocracy is just over the horizon.

Any Republican who, like John Edwards, says "My belief in, in Christ plays an enormous role in the way I view the world" is someone who is not fit to be in government, or, heaven forbid, in the courts, because they would bring their religion into their job.

As an aside: can't you just picture the cartoons?

"Democrat candidates think religion has a role in government." Illustration: Obama or Hillary with halo, surrounded by people while they hand out food and pat kids' heads.

"Republican candidates think religion has a role in government" Illustration: mean, ugly guy swinging whip at everyone in his vicinity.

we will judge them by their

we will judge them by their fruits:)...

Gay haters unite!

Liberals are big on the

Liberals are big on the kind of faith that says God is not judgmental as long as you don't judge others. Kind of a laissez-faire deal...whatever you decide is right is OK.

They are very big on the social aspects of Christian life; on the personal, not so much. When Michael Moore was on the View with Star Parker, she told him Jesus said we should personally take care of each other, not to take from our neighbors' pocket to do it. Moore, the "Bible Scholar" informed her that "He said we should do it collectively!"

Liberals love to note the fact that Jesus never mentioned abortion or homosexuality, but they don't note that He talked about divorce and adultery and cheating one's boss.

And you know, just for once, I would like to see someone ask Hillary Clinton, if there is nothing wrong with abortion, why should you want it to be "rare"?

If it's in the Bible then

If it's in the Bible then Jesus said it Himself my friend - the entire Bible is the word of God

Thou shalt not kill is in there somewhere

Thou shalt not be gay is too:)

Gay haters unite!

TruthMonger, I am always

TruthMonger, I am always amazed when that comes up.  People who claim to be Christians, and have read the Bible or at least quote it.  I think too much has been made of the Christmas Story wherefore many people think that when baby Jesus was born, He has made His first appearance. 

Kind of like what Leon says - if you are going to critique a movie, you should at least watch it first.  In the same way, if you are going to quote Jesus or make a statement of His beliefs, you might first want to read His Book.

NICE

Just because you say oh God when you are having sex does not make you a religious person. Just a bunch of fakes.  Pat

You gotta believe!!!

  • GLOR: Sullivan believes the emergence of faith in politics stems from Watergate when the nation felt deceived and betrayed by President Richard Nixon.   Of course we won’t mention Kennedy and Clinton committing adultery.
  • HUNTER: There is a shift. There's a broadening. I think Christians are saying, you know, these other things are important, too, because they were important to Jesus. But to build for ourselves --   Things important to Jesus like abortion and gay marriage.
  • GLOR: Hunter is among a group of conservative evangelicals trying to broaden the political discussion beyond personal moral issues like abortion and gay marriage. He wants religious voters to consider issue he puts in the category of social morality.   Oops, get beyond things that are important to Jesus?  I thought you just said…oh nevermind.
  • GLOR: Democrats had a disadvantage among religious voters for some 20 years see a chance. OBAMA: Faith got hijacked partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian right who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us.    Like abortion and gay marriage?
  • HUNTER: It's really bad for Christianity to be in the pocket of any one political party. It's just totally inappropriate.   No, not inappropriate, show me a pro-life, marriage is between a man and a woman Democrat, and I might vote for them.  Its called values.
  • GLOR: So far in this campaign, the Democratic frontrunners are being more vocal about faith than their Republican counterparts.   It’s a hard sell, like Gore, repeat it enough and maybe someone will actually believe it.
  • GLOR: It did. It talked about that. A majority of Americans don't care what the particular beliefs are if they share their beliefs they're just concerned that these candidates hold some sort of a religious foundation.   A majority of Americans don’t care what particular belief…uh, not so sure a “majority” would vote for a Satanist, New Age, Scienitologist, etc.  Now for the record, how many Presidents have not been a Protestant?

well yes the whole thing

well yes the whole thing is the usual BS but they gave it a HELL of a nice try, ya gotta admit:)

Gay haters unite!

Well they are new at this

Well they are new at this Jesus thing.  After seeing the numbers, they felt they needed to reach the "Jesus" crowd.  They will have to do much better.

They still don't get it

Liberals can talk about religion, but they still need to learn the essence. You have to draw the distinction between philosophy and theology.

  • Philosophy is chiefly the exercise of reason where nothing is assumed.

