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The outspoken Rev. Franklin Graham claimed today that the “majority of Christians” did not vote.
“We know that from of the statistics that I’ve heard that the majority of Christians in this country just did not vote for whatever reason,” he told the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody. “The vast majority of evangelicals did not go to the polls.” He added, “God is in control, and if Christians are upset, they need to be upset at themselves. We need to do a better job of getting our people- the church to vote. Now, I’m not trying to tell you how to vote, you can vote, but vote, my goodness, and vote for candidates that stand for Biblical values.”
But Graham’s assertion -- and implication that had white Christian evangelicals just showed up in bigger numbers, President Obama would have lost -- is off base.
In fact, white evangelicals/born-again Christians made up the same percentage of the electorate as they did in 2008 – 26%. They voted for Mitt Romney, a devout Mormon, by a wider margin than they did for Sen. John McCain four years ago.
And, they made up a larger share of the electorate in 2012 than in 2004, when the Christian Right supposedly fueled George W. Bush’s reelection. They also voted for Romney with the exact same margin as for Bush in 2004, 78%-21%.
Not to mention, Obama won the 48 percent of the electorate that was Christian and not Protestant or Mormon -- 50%-48% among Catholics (25% of the electorate) and 50%-49% of "Other Christians" (23% of the electorate).
In Ohio, they were 1 point more of the electorate than 2008; in Colorado, 4 points higher; in Iowa, up 7 points; in Nevada, up 2.
White evangelical voters in select swing states
CO: 25%, 76-22 Romney; 2008: 21%, 76-23 McCain
FL: 24%, 79-21 Romney; 2008: 24%, 77-21 McCain
IA: 38%, 64-35 Romney; 2008: 31%, 65-33 McCain
NV: 18%, 69-28 Romney; 2008: 16%, 72-27 McCain
OH: 31%, 69-30 Romney; 2008: 30%, 71-27 McCain
They did decline as a share of the electorate in North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. But the drops in states like North Carolina (Graham’s home state) and Virginia likely have less to do with apathy and more to do with demographic changes – transplants in North Carolina’s Research Triangle and growth in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Northern Virginia, for example.
The fact is, Virginia and North Carolina are looking less and less like the Old South and more and more like Mid-Atlantic states.
White evangelical voters in the South (where exit polls are available)
MS: 50%, 95-5 Romney; 2008: 46%, 94-6 McCain
AL: 47% , 90-10 Romney; 2008: 47%, 92-8 McCain
NC: 35%, 79-20 Romney; 2008: 44%, 74-25 McCain
VA: 23%, 83-17 Romney; 2008: 28%, 79-20 McCain
Are there Christian evangelicals who did not vote? Certainly. But that’s true every year and of every demographic group.
Evangelicals make up 26 percent of adults in the country, according to a major 2008 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey. They matched that this election.
The U.S. Census says there are more than 311 million people in the United States. If evangelical adults are 26 percent of them, then there would be 80 million potential voters.
So far, 123 million votes have been counted in this election – and that number will get higher by the millions as votes continue to be counted like in 2008. Evangelicals made up 26 percent of them, therefore, about 32 million evangelicals voted – less than half of their population.
But there’s a need for context here: (1) They make up just 14 percent of the registered-voter base in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. They outpaced that percentage in the presidential election, (2) This is true every other demographic group in the country as well.
Latinos, for example, according to the U.S. Census, are nearly 17 percent of the country, but only made up 10 percent of the 2012 electorate. They make up just 8 to 9 percent of the registered-voter base of the NBC/WSJ poll.
That would mean just 12 million of the 52 million adult Hispanics voted.
If this was Australia, and the U.S. had compulsory voting, Graham’s argument that evangelicals would have tipped the balance would not hold up very well.
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What's so egregious about this swine's remarks is the implication that only Republicans are Christians. I resent that in ways I can't really describe. If anyone's doing the Devil's work, it's guys like this.
And my apologies to Pigotry and other swine, real or imagined. To lump this guy with swine is an insult to swine, and I regret causing any bad feelings.
^ Agreed. I sometimes think the GOP is just flat out insane with racism and bigotry.
The 2012 GOP is similar to the GOP of the 1920's when their ranks swelled with old white males with KKK connections. Anyone familiar with KKK knows how women know their places with men, the group's disassociation with non-whites & ethnic groups, and also how they despise people with different religious beliefs. They believed their way was the only way and promoted their ideology via lies and encouraging violence.
Sounds like the GOP of 2012, doesn't it?
Dear Franklin Graham,
America had by definition a born again President in Jimmy Carter and your Evangelical base treated him like a disease. President Obama said he is a Christian and you doubt him, but you suggest the born again Christians vote for a lying Mormon who is NOT born again... Did I miss something, I don't get it? Better yet, stick to preaching and leave who a person votes for to the voter. I am so tired of preachers thinking they have a right to tell others how to vote. Just because you chuck a bible underneath your arm does not give you the right to tell another Christian how to vote. Especially if you are not their Pastor!
