You know things are bad when your own Christian Right liaison is saying publicly that there’s still lots of work for you to do even as you’re sailing toward the nomination. And the AP reports that McCain’s top envoy to the movement, Sam Brownback, isn’t the only one still waiting for McCain to do more to reassure religious conservatives:
“He just needs to reach out and get to know the faith community more and they need to get to know him more,” Brownback said in an interview. “Clearly, I think we need to continue to work at that.”
McCain appears to be following the advice and the strategy has helped him make amends with some religious leaders he slighted during his 2000 presidential campaign, when he dismissed televangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as “agents of intolerance.”
But [Family Research Council President Tony] Perkins says it’s one thing to have a good voting record on key issues like abortion, but another to become a true leader on pro-family issues.
“He’s talking about those things which I think has allowed some to open the door,” Perkins said. “But he’s got to close the deal. He’s got to sell John McCain as the president for social conservatives and that sale has not been completed yet.”
Perkins urges McCain to talk more about how personal faith translates into policy issues.
“It’s not just about fighting the war on terror or tax cuts,” Perkins said. “Will he be willing to go far enough to say he’ll appoint a family czar in his administration to focus on strengthening the American family?”
Brownback concedes that persuading some in the Christian conservative community that they can trust McCain in the White House remains a tough sell.
Bottom line: Not much has changed since God-o-Meter weighed in on McCain’s evangelical woes on the heels of his Super Duper Tuesday victories.
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