The GOP, under the leadership of the Far Right, is now attacking Democrats for lacking Christian Faith. This is deplorable politics, and quite frightening to see. These sorts of attacks should not surprise us though. The GOP has found that the best way for them to win has been to attack Democrat's patriotism (as in the case of both Max Cleland and Tom Daschle), and now they are just upping the ante. If they are successful here in Virginia, this will only encourage them to escalate these attacks further.Tim Kaine has gone a great distance to try to undermine the GOP's strategy. He's been ahead of the game, putting up radio ads all across Virginia, but most especially in the rural areas of the state, talking about how his religious faith has guided his life. Some bloggers across the country have been vexed at Kaine because of this (and because he said we should not accuse people of being part of the Religious Right). These bloggers complain about the influence of religion in politics. While a candidate in New England does not need to wear their religion on their sleeve to win, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so in some other parts of the country.
Mark Warner won in 2001 without having to make overt religious appeals. That was then. But this is 2005, and Tim Kaine does not have one of the advantages that Warner possessed. The state finances are back in order, so there is no prevalent demonstration of GOP incompetence in people's minds to show them that giving the Democrats a chance is a good idea. Continuing a positive record is much harder than replacing a negative one. And so, the playing field is more evenly matched. And with Kilgore's hiring of Scott Howell (the same guy who accussed Cleland and Daschle of being unpatriotic, traitorous even), it makes sense for Kaine to head Kilgore off at Faith Pass.
What Kaine is doing is showing how faith has moved his life, which tells voters that his values are based in the same thing as theirs (and let's face it, most of the electorate in Virginia is Christian). This gives Kaine the ability to forge a connection with these rural voters (you know, the working white men and women who used to vote Democratic regularly but are now, for social reasons, voting more Republican). With a connection established, later in the campaign, Kaine will be able to talk about other issues, such as economic ones, that will resonate further with these groups of voters. If no connection were made now, then these voters wouldn't even listen to him.
Kaine is smart to get such ads out there early. He should make even more such biographical spots and keep them up for the next five months at least. By that time, people will hear the name Kaine and think 'a Christian man of faith'. It may not win him all of rural Virginia, but it is certainly going to win him some votes in a critical region that Democrats need to be performing better in.
And Kilgore knows this is a good strategy, which is why he's already come out attacking Kaine's sincerity of faith. Kaine jumped all over him when that happened, another good move, forcing Kilgore to backpedal. But Kilgore isn't finished attacking Tim Kaine's faith, not by any stretch of the imagination. We must be ready to call him on this at every turn. Write those Letters to the Editor supporting Tim Kaine and stating that he is a man of deep Christian faith. We need to support this frame and this truth at every turn.