Posted exactly as recieved. No changes were made. On Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 7:36 PM, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Not sure, but I don't think Travis wrote the Headline... > > Idiot. > > > On Nov 12, 5:25 pm, Hollywood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Travis, > > > > Religions and people other than Christians "have Faith"........hick. > > > > On Nov 12, 7:08 pm, Travis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > From: Travis > > > Subject: "How People of Faith Voted in the 2008 Presidential Race" > > > > > Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, > > > > > The ignorant fools! They don't know what they've done! > > > > > May God have mercy on the USA! > > > > > <http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdates> > > > Image courtesy of istockphoto. click for info < > http://www.istockphoto.com/> > > > Page Tools > > > > > <http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Subscribe> > > > < > http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdate...> > > > > > How People of Faith Voted in the 2008 Presidential Race > > > November 11, 2008 (Ventura, California) - With the nation's longest > > > election campaign ever finally completed, and Barack Obama emerging as > a 53% > > > to 46% victor over Sen. John McCain, a new election analysis survey by > The > > > Barna Group provides the details of how people of faith voted in 2008. > > > *Obsession > > > or Sport?* News about the candidates and the election seemed ubiquitous > for > > > the past 18 months. Overall, two-thirds of all registered voters (67%) > said > > > they followed the 2008 election campaign "very closely" and another > > > one-quarter (27%) followed it "somewhat closely." People who do not > consider > > > themselves to be Christians followed the campaign slightly more closely > than > > > did those who claim to be Christian (71% versus 67%). To place that > interest > > > level in context, the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, > > > which ended in a dead heat, was followed "very closely" by just 43% of > > > registered voters. *Evangelicals* Evangelicals are a small proportion > of the > > > national population - just 7% of all adults. But they tend to capture > the > > > imagination and attention of the national media and political pundits. > The > > > survey data consistently show that evangelical Christians have among > the > > > highest rates of voting turnout among all voter groups and are, in > fact, > > > strikingly different from the rest of the population - even from other > born > > > again Christians who are not evangelical. As was true in the past two > > > presidential elections, two-thirds of all evangelicals who were > registered > > > to vote (65%) were aligned with the Republican Party. One out of five > (21%) > > > was Democrats and just one out of ten (10%) was registered independent > of a > > > party. That puts evangelicals at odds with the national voter profile, > which > > > shows a plurality of Democrats (42%), one-third Republican (34%) and > two out > > > of ten (20%) independent of a party affiliation. Most remarkably, > however, > > > was the overwhelming support registered among evangelicals for > Republican > > > candidate John McCain. In total, 88% voted for Sen. McCain, compared to > just > > > 11% for Sen. Obama. The 88% is statistically identical to the 85% of > > > evangelicals who backed George W. Bush in 2004. Surveys conducted by > Barna > > > throughout the campaign season showed that evangelicals were not > > > enthusiastic about either candidate, but on Election Day evangelicals > came > > > through in a big way for the most conservative major candidate on the > > > ballot. Evangelicals chose their candidate on a different set of > indicators > > > than did other voters. When asked their primary reason for supporting > the > > > candidate they selected, 40% of evangelicals said it was because of the > > > candidate's position on moral issues. Only 9% of other voters listed > that as > > > their driving reason. Other significant reasons for evangelical voters > > > included their candidate's political experience (23%) and his character > > > (15%). Unlike other polls, Barna surveys classify a person as an > evangelical > > > based upon their answers to nine questions about their theological > beliefs. > > > Most national surveys simply ask people if they consider themselves to > be > > > evangelical, born again or a committed conservative Christian. As a > result, > > > evangelicals in Barna surveys are significantly different than the > groups > > > reported in other surveys. For the sake of comparison, the Barna survey > also > > > examined the voting behavior of people who identified themselves as > > > evangelicals. The self-identified evangelicals represented 41% of the > adult > > > population, although just 16% of them qualified as evangelicals under > the > > > Barna Group's theological-based classification questions. Among the > > > self-described evangelicals, 61% voted for Sen. McCain and 38% went > with > > > Sen. Obama. (For information about the Barna classification process, > see the > > > "About the Research" section at the end of this article.) *Born Again > > > Christians* Evangelicals represent just one out of every six born again > > > adults. The survey data among all born again adults found that they > were > > > much more likely to vote for Sen. McCain (57% did so) than for Sen. > Obama > > > (42%). As