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Religious Intensity and Party Identification

11 December 2009 @ 12:53 pm | 6 comments

Gallup takes another look at how religious intensity correlates with party identification and not much has changed.

Thus, Republicans are in the plurality among highly religious Americans. For each of the other three groups, Democrats are equal with or higher in number than Republicans. The Democratic edge expands as religiosity decreases. Among the not-religious group, Democrats have a 30-point edge over Republicans.

Ethnicity, however, adds a significant wrinkle, where this trend applies the strongest to non-hispanic whites and the least to African-Americans.

The pattern is quite different among whites. Identification with the Republican Party overwhelms identification with the Democratic Party by more than a 2-to-1 margin among highly religious whites, and by a still-substantial margin among those who are religious. Exactly the opposite pattern obtains among whites who are not religious, with a 2-to-1 margin in favor of Democratic versus Republican identification.

Maybe Mormons aren’t the freakishly conservative outliers they sometimes appear to be. Perhaps it’s more of a reflection of their religious activity and demographics.

Elder Holland remembers Rep. Lantos.

Drawing on four decades of friendship with the family of the late U.S. Congressman Thomas P. Lantos, D-Calif., Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the LDS Church’s Quorum of the Twelve paid tribute to the former chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs for his “legendary commitment to human rights and justice” and his inspiring example as a family patriarch. Elder Holland spoke on Feb. 1 during a celebration of the congressman’s life.

Although Rep. Lantos died Feb. 11, 2008, the memorial service at the Congressional Cemetery near the U.S. Capitol provided an opportunity for family and friends to convene on his birthday and share stories about him as a political leader, human rights advocate, Hungarian gentleman, Jewish Holocaust survivor, economics professor and father. A recurring theme was his passionate belief in the human family.

9 February 2009 @ 10:56 pm | No comments

Behold the Mormon Belt

3 February 2009 @ 11:42 am | 6 comments

Not as catchy as the “Jell-O Belt” or as significant as the “Mormon Index” but still interesting. And depressing if you lean Republican.

Obviously, last year was a big year for Democrats but a Gallup survey shows that 35 states leaned Democrat by five points or more and only five states leaned or were solidly Republican. Utah was considered the most solidly Republican with a Democrat-Republican gap of 23%.

Mormon Belt of dwindling GOP support

The small cluster of holdout states has been dubbed the “Mormon Belt.” Looking to 2012, if Sarah Palin wants to woo her base, maybe she should convert (and Mike Huckabee should at least take the discussions).

There were a lot of reasons that contributed to the last year’s Republican wipe-out. Many of those I think (or is it just hope?) will be more temporary than long-standing. Subsequent run-off elections suggest that the Obamenon may be singular event and not necessarily a party-wide Democratic trend.

Either way, Utah is not (yet) joining Pres. Obama’s “moment” and the GOP have a lot of work to do. But how fair is it to attribute these GOP holdouts due to their Mormon population? I’m not sure.

President Monson votes. Poor guy can’t even do early voting without a camera following him. Is that an expression hoping for change or another eight years? (Plus, it looks like early voting is packed)

30 October 2008 @ 12:38 am | 4 comments

The SL Tribune published my letter adapted from my blog post in response to a columnist. The letter so far has a negative vote of -19!

Rebecca Walsh’s column “GOP is the LDS addiction” (Tribune, Aug. 31) makes no sense. Of course Mormons (and Utahns) believe in virtues such as service, charity and sacrifice. But Walsh mistakenly thinks that unless the government does it, it isn’t charity. She has it exactly backward. Mormons are taught to not wait for the government to tax and act in our place. In fact, we are not performing our charitable duty unless we give of our own time and talents.

So where’s the disconnect? It is with Walsh.

Conservative Mormons are similar to other religious conservatives who are suspicious of government’s inefficiency and ineffectiveness. According to Ben Gose in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, studies show that “religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others.”

So putting aside social issues and other sundry reasons why Mormons vote Republican, there’s no inconsistency that a people who believe in service and charity support a party that doesn’t want to outsource those virtues to bureaucrats.

David H. Sundwall
Holladay

11 September 2008 @ 6:27 am | 5 comments

I Thought Utah Democrats Didn’t Like the Political Exploitation of the Mormon Church

4 September 2008 @ 5:08 am | 21 comments

I thought Utah Democrats didn’t like the exploitation of the Mormon Church for politics.

The Utah Democratic Party charged this week that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a “devout member of an anti-Mormon denomination” and questioned whether LDS faithful should vote for her.

But Palin is not a member of the church the Democrats are referencing, that church denies it is anti-Mormon and there’s no evidence of any anti-Mormon rhetoric from its pulpit.

