God-o-Meter

Obama Runs Ralph Reed Ad in Atlanta

Thursday August 21, 2008

Categories: Barack Obama

Here's the new ad:

Notice how it identifies Reed only as a friend and business associate of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and doesn't try to demonize the former Christian Coalition chief for being a member of the Religious Right? That's intentional. It's called religious sensitivity. It's a relatively new skill for Democrats.

They're realized that labeling conservatives and Republicans as Religious Rightists ain't necessarily an insult in the eyes of many voters, and that plays into the party's image as being anti-religion.

That's especially important because this ad is aimed squarely at Southern values voters (It's airing only in Georgia). The Democrats went a long way in closing the gap with Republicans among what the Democratic National Committee calls "values-first voters" between 2004 and 2006. The reason: the string of GOP corruption scandals, from Tom Delay to Randy "Duke" Cunningham to Mark Foley. Internal DNC polls shows that Democratic gains among values-first voters came each time one of those scandals broke. So look for the Dems to keep playing the corruption card with ads like this. Just don't expect them to tak figures like Ralph Reed to task for being "agents of intolerance."

Also, check out God-o-Meter's exclusive Ralph Reed interview.

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Comments
Paul, seeking wisdom.
August 21, 2008 12:08 PM

What's wrong with America? The biggest crooks have allies in Congress. We haven't learned a thing since the Keating five mess. And to make things worse, we keep electing crooks and traitors back into office.

MediaWatch
August 21, 2008 7:24 PM

I find this report to be refreshingly fair. And the God-O-Meter is an interesting concept. I'll be checking back often to check the meter. God bless!

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About God-o-Meter

This blog is no longer updated and is closed for comments. We welcome your comments about politics in our Politics forums.

The God-o-Meter (pronounced Gah-DOM-meter) scientifically measures factors such as rate of God-talk, effectiveness—saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn't guarantee a high rating—and other top-secret criteria (Actually, the adjustment criteria are here). Click a candidate's head to get his or her latest God-o-Meter reading and blog post. And check back often. With so much happening on the campaign trail, God-o-Meter is constantly recalibrating!

God-o-Meter blogger Dan Gilgoff is Beliefnet's Politics Editor. A former political correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, he is author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War.

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