Sunday April 27, 2008

Big Faith Operative for Clinton?

The Clinton campaign just sent God-o-Meter this picture of Chelsea Clinton worshipping at the Central United Methodist Church in Ashville, North Carolina. Not news.

But the story that the picture's attached to in the Ashville Citizen-Times might contain some. Check out these seemingly innocuous paragraphs from the piece:

At the church in the morning, about a dozen Hillary Clinton supporters stood outside the church and applauded as the former first daughter arrived in a black SUV with a handful of campaign staffers.

Clinton’s stop at the church was arranged by Eric Sapp, a consultant with Common Good Strategies, a Washington-based faith and values outreach consulting firm working with the Democratic Party.

Sapp said Hillary Clinton's campaign contacted him for a recommendation on where Chelsea Clinton should worship.

Sapp’s grandparents, Jeff and Lottie Sapp, are Asheville residents who attend Central.

Why might this be a big deal? Sapp's consulting firm, Common Good Strategies, has been the pioneer in Democratic faith-based outreach since its founding after the 2004 elections, when the Democrats' dismal showing among evangelicals and other religious voters was blamed for their loss of the White House and of seats in Congress.

Common Good's roles in Senate and gubernatorial races in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in 2006 were credited with helping Democrats make much-needed inroads among religious voters, and helping them win control of Congress. Sapp is one half of Common Good Strategies. Founder Mara Vanderslice, the faith outreach director of John Kerry's '04 campaign, is the other. The firm had planned on staying neutral through the presidential primaries, so if Sapp is onboard with Hillary Clinton, that's big news. God-o-Meter will look into that possibility and let you know what it learns.

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Filed Under: Chelsea Clinton, Eric Sapp, Hillary Clinton, North Carolina

posted by Dan Gilgoff @11:35pm Permalink Email This Add to: