The religious right is looking for a political revival by singing from a familiar hymn book: Barack Obama's.
Politico reports that evangelicals are testing out some of the president's techniques in this year's midterms in hopes of having their methods perfected by 2016. That's the year they expect Hillary Clinton to bring her own popularity to aid Democrats downticket, and they don't want to be caught with not enough oil in their proverbial lamps.
"The 2014 midterms are a crucial test of evangelical influence and strength," Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler told Politico. "I think most evangelical leaders understand we are in a period of pretty radical transition in this society."
Same-sex marriage and abortion no longer drive faith voters to the polls, and far fewer younger people identify as evangelicals. Even many people who claim faith are more accepting of premarital sex and birth control.
Many evangelicals have stayed home on election day during the past decade or more. Social conservatives helped elect George W. Bush in 2000, but feel they have been treated as an afterthought more recently.
Many believed Bush didn't push hard enough on faith issues in his second term,
The Washington Post reports.
That has people like Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition working to get out voters who have been sitting on the sidelines. Reed told Politico his group will evaluate the effectiveness of their digital strategy and efforts to get teams to targeted areas to knock on doors.
The Faith and Family Coalition is spending more on digital than traditional efforts for the first time this year.
The Catholics Association and Susan B. Anthony’s List are among other groups in on the action. But so is the Republican Party with its website,
GOPfaith.
"There has never been anything like this in the history of the pro-family movement," Reed told Politico. "What we are doing versus the Christian Coalition is the difference of a Ford Model-T and an Indy race car."
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