The following New York Times headline perfect states the political chattering-class hot take of the week: “How Amy Klobuchar Pulled Off the Big Surprise of the New Hampshire Primary.”
Since this is GetReligion, let’s do a big of searching in this article (as well as reading it, of course).
First, let’s search for the word “religion.” Bzzz. Nothing there.
Let’s search for “church.” Bzzz. Zero.
Let’s search for “worship.” Bzzz. Zip.
In light of recent headlines, let’s search for the word “abortion.” Bzzz. Nada.
So what was the big idea in this article from America’s most influential newsroom? This appears to be the thesis:
Ms. Klobuchar’s distinct and deliberate appeal to the centrist spirit caught fire with some late-breaking activists.
Now, what precisely was the CONTENT of this “centrist spirit” that helped create the surprising surge for Klobuchar? That was the topic of discussion during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. You can click here to tune that in or, as always, head over to iTunes.
The Washington Post noticed something interesting in the exit poll numbers and mentioned it, way down in the body of its report.
As you would expect, Sen. Bernie Sanders did very well with secular voters. He was +27 with “very liberal” voters and +8 with those who “never attend religious services.”
Klobuchar, on the other hand:
Senior citizens boosted Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), with about a third backing her. The Minnesota senator also received strong support among weekly worship attenders and moderates. She received less support from strong liberals, lower-income voters and those under age 30.
This caught the attention of Michael Wear, who once served as one of President Barack Obama’s “ambassadors to the faith community.”
In her late-night speech in New Hampshire, Klobuchar told her cheering supporters:
“We know that we win by bringing people with us instead of shutting them out. Donald Trump’s worst nightmare is that the people in the middle, the people who have had enough of the name-calling and the mudslinging, have someone to vote for in November.”
So, if you were a reporter who had been paying attention to Klobuchar in the final days leading up to New Hampshire, what was she doing with that “shutting them out” language? Might that have had something to do with religious believers in the party, especially the not-so-small flock of Democrats who embrace the label “pro-life”?
Maybe it was the following, when Sanders was asked his opinion of “pro-life Democrats.”
Klobuchar quickly took a different stance, when asked the same question. Here she is on “The View.”
Here is how those remarks played out in a report at the Catholic News Agency:
Appearing on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday, Klobuchar was asked by co-host Meghan McCain if “there’s room for pro-life Democrats to vote for you,” citing recent comments by the senator indicating she was open to pro-life support.
“Well first, let me say this. I am strongly pro-choice, I have always been pro-choice,” Klobuchar responded. …
But Klobuchar told McCain on Tuesday, she did not think pro-life Democrats should be expelled from the party.
“I believe we’re a big-tent party. And there are pro-life Democrats, and they are a part of our party,” she said. “And I think we need to build a big tent. I think we need to bring people in instead of shutting them out.”
What is going on here?
So far, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been the Democrat who has made the strongest effort to wear his Episcopal Church faith on his sleeve. This has helped him win a piece of the media elite’s coveted “moderate” label in the campaign.
Mayor Pete, however, had his own close encounter with the abortion issue during an on-air Fox News forum exchange with Kristen Day, the leader of Democrats for Life.
Thus, when it comes to religion and abortion, it appears that we have Sanders on the secular left. Then there is Buttigieg, who is smiling at conservative and moderate Democrats — but standing firm when it comes to rejecting their role in the party.
What is Klobuchar up to? Maybe she is trying for the liberal Christian formula that worked for the Obama 1.0 campaign?
The senator is, after all, a member of the same tiny liberal Christian flock as the former president — the United Church of Christ. At this point, she is talking about the need to work with pro-life people on decreasing the number of abortions, while raising the number of adoptions. She has said that she doesn’t want to kick pro-life Democrats out of the party.
Is this a story? Let’s see what happens when she visits African-American and Latino churches in the Bible Belt. Also, what happens when clergy and faith-driven social activists ask her questions about religious liberty and the First Amendment?