Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Saturday, November 11, 2006
MythBusting the 2006 Vote
One of the most destructive things to GOP (and the country) after 2004 was the incorrect interpretation that the election was delivered by the religious right. In fact, the religious right voted in no larger proportions in 2004 than in 2000 or 1998 ... their turnout has been very consistent and how they vote has also been very consistent. But the media put such emphasis on "the story" that it appeared they had much more influence than they really did, and that's problematic because then politicians feel as if they have to "deliver" on the "mandate". I've said before, 2004 was all about the war and terrrrraaaism.

Why am I going over this? Because it's happening again. Except this time the story is that there was a significant shift of religious voters to Democrats and therefore now they have to deliver on a conservative social agenda.

Like with the first story, it's all bullshit.

Kevin Drum does the full takedown, but the short story is that voters in every single category shifted from the right to the left due to dissatisfaction with Bush and Congress. Period. The movement by religious voters was no different than the national vote shift across the board. A proper interpretation of this mandate is to clean up government and start running the country like adults again, not to pander by implementing socially repressive measures. Digby:
Let's keep it real and ensure that it is well understood that the religious voters who voted Democratic are not people who expect the party to abandon gay rights or choice because they "delivered" the election. Those people voted in huge numbers, as they always do, for the Republicans.

The data shows that religious voters moved to the Democrats in the same numbers that every other demographic did, (except young voters and hispanics who voted Dem in significantly larger numbers than 2004.) We can draw no lessons on social policy at all from the rather small percentage change among these very religious voters except that they wised up, like a whole bunch of other people. Good for them. Welcome to the circus.
Written at 12:09 PM by Greyhair.
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