Good news, if you believe it
By Lee Russ
Sunday, December 03, 2006 at 10:40 AM
From the Charlotte Observer:
Those moral concerns drove choices more than abortion, gay marriage
Moral concerns about poverty and the Iraq war drove the religious vote more than abortion and same-sex marriage in the midterm elections, according to a poll released Wednesday by two progressive faith-based groups.
Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, both based in Washington, said the results signal a shift among religious voters from hot-button issues to broader concerns, such as economic justice and integrity in government.
The national poll, conducted by the nonpartisan firm Zogby International, surveyed 16,477 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.8 percentage points.
Over 45 percent of those polled said the war was "the moral issue that most influenced" their vote, an increase of 4 percentage points from the 2004 election. Abortion as an issue declined by 5 points, with about 8 percent citing it as a motivating factor.
I'm not at all sure that I believe this analysis, but I hope it turns out to be right.