Recent statements by Democratic National Party Chairman Howard Dean and star Senator Barack Obama have made clear the Democrats’ intention to stop ceding religious voters to Republicans and to make them an electoral target this year. If the information provided by the Arizona Democratic Party and posted at the national Democratic Party Web site is any indication though, they have yet to grasp the job ahead of them.

As part of the Democratic Reunion campaign, resources have been made available to assist those canvassing their neighborhoods on behalf of the Democratic Party. A canvassing tip sheet at the website instructs volunteers to discuss the issues important to their neighbors and then lists things to look for in order to get an idea of what those issues are. The first two items listed are:

Bumper stickers or window decals: What issues are brought up? Do they indicate issue preferences? Do they indicate particular values?

Religious items: Do they have any religious items in view? What can you tell by the nature of their religious display?”

The tip sheet continues, “Take a quick look around. What do you see and what might it tell you about the person whose home you are visiting? What might each of the cues listed below tell you about the voters who live there?” Cues then listed include “religious symbols,” “U.S. flag,” “well tended flower garden” and “expensive car.”

Listed also on the tip sheet are various bumper stickers that might give the canvassers insight into the voters they will be addressing, including religious bumper stickers and even specifically the “Hate Is Not A Family Value” sticker.

After reading the canvassing tips, Pat Hynes, author of In Defense Of The Religious Right, said: "It is a testament as to how remarkably out of touch the Democrats are that they need to count the number of Jesus fish on the bumpers of cars to measure the values of their communities. Instead of spying on their neighbors to build their political databases, Democrats would be wise to darken the doorways of a church now and again and absorb some of the traditional moral values that play an increasing role in public life."

As Hynes’ comment suggests, much of the outreach discussed by Democratic leaders has had more to do with symbolism, or “religious display,” than it has with substance. For instance, there has been a lot of discussion about learning to talk the language of religion, but not nearly as much about how faith forms the foundation for the political views of many voters.

Last year Democratic Senators and staffers were coached to speak in "moral terms.” The problem Democrats have had in speaking to religious voters is not in choosing the correct terms to use, but rather it is in the schizophrenic nature of their positions on the role of religion in politics. Continued...