  • Theology is also an exercise in reason, but it starts with a two assumptions: God exists, and communicates to us.

Moral issues fall somewhere in between, and liberals keep missing the point. Liberals keep treating moral issues as merely religious and theological. Abortion is not a religious issue; it’s a philosophical issue that churches happen to oppose. Churches also oppose theft and murder, but that doesn’t mean that churches are “imposing their values” on everyone else. Abortion is the same way; it isn’t wrong because the church opposes it … the church opposes it because it’s wrong.

What disturbs conservatives is when liberals oppose any philosophical position that a religion supports, simply because a religion supports it. No one is asking for liberals to support religion. Babbling biblical passages doesn’t impress anyone. What we want is for liberals to stop opposing moral positions, not for philosophical reasons, but out of a misguided prejudice against church involvement.

Libs may be "getting

Libs may be "getting religion" a bit this political season - I actually don't see it much from these lame quotes, myself - but they're still no where near "getting God" I'm afraid...and that's their real problem about every issue...

Gay haters unite!

You know the Democrats will

You know the Democrats will never "get religion" if they need a "guide" to help them along.

Jesus didn't get religion

Jesus didn't get religion either so they really ought to quit while they at least have that correct:)

Gay haters unite!

Clueless

When Hillary attempted to insult GW by saying that she has faith but she does not wear it on her sleeve like some people;;;; she is clueless about Christainity, Jesus Christ's commands and Biblical teaching.

By her own admission, she believes in limiting God and keeping him in his place. She allows that she is somewhat ashamed of Jesus Christ and He tells us the consequences of that. BUT, she cares not and it shows.

She need not worry though since most democrats are of similar thinking AND she knows it.

my thoughts on dems and religion

#1) Most important. Amy Sullivan doesn't understand why the religious conservatives (christian, jew, or deist like myself) left the Left.

It wasn't because of Nixon like she stated. It was because of the social revolution the left began to represent in the 60's and 70's. The anti-american and most importantly, ANTI-GOD sentiment that they began to openly represent. (abortion in 72 anyone?)

#2) As has been said here above, the dems and sojourners talk of forced responsibility and higher taxes to help the "poor". This shows all of the above's extreme misunderstanding of free will, and PERSONAL responsibility given to each of us by god. Freedom and will are handed down from god. They aim to change that, and be the hand of god, that helps the poor, because otherwise they'll just go hungry. more people are helping the poor now, than in a LONG time. You have private entrepenuers like the micro loan guy, or bill gates, who are doing countless good, PRIVATELY and PERSONALLY to help the poor. (why bill is a dem, I'll never know.)

#3) As also has been said here, everyone can tell it's an act. They don't want to stop the pre-born murder....

Wow, are these people

Wow, are these people serious? The only way you "can get God" is if you have God in your life in the first place. It's not like a late night Taco Bell run. "I HAVE to GET me some of those Gorditas!" Democrats (in general) don't "get God" because they never had Him to begin with. It just blows me away the truly arrogant nature of these imbeciles!

 

And this line just got me boiling:

GLOR: Sullivan believes the emergence of faith in politics stems from
Watergate when the nation felt deceived and betrayed by President
Richard Nixon.

No offense imbecile, but the emergence of faith in politics stems from faith being a very intimate part of people's lives and wanting to know that they could trust elected officials to represent their religious views. Religion has been a major factor in politics since the foundation of this country! Wow, they STILL don't get it! They just want to first blame it on a Republican so taht it becomes our fault.

 

BTW, Christians are not in the pocket of Republicans. You vote for those you can identify with. The fact is that the Republicans party identifies with Christianity because many of those running fro office are in fact Christians, not CHINOS (yes, I just termed a new word) CHristians In Name Only. If the pants fit...

CHINOS...I second the

CHINOS...I second the motion.  All in favor say aye (and no let's talk pirate now).  ) :

religion does go back to the beginning

You are absolutely right, without god, our country could not have been formed.

I have to say, I love the gorditas comment... that's exactly how they're religious quest feels. Let's run for the border and find god.

"BTW, Christians are not in the pocket of Republicans."

After seeing the dems recent behavior could you seriously vote for one? Some of the quotes from the democrat lock in are absolutely fruity.