Now, Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland is backing off the statement.

“We do not plan on making her religion an issue,” Holland said Wednesday afternoon, adding he had not seen the news release, which includes a quote by him along with several questions.

The pertinent one: “Will Republicans of the LDS faith vote for Sarah Palin, a devout member of an anti-Mormon denomination?”

Voting Democrat Does Not Equal Charity

1 September 2008 @ 3:25 am | 17 comments

Perhaps the oldest and most unanswerable question of the Bloggernacle is why do Mormons vote so overwhelmingly Republican.

I’ll try to avoid that directly, but the SL Tribune’s weekly provocateur of the dominant Utah culture, Rebecca Walsh, joins Sen. Reid’s latest lament that misguided Utah LDS so overwhelmingly align themselves with the GOP.

Democrats have been scratching their heads for years, trying to make sense of the paradox that has Reid so flummoxed: It seems counterintuitive that a state largely populated by compassionate, peaceful, faithful people who are admonished by their religious leaders to volunteer, give to the poor and live modestly and within their means should hang on the coattails of a political party that does not.

This makes no sense. Of course Mormons (and Utahns) believe in virtues such as service, charity, and sacrifice. But Walsh seems to mistakenly think that they are synonymous with supporting government action: unless the government does it, it isn’t charity.

Except she has it exactly backwards. We are taught to not wait for the government to tax and act in our place. In fact we are not performing our charitable duty unless we give and do of our own time and talents.

So where’s the disconnect? It’s in fact with Ms. Walsh. Conservative Mormons are very similar to other religious conservatives who are suspect of the government accomplishing charity and instead rely on themselves. Arthur C. Brooks has studied the poltical and religious influences on charitable giving and found that:

religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others.

So putting aside social issues and other sundry reasons why Mormons vote Republican, there’s no inconsistency that a people which believes in service and charity support a party that doesn’t want to outsource them to bureaucrats.

Obama Dreaming

15 February 2008 @ 4:06 pm | 10 comments

Are typically “true [red], through and through” Mormons going to go blue because their man Mitt was shunned by the GOP?

That’s the wishful thinking that has traveled parts of the Bloggernacle since Mitt Romney ended his campaign last week. And as Sen. Obama has been gaining momentum as the candidate of unity and change, it appears that his personal charm is winning over a lot of unconventional supporters (heck, this former Romney campaigner and Reaganite is now making a case that Catholics should go for Obama)

The Mormon argument for Obama seems to be that since the Republican primaries “rejected” a Mormon candidate, Mormon GOP voters should vent their anger and seek revenge by supporting the Democratic candidate of hope and optimism. 

This Beehive Standard article suggests that if Obama only changed ever so slightly to the right he would be attractive to mainstream conservative Mormons and Utah – the state that gave President Bush the greatest margin of victory in 2000 and 2004 – would swing Democrat in 2008.

That will be hard for the Senator who has the most liberal voting record of 2007. As Jettboy explains very well, traditionally Republican Mormons may like Obama personally but will find his policies unpalatable.

Sen. McCain definitely lacks Obama’s charisma and appeal. He hasn’t reached out to Mormons as Obama has. But Republican Mormons are more savvy than to vote Democrat just because they feel the Republican party is dominated by anti-Mormons (which isn’t true).  Wouldn’t that be the ugliest form of identity politics?

Unless McCain picks up Huckabee as his VP pick, Utah won’t go blue in November.  If McCain does, then let’s talk.

More on Rep. Tom Lantos as a friend of the LDS Church

His wife, whom he married in 1950, was a member of the LDS Church. The couple had helped the LDS Church host various events in Washington, D.C., over the years, such as the Christmas lighting ceremonies at the temple there.

When Brigham Young University, looking to establish a center in Jerusalem, met resistance from Orthodox Jews, Lantos was “very quick and very early” to put his name on a letter to Israeli leaders.

“It gave the letter great credibility with other members of Congress — if a Holocaust survivor can sign it, anybody can,” King said. “And it gave it great credibility in Israel.”

In 2001, Lantos spoke at BYU’s commencement ceremony. Alongside LDS apostle Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Lantos was awarded an honorary doctorate from the university.

. . .

Similarly, the First Presidency of the LDS Church issued the following statement: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Congressman Tom Lantos who passed away after his fight with esophageal cancer. Representative Lantos was a remarkable public servant, and a beloved husband, father and grandfather.

“As a Member of the House of Representatives, and most recently as Chairman of the important House Foreign Affairs Committee, he was a leading force for political and religious freedom throughout the world. As a holocaust survivor, he exemplified great compassion for victims of political unrest and oppression.