Besides, God never said that we who are in Christ have to go by a righteousness performance plan when we are declared righteous because of what Jesus did on the cross. I also wonder why Barack Obama is the only person I know that ran for President had to go by this evangelical righteous performance test?
And I am tired of Democrats also claiming they know what's best just because they barely won the election. People repeat the lies of both sides. It is not possible to reason with unreasonable people. As a Constitutional Conservative I disagreed politically with Right Wing Nuts and Left Wing Nuts. There are nut cases on both sides of the political spectrum that will not concede even if I prove their views as wrong. The smart ones are those of us that adhere to the Constitution...Period.
Based on the truth coming out about Benghazi, I fully expect to see President Joe Biden to be sworn in by 2013.
2013 is in about 45 days, Truth. And what 'truth' is coming out? Are there 'lies' somewhere that I have not read about?
@ Truth_Hurts-3416308 who said:
"Based on the truth coming out about Benghazi, I fully expect to see President Joe Biden to be sworn in by 2013."
You sounded reasonable dude until that killer statement. In it you exposed yourself as just another right wing nut job & hate Obama merchant, out here licking his wounds and trying to sound contrite via false equivalence arguments. You don't have a clue what happened in Benghazi. Nor do you care. Or you would have demanded the truth of Iraq and WMD; or the Outing of Valerie Plame.
I believe it is going to actually shock nutjobs like you when the full truth does come out about the terrorist attack in BenGhazi and a lot of other things it was connected too. Especially if your right wing rogue ops brigade & Netanyahu were involved in it directly & indirectly. Up until Kaddafy was killed, your boys, John McCain & Lindsey Graham were demanding President Obama support him against that rebellion. I suggest you just stay tuned and STFU about that investigation. Because you know nothing about it! And your comment is dumb, crude and ignorant. Haven't you learned yet, that President Obama doesn't telegraph his punches. One doesn't know he has been hit by him until he is knocked out and flat on his back! Just ask John McCain, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Osama Bin Laden, Muamar Kaddafy, Somali Pirates and coming soon: Bibi Netanyahu, Karl Rove, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, Husted, Kasich, Corbett, Scott and a hist of others who tried to rig & steal an election on November 6.
Just chill out and wait until the drama is reduced to a level you can clearly understand. Paint by numbers.
Johhny B - Actually I do care deeply. I have family and very good buddies of mine that serve at SOCOM and other Spec ops units. Along with their wives and families, I demand to know the truth about what they risk their lives for each time they deploy. I've been around military and government operations long enough to know the Benghazi tragedy was FUBAR and stinks of cover up. Obama said the buck stops with him as the CIC...and so it will when the truth comes out. I'm as fed up with Obama's overly sensitive approach to combating terrorism and hurting peoples feelings as I was when Bush expected our soldiers to read captured terrorists the Miranda rights.
I want to know why Bush & Cheney didn't prevent the 9/11 attack. Put some spin on that. Was it an opportunity to start a war and funnel taxpayer money to defense contractors?
Always blaming on some1 but themselves. Keep doing that, they will never correct their wrongs and they will keep losing.
Hate thy neighbor... the Evangelical Christian TeaBagger mantra.
Stop beating a dead horse. Usually he who gets the most votes wins.
President Obama is Christian.
Mitt Romney is not.
Why does the Reverend think the job of Christians is to vote for the non Christian?
Racism is a form of mental illness!!!
Mormonism does not accept the Trinity. They reject the Nicene doctrine; thus, they are a polytheistic religion and one that accepts an heretical text-- the Book of Mormon. The Twilight Saga is a Mormon allegory: man can ascend to godhead and live eternally with his family. They are a secretive cult that offers nothing to women and girls.
Mormonism accepts the Trinity as three seperate distinct personages. God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. The Nicean Creed was written and voted upon by a group of men who debated who God was around 325 AD. The results of the debate were that the members of the Godhead are all one who can appear in different forms at different times. The ice, water, steam thought of line. Always hard for a Catholic or Protestant to explain why Jesus would hear his father's voice at his baptism or while on the cross, Jesus speaking, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" many other examples throughout the scriptures. I think you "Former teacher" should speak to the millions of LDS women & girls worldwide about having nothing to offer. What an ignorant statement. The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day saints has the oldest womens organization in the world. Go to mormon.org and tell me what is so secretive. Please go back to school.
In "Dreams of My Father", Barack Hussein Obama said, "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction..."
Scommag - Things at home, Europe and Middle East are getting ugly and the political winds are picking up...don't you agree?
And this is what I said months ago... Evangelicals will stay home.
Except they didn't. Did you read the article?
I enjoyed the TRAP post. I think it's because of the RATS syndrome: Republicans Ain't Too Smart.
(in their understanding of how this country was founded, built, and supported on a strong work ethic as well as their state of being stumped by the saying, "nothing is free").
Correct! We all know from Team America that freedom costs a buck-o-five.
Catholic leaders, the "Nuns on a bus" and other Christian leaders said that the Ryan/Romney budget plan was immoral and un-Christian. So I guess I and other voters did God's will and voted for Obama?
Obama won: 50%-48% among Catholics (25% of the electorate)
^ They must not be real Christians then.
Right Rev?
Jesus weeps at the stupidity of bigots who use his name in vain.
If the republicans insist on looking for external reasons for their ultimate demise in this election, they will seal their fate of never winning a national election again. Look within folks...and stop with the conspiracy theories, allegations that the president bought the election, the absurd claim that dems tried to impose voter suppression (Karl Rove) and look at some of the many 'faces' of the party - Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Anne Coulter, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnel, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman and until recently, Todd Akin and Mourdock...just to name a few. Even John McCain seems to have lost his mind. Until someone takes a stand when it counts, the future of the conservative / republican party will be viewed as a bunch of wing nuts and their futures will be as dark as their (fringe's) reported view of the majority of the citizens of our country.
Greed warps the mind, and Franklin Graham is no exception. Looking to feather his already luxurious nest. Now he has no credibility. And if I remember correctly, he was basically telling people to vote for Romney. The religious always know which side of the bread their butter is on.
Another Republican engaged in passing the buck. Of course, Graham should know that's as old as the original mythological story (i.e. 2nd creation story) about Adam passing the buck to Eve and Eve passing the buck to the serpent.
I hope his pop is satisfied that he sold his soul to promote a losing candidate. He removed Mormonism from his cult list purely for politcal purposes. He and his son both have apparently forgotten what the New Testament says over and over. Help the poor, elderly and children. These are the exact programs the republicants insiste on cutting over and over and over. The Democratic party is easily the more Christian party.
If god is in control as he says, doesn't that mean god wanted Obama to be president?
What a schmuck.
The election is over. Obama won. Lets get on with destroying America. The faster the better.
i agree cgent47, then people will be forced to work together just like in all disasters !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Franklin Graham is as stupid as his father, who said about Petreus: well he's a just man and she was a willful woman. He won't find fault in General Petreaus and blames it all on the woman.
Now Franklin say that the Christians didn't vote, when actually, its just that his Evangelical followers have become a minority. Actually they were alway a minority, but had a strong voting block. Now even that voting block no longer can pull a majority.
Give it up guys, this old white guys says: The old white man no longer holds sway. Get used to it.
Another case of self-deluding conservatives working themselves into pretzels to explain their election losses. How about facing the truth---the majority of Americans reject your right-wing agenda. If you stopped watching Fox News and lived in a fact-based world, maybe you would not be so upset and eagerly searching for excuses for your political losses. Forget about those "gifts" Mr. Romney told you about as well as the 47%. You just plain lost---deal.
Ho Ho's - I LOVE Ho Ho's - now the snarky remarks may begin!
I've always loved Little Debbie's cream pie. Wink, wink.
The extreme right-wing evangelical segment of the voting population has finally been recognized as the fringe element it is in our society. Their views are not representative of the vast majority of voters in the U.S. Thank goodness they've lost the unreasonable sway they've had over elections in the last ten years.
greedy, corrupt unions caused more americans to lose their jobs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
way to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elections is nothing to do with God or religions. If society is completely Christians or Muslims there surely will be a reflection in the campaigns and ultimately the results.
I am a Christian. I support gay freedom to be open and live their lives as they choose. We all have common ground of being human being first. I will befriend, chat and eat with them. Despite all that, I personally have limit. I can never support gay wedding in the Church of God. Bible is our holy book and it doesnt allow that. If we are to be fully honest, being gay is against the Bible. and ultmately against the Church. Any decent gay will try to avoid choosing places like Church or Mosque to get married.
For once though, I think some of the Christian Leaders are misinformed. "Give unto Ceazar what is Ceazar's and unto God what is God's " in the Bible clearly stated a parallel and interrelations between all fabrics of society. The game in this world should be based on live and let live.
Rev Graham is not to be involved in political analysis. By saying what he said means he should retire from church work and become anything else other than Priest
He is now like another GOP I admired and actually respected. John MCcain and a non priest Graham who came out shouting about Benghazi and Ambassador Rice. They've all lost my respect.
My problem is about how US can be UNITED and on that I think the only thing I can do is to appeal to GOP supporters and fan NOT to leave their Party but to mix their sources of news and facts about National and World affairs. FOX NEWS and Rush Limbaugh and other narrow minded channels are telling you things to make you educated illiterates by design.
If these guys ever go abroad and not to the foresty part of Quagagoudou, they are likely to be made to feel belittled academically about world affairs and even on the knowledge about their own country where 90% of what they were made to know are not facts.
Just remember what your Party leaders have been saying and two days of Benghazi investigation shows that they have been shooting their gun without aims.
The CHOICE is YOURS
Graham is the poster boy of what is wrong with right wing Christianity.