Primaries are won at the extremes while general elections are won in the center. Its a well worn truism of politics which is reconfirmed each election. Obama' s announcement that he will continue to fund Bush's Faith Based Initiatives if elected, is the latest example.
Barack Obama pledged Tuesday to expand a controversial White House program that funnels federal money to religious charities, embracing a core piece of President Bush's legacy as he tries to win over Republican-leaning evangelical voters.
The presumed Democratic presidential nominee said he would make it easier for churches and small community groups to win grants and would spend $500 million to help schools and churches run summer reading programs.
This is part of an effort to defuse religious opposition to him. The theory is if you can't win them, neutralize them.
The campaign is targeting young and politically moderate evangelicals who are not excited about presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.
One new pro-Obama group, the Matthew 25 Network, run by several Democratic strategists who have pushed the party to court religious voters, began airing an ad Tuesday on Christian radio stations, playing a clip in which Obama recalls becoming a Christian."Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me," Obama says in the ad. "I submitted myself to his will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth."
It is upsetting some liberal groups, but that's part of the point. Their opposition might actually help legitimize the move to centrists, to make it seem more credible. Smart stuff.