substantial as that margin is, the 15-point gap was > considerably > > > less than the 24-point margin accorded to George W. Bush in his 2004 > > > campaign against Sen. John Kerry. However, it is identical to the > 15-point > > > spread they gave to Mr. Bush in 2000, and more than double the 6-point > > > margin they gave Sen. Bob Dole in his 1996 loss to Democratic incumbent > Bill > > > Clinton. However, born again Christians in general chose their > candidate > > > based on different criteria than did evangelicals. The major > motivations > > > among born again Christians who are not evangelical were political > > > experience (20%), ideas about the country's future (18%), character > (17%), > > > and economic policies (17%). To highlight the contrast in priorities, > note > > > that just 7% of evangelicals identified economic policy as a motivator, > and > > > only 8% of the non-evangelical born again Christians listed the > candidate's > > > positions on moral issues. Many observers were surprised to discover > that > > > born again Christians, who are about 43% of the adult population, were > just > > > as likely to be registered as Democrats as Republicans. At the time of > the > > > election, 39% of registered voters who were born again identified > themselves > > > as Democrats, 41% as Republicans, and 16% as independents. *Voters > Outside > > > the Born Again Universe* The majority of the population is not born > again > > > Christians. Among them a much higher proportion was registered as > either > > > Democrats (44%) or independents (24%) than was true among the born > again > > > segment. Barely one-quarter of the non-born again group (27%) was > > > Republicans. Non-Christians provided Sen. Obama with a lopsided 62% to > 36% > > > margin of preference over Sen. McCain. That 26-point gap surpassed the > > > 20-point margin the group provided to John Kerry in 2004 and the > 15-point > > > margin awarded to Al Gore in 2000. This shift came primarily from those > > > non-born again adults who have moderate social and political views. The > > > non-born again constituency was motivated to support their candidate of > > > choice largely because of his ideas about the future (28%), economic > > > policies (16%) and political experience (15%). *Protestants and > > > Catholics* Protestant > > > voters were evenly split between being registered as Democrats and > > > Republicans. However, they sided with Sen. McCain by a 53% to 46% > split. > > > That 7-point gap was just half the margin accorded to George W. Bush in > 2004 > > > (57% to 42%), but within range of the 4-point preference given to Mr. > Bush > > > in 2000 (51% to 47%). Nearly half of all registered Catholics were > aligned > > > with the Democratic Party (48%), compared to only about one-quarter > > > associated with the Republicans (28%) and one-fifth who remained > independent > > > (20%). Their voting behavior was significantly different than that of > > > Protestants: they backed Sen. Obama by a 56% to 43% outcome. That was > far > > > different than the even split in 2004 (49% for Pres. Bush vs. 49% for > Sen. > > > Kerry) and substantially more support for the Democratic candidate than > they > > > had given to Al Gore in 2000 (49%, versus 43% to Mr. Bush). *Atheists > and > > > Agnostics* The second largest faith group in America, trailing only the > > > Christian segment, is atheists and agnostics. These religious skeptics > > > represent about one out of every ten adults. About four out of ten > skeptics > > > were registered as Democrats, four out of ten as independents and just > two > > > out of ten as Republicans. Three-fourths of atheists and agnostics > (76%) > > > gave their vote to Sen. Obama, while only 23% backed Sen. McCain. That > is a > > > step up from the level of support Democrats have previously received > from > > > skeptics. In 2004, 64% of atheists and agnostics voted for Democratic > > > challenger John Kerry. *Voters of Non-Christian Faiths* About 5% of > > > America's adult population associates with faiths other than > Christianity > > > (e.g., Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, etc.). Within this group, about half > (47%) > > > were registered as Democrats, 30% were independent, and one-quarter > (23%) > > > were Republicans. The ballots of this group were most often cast for > Barack > > > Obama (62%) rather than John McCain (36%). The support provided to the > > > Democratic candidate is identical to the backing this group provided to > John > > > Kerry four years ago (61%). *Assumed Competence* Barna asked voters how > well > > > they thought each candidate would perform as president if he were > elected. > > > The outcome showed that Sen. Obama's constituency was more confident in > his > > > ability as chief executive than Sen. McCain's supporters were of their > man's > > > potential. In addition, McCain supporters were more confident that Sen. > > > Obama would do well in the position than Obama supporters were about > Sen. > > > McCain's likely performance. Among Sen. McCain's voters, only 74% felt > he > > > would do an excellent or good job as president. In contrast, 91% of > Sen. > > > Obama's supporters said he would perform well. Among Sen. McCain's > backers, > > > 17% felt Sen. Obama would do well if the Democrat were elected. Only > 10% of > > > Sen. Obama's voters felt > > > > ... > > > > read more ยป- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > > -- *~@):~{> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
