Mike Huckabee’s Iowa victory last week has stirred a sleeping giant in US politics. It was a timely reminder that the Religious Right owns a large section of America’s conservative electorate. We can forget Barack Obama’s enormous grassroots appeal, his massive student following, his precinct captains and armies of volunteers. Nothing can match the pull of evangelism in American politics. It is a force capable of catapulting a little-known candidate from last place to frontrunner, keeping Democrats out of Congress and the White House, and sustaining a Republican monopoly over Bible Belt politics.

Christian evangelicals in America have a reputation for being heavily conservative, especially on issues of morality. Their influence is clear. Questions on Creationism and school prayer have persistently come up in the Republican televised debates. They have a massive following among those who see a connection between faith and traditional values. And they are organised. The Christian Coalition of America is one of the most effective interest groups in the United States.

But how can Democrats win against such a formidable force? The most common response seems to be submission – to surrender Christianity to the American Right and look elsewhere for votes. But Christianity is not synonymous with conservatism. It can also be a force of moderation, even liberalism. Many of the Democratic Party’s core voters are often evangelical Christians. Among African Americans, almost ninety percent of whom consistently vote Democrat in presidential elections, you will find some of the most committed Christians in the United States. Democrats must not just abandon the Bible Belt; they must try to win the argument.

As an agnostic, I don’t spend much time quoting scripture. But I know enough to realise that Christianity, like many things, can be used selectively. The Religious Right are experts at doing just that. It is time for liberals to step up and offer an alternative view. As long as they stay quiet, they will never quite be able to take back America. Even in victory, they would inherit a deeply divided country.

It will undoubtedly be difficult. The Religious Right are a tough bunch to quarrel with. Fittingly, I once argued with an American evangelical on the steps of the US Supreme Court and ended up almost being thrown down them. But ordinary people are receptive to new perspectives, and there is no shortage of talent in liberal America to offer them.

Filed under: andrewnoakes, election2008, mikehuckabee, religion, republican, uspolitics on January 11th, 2008