Barack Obama has just done something that’s either awfully stupid or incredibly smart. The presumptive Democratic nominee has made a concerted move toward the political center since slaying the dragon last month, culminating in his advocacy of (gulp) faith-based initiatives. Which begs the questions: has he tipped his hand, revealing a politician with the religiosity of George W. Bush, or executed a calculated strategy to make inroads with Evangelical Christians, a traditional GOP voting bloc that John McCain is struggling to bring into his camp? Is there a bit of each motivating his decision?
Obama has shown time and again that he wants to win, and unlike Democratic politicians of the past who shall remain named John Kerry, is willing to roll up his sleeves and do what he thinks it takes. Pandering to the religious special interest groups* runs the risk of alienating the Godless left, as well as the 2.6% of Americans who remember with fondness the contents of the Constitution. But in the grand scheme of things, the entire country – make that everyone in the country who isn’t too lazy or disinterested to vote – will have their say in November. If Obama has to distribute pictures of Jesus Christ and himself hunting deer to every one of them to win their favor, that’s the kind of change he can believe in.
*Their interest is in Jesus, natch.
