Election ’08 Evangelical Odds Sheet

Updated: December 1, 2006

Keith Drury

I was never interested in sports as a hobby—it seemed to be a lot of money and noise about nothing in the end. Instead, I have always been interested in national and international politics which is a lot of money and noise about a tiny bit more. So, while it is too early to give the “evangelical odds” on potential candidates, I’m gonna’ do it anyway. By “evangelical odds” I mean the position the various potential candidates have of getting evangelical Christian’s support in my opinion. These are not my own personal opinions on the candidates (I do that elsewhere), but are my general judgment on behalf of evangelicals. I am accounting for the fact that Republican evangelicals outnumber Democrats two to one and at the same time almost 30% of evangelicals voted Democrat in the 2006 election. Figuring that all in, here is my December 1, 2006 odds sheet for these candidates—you are welcome to add others-it is very early yet.

(Pictures may not load in Firfox)

Party	Face	Name	Evangelicals odds
			Republicans
		Mike Huckabee	The outgoing Arkansas governor is a Baptist minister and has lost a ton of weight recently which might get him on Oprah. He is considered the “ideal” evangelical candidate by many and the opposite image of the other candidate who (used to be) from Arkansas. But he’s a long shot. Could be a “temporary holding tank” for evangelical votes? EVANGELGRADE= A-
		John McCain	The front running maverick divorced cussing senator from Arizona has said some nasty things about the Christian right but already has Jerry Falwell in his pocket. Right-tilting evangelicals might eventually accept him as a Hillary-killer since many independents and even Democrats like him. EVANGELGRADE= B+
		Mitt Romney	The outgoing Massachusetts governor is the perfect evangelical candidate with sterling personal moral standards and the right moral positions for most evangelicals but can evangelicals vote for a Mormon as President like they swallowed their resistance to the divorced actor Ronald Reagan? Who knows? EVANGELGRADE= B+
		Chuck Hagel	Senator from Nebraska who has been a critic of the execution of the war in Iraq but has a hard time making people fall in love with him or working very hard for his cause. He is a centrist candidate—but if evangelicals want a centrist they have others with better chances of actually being elected. Zzzzzzzzz. EVANGELGRADE= B-
		Rudy Giuliani	The 9-11 hero former mayor of New York is also a cheatin’ multi-divorced pro choice, pro gay union liberal Republican and is thus considered by evangelicals to be a Democrat cross-dresser. Christians can forgive a liberal democrat quicker then a liberal Republican. But he speaks at the same events with John Maxwell and that is worth a C at least. EVANGELGRADE= C
			This space reserved for a new and exciting Republican candidate I have misses—want to recommend one?
			Democrats
		Barack Obama	If the Democrats wanted to invent someone Republican Evangelicals might like they would have invented Barack. A centrist unifier who listens to the other side and is open about his Christian faith. Evangelicals may even crossover and vote for him in Democrat primaries just to defeat the hated Hillary. Of course he’s a kid and untested. EVANGELGRADE= B
		John Edwards	Remember him? He’s was the nice guy that got beat. He seemed like he ought to be more memorable than he is. His crusade against poverty has attracted some big hearted evangelicals. And he is from the South—and “Southern” is Baptist’s first name. But most consider him warmed over soup from 2004. He does have credentials as a uniter—but the last guy who had those credentials turned out to be more divisive than anyone could have imagined. EVANGELGRADE= C+
		Tom Vilsack	The Iowa governor ought to be able to do well in the Iowa caucuses I suppose. He is a moderate Democrat and evangelicals won’t support him but at least might not pray for his destruction if elected. EVANGELGRADE= C
		Hillary Clinton	Senator from New York with a bezillion dollars in her political war chest. She’s softened up recently and tells about her conversion to leftish policies under the tutelage of her youth pastor while on a missions trip. She also wears a cross necklace which is worth three votes. Many evangelicals consider her an agent of Satan or her being “too weak to leave her philandering husband.” If she is elected President many will pray for her destruction. EVANGELGRADE= D-
		John Kerry	Evangelicals don’t hate Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.. They just dismiss him as a worn out buffoon. In this they agree with many Democrats. EVANGELGRADE= F
			This space reserved for a new and exciting Democrat candidate I have missed… Al Gore, anyone? Anyone/

So what do you think? Who would you add and how do you grade these or others? click here to comment or read comments

December 1, 2006 Keith Drury