Don't Preach for the Polls

By Paul Waldman, Gadflyer. Posted July 17, 2004.

John Kerry is getting a lot of unsolicited advice these days. And a growing number of commentators are advising Kerry to start talking about religion more. Because of the "church attendance gap" – the fact that one of the best predictors of how you'll vote is how often you attend religious services – Kerry is being warned to beef up his religious bona fides or else. But if Kerry takes their advice too far, he could be making a big mistake. In fact, the church attendance gap isn't a problem for him – it's a problem for President Bush

Kerry seems fairly religious – he goes to Mass every Sunday, which is one more church appearance per week than President Bush puts in, for instance. But his religion, and the way he is comfortable talking about it, don't fit in with what some believe to be the appropriate campaigning style. Writing recently in Slate.com , Steven Waldman, the editor of Beliefnet.com (and no relation to the author) lamented the limited number of religious references in Kerry's speeches. "If Kerry's uncomfortable with religion," Waldman wrote, "then he's uncomfortable with Americans." Similar counsel has come in the pages of other newspapers and magazines from commentators such as David Brooks and our own Amy Sullivan.

What these writers miss is that there is a big difference between being "uncomfortable with religion" and being uncomfortable shouting your faith from the rooftops. The problem seems to be that Kerry's faith is too personal, too quiet, not out front enough. You may be a Catholic, Kerry is being told, but you'd better start talking like a Southern Baptist.

Looking for the "real" America

As in many areas, there's an underlying assumption here, that the codes and modes of certain kinds of Americans (usually conservatives) are "American," and the ways of the rest of us are aberrational. And it's when the chattering class – an elite culture, both the liberals and conservatives – finds something outside of their experience or habits that they are most likely to label it "authentically" American. NASCAR is thought to be more American than John Kerry's favorite sport of hockey, country music is supposed to be more American than jazz or rock, and the places where there are lots of Republicans are supposed to be more American than the places where there are lots of Democrats. No presidential aspirant would get in trouble for being unfamiliar with, say, the New York subway system, but the candidate who admits that he has never been to a cattle auction will be branded as "out of touch" with regular Americans.

And nowhere is this clearer than on the issue of religion. Forget about admitting you just don't believe in God (all faiths may command respect in the public sphere, but not believing is an instant disqualifier). Candidates are supposed to bring up the topic of religion regularly, go into detail about their beliefs, and pepper their public statements with religious references. Those who don't are chastised for being unconcerned with "morality" and "values" and failing to "connect" with religious voters.

But the fact is that the particular style of public religiosity pundits ask candidates to adopt is not characteristic of most people's faiths. Joe Lieberman may invoke God every time he opens his mouth, but most Jews don't. Catholics like John Kerry seldom feel the need to discuss their beliefs with anyone who'll listen. And adherents of some Protestant denominations are more reticent than others when it comes to bringing God into the conversation.

Recall that Howard Dean was slammed for saying he was going to talk about religion more, because it obviously wasn't true to his own feelings. Yet we are now told that Kerry has to start acting like an evangelical, whether he believes it or not. So George W. Bush seems to have become the model of appropriate religious expression.

Paul Waldman writes for Gadflyer.

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