“He opened many doors for humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, and leaves behind a legacy of family love and unity. We extend our deep sympathies and offer our prayers of comfort for his entire family.”

12 February 2008 @ 3:23 pm | No comments

Calif. Rep. Tom Lantos Dies

Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, has died, his spokeswoman said Monday.

Lynne Weil said that Lantos, 80, passed away at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center in suburban Maryland.

Rep. Lantos, whose wife is LDS, has also been a friend of the Church.

11 February 2008 @ 10:52 am | 2 comments

“Romney’s Mormonism WAS a Big Factor” and it goes both ways:

By the way, those Democrats who might chortle that Republican intolerance cost them their best candidate, don’t get too smug. Our survey showed that Democrats were just as intolerant of Mormons as Republicans are. At least they have that in common.

7 February 2008 @ 8:04 pm | 1 comment

Does it even matter who wins the GOP nomination?

Here are the numbers just for the 19 states where both parties had elections yesterday

Obama/Clinton voters: 14,460,149
McCain/Romney/Huckabee voters: 8,367,694

Or, 73% more Democratic voters than Republican voters.

6 February 2008 @ 7:08 pm | 1 comment

Why Obama is smart to be reaching out to Mormons.

18 January 2008 @ 2:28 pm | 2 comments

“Democrats in Utah“:

[Utahns] are more fair-minded than they often get credit for being. Sometimes I sense that many Mormons want to shed their image as one party voters, but are not being offered a choice they can live with.

And some good advice for Utah Democrats (and Maryland Republicans): “Quit Whining.”

27 December 2007 @ 12:51 pm | No comments

Jonah Goldberg borrowing from P.J. O’Rourke on Hillary Clinton’s Christmas ad:

The contrast between the Candidate of God and the Candidate of Goodies should remind everyone of P. J. O’Rourke’s timeless book Parliament of Whores.

“I have only one firm belief about the American political system, and that is this: God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat,” wrote the indispensable O’Rourke.

“God” he explained, is “a stern fellow, patriarchal rather than paternal and a great believer in rules and regulations. He holds men strictly accountable for their actions. He has little apparent concern for the material well being of the disadvantaged. … God is unsentimental. It is very hard to get into God’s heavenly country club.”

P. J. continues: “Santa Claus is another matter. … He’s nonthreatening. He’s always cheerful. And he loves animals. He may know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, but he never does anything about it. He gives everyone everything they want without the thought of a quid pro quo.”

“Santa Claus is preferable to God in every way but one,” O’Rourke concluded. “There is no such thing as Santa Claus.”

You can see Hillary’s ad here (which I could see the GOP rerunning next year as an attack ad).  Romney’s smart for not joining the bandwagon with his own Christmas ad.

21 December 2007 @ 4:14 pm | No comments

Utah Democratic Party calls on Lawrence O’Donnell to apologize for attacks on the Mormon Church:

Utah Democrats refuse to become collateral damage because of your misguided attack on a Republican candidate for President of the United States. To do otherwise would undermine fine Democrats who are members of the LDS Church, most prominently on the national stage is U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

20 December 2007 @ 7:44 pm | No comments

If You Think the Evangelical Right Is Bad

20 November 2007 @ 11:24 am | 11 comments

Due to the bruising nature of the primaries, Evangelicals have been getting a lot of ire in the Bloggernacle (a lot of it justified). Romney’s religion has been constantly rehashed as a stumbling block for the Evangelical vote. 

However, if enough Evangelicals support Romney and he gets the nomination, his religion “problem” won’t be going away.  Although the Mormon issue has been widely portrayed as a GOP matter, Democratic voters are even less likely than Republicans to vote for a Mormon.

Well, first of all, polls like this one (see Table 4) suggest that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to rule out voting for a candidate on the basis of his Mormon faith. Now maybe all those anti-Mormon Democrats are African-American Baptists or working-class Catholics, but Dems with a post-grad education are more anti-Latter Day Saint than Dems with just a high school degree, which at the very least suggests that there are plenty of secular voters who wouldn’t pull the lever for a Mormon. Not, presumably, because they want to establish an “only Trinitarians need apply” standard for public office in the U.S., but because they consider Mormonism weird and cultish, and they don’t want a President who buys into its tenets.

According that April 2007 poll, Republicans are more likely to vote for a Mormon than Democrats by 50 – 38. That may be because Democrats don’t like the Mormon religion, they don’t like religion period, or they don’t like the predominant politics associated with Mormons.  What else?  

Could Democrat voters be as bigoted as Evangelicals?