Voters who say they go to church every week usually vote for Republicans. Those who go to church less often or not at all tend to vote Democratic.
Forget the gender gap. The "religion gap" is bigger, more powerful and growing. The divide isn't between Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Gentiles. Instead, on one side are those of many faiths who go to services, well, religiously: Catholics who attend Mass without fail, evangelical Christians and mainline Protestants who show up for church rain or shine, some Orthodox Jews. On the other side are those who attend religious services only occasionally or never.
... Meanwhile, Democrats haven't reached a consensus on a strategy to narrow the religion gap and regain voters the party has lost. ... [Some] argue that voters who frequently attend church would be receptive to an appeal that recasts some traditional Democratic issues -- protecting the environment as the stewardship of God's creation, for instance.
1. It's no longer the gender gap (basically, women vote Democratic, men Republican), it's the religion gap. As my favorite pointy-eared nonhuman would say, fascinating.
2. It's the Republicans who should latch onto environmentalism as stewardship of God's creation. Here's a quiz: Which two words that describe a) "The protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and of natural resources" (source link) and b) a major political orientation have the same root word?
(Hint in the form of another question: which Republican president established the US Forest Service, five national parks, 51 wildlife refuges and 150 national forests? Answer)
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