Interesting part in the
Consortium News article entitled: Do Democrats Need the South?
(note: the main thrust of the article is not the point of this diary)
About Bush and fundamentalist Christians:
George W. Bush has been particularly effective in playing to the fundamentalist vote by salting his speeches with religious wording. He frequently cites the role of "the Almighty" in justifying his government policies, including the war in Iraq.
Bush's personal religious views remain something of a mystery. He lists himself as a Methodist but unlike Clinton and other many other presidents, Bush rarely attends public church services. Still, he has convinced many Christian fundamentalists that he is one of them, particularly with his use of religious language and his staunch support of Israel's right-wing Likud leadership.
In September 2003, GQ published perhaps the fullest account of Bush's religious journey, entitled "George W.'s Personal Jesus" by Guy Lawson. The story is a largely sympathetic rendition of Bush's transformation from a hard-partying oilman to a Christian evangelical who gave up drinking after his 40th birthday.
Yet, the article notes how Bush and his advisers have taken pains to shield Bush's religious views from any serious analysis. Whether intended or not, that secrecy has the additional benefit of conveying a subliminal message to Christian fundamentalists who have become more convinced that Bush must be one of them because they, too, feel that their "Biblical world view" is under siege from secular society and can't be discussed too openly.
Though Bush has proved a master of appealing to Christian evangelicals through subtle messages, Lawson's article includes an interview with one of President George H.W. Bush's political advisers that raises doubt about the younger Bush's sincerity in using religion for political ends.
According to the GQ article, Doug Wead, a political adviser to the senior Bush in 1987, had written a series of memos on how to communicate with evangelical Christians. Wead's motto was "signal early and signal often," meaning that references to God in speeches and contacts with celebrity evangelicals sent a message to this important political group that would pass over the heads of non-evangelicals.
"George would read my memos, and he would be licking his lips saying, 'I can use this to win in Texas,'" Wead said.
Since then, George W. Bush also has demonstrated that he can use Wead's strategies to win by attracting evangelicals throughout the South and across the country.
The political point to what Bush believes as a Christian shouldn't be lost. It might be worthwhile to create a library of the Biblical passages that Bush has presented in public, and the context. Anyone know of any quick resource with this info?