time to write off the ignorant masses?

Brian Rainey of Harvard Divinity School adds some welcome perspective regarding the polarizing notion that right-wing, gun-toting, gay-hating Christians put Bush over the hump last Tuesday, in his essay, The Devil Made Them Do It? Elections, Religion and the American People at Counterpunch today:

In particular, the role of the "religious right" has been the focus of much attention in the media. It seems clear that this bloc of right-wing, evangelical Christian voters turned out in large numbers, as 22 percent of voters cited "moral values" as the most important issue to them. In addition, weekly church goers overwhelmingly voted for Bush (61 percent to 39 percent). The display of power by the "religious right" has caused some people on the religious left to draw all kinds of off-the-wall conclusions. The solutions I've heard range from suggesting that the left be more concerned about "personal morality" to the idea that Americans were too duped by a fanatical religion to vote for their "class interests."

First, a reality check. While voter turnout was 4 percent higher than in 2000, 45 percent of Americans still did not vote showing that a large segment of the population is still not engaged by the political system. In addition, that Bush mobilized his Christian conservative base is clear, but we should not exaggerate the supposed "right-wing" consciousness of the country. Polls have consistently shown a general progressive consciousness in America. An AP-Ipsis Poll showed that as recent as March 2004, 62 percent of respondents said that they would prefer more spending on health care, education and economic development than balancing the budget. A late October CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 52 percent of Americans believe that the US made a mistake in sending troops into Iraq.

A May 2004 ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 54 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most cases and another CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found that 81 percent of respondents believe that abortion should be either sometimes or always legal [1]. Suggesting, as Vijay Prashad does, that these kinds of polls "might have been weighted for the coasts and not Kansas," [2] is an outlandish grasping at straws. It reflects an irrational (and elitist) refusal to accept that even people in the Midwest may, indeed, be more progressive than stereotypes of academia and the liberal establishment suggest. It shirks the responsibility that the left has of organizing that sentiment into something concrete and legitimates throwing up our hands at the hopelessness of the "ignorant masses."

Rainey's Prashad reference is to An Election of Misogyny and Homophobia: It's Time to Confront the Theocracy Head On by Vijay Prashad, published last week by Counterpunch.