The following New York Times headline perfect states the political chattering-class hot take of the week: “How Amy Klobuchar Pulled Off the Big Surprise of the New Hampshire Primary.”
Since this is GetReligion, let’s do a big of searching in this article (as well as reading it, of course).
First, let’s search for the word “religion.” Bzzz. Nothing there.
Let’s search for “church.” Bzzz. Zero.
Let’s search for “worship.” Bzzz. Zip.
In light of recent headlines, let’s search for the word “abortion.” Bzzz. Nada.
So what was the big idea in this article from America’s most influential newsroom? This appears to be the thesis:
Ms. Klobuchar’s distinct and deliberate appeal to the centrist spirit caught fire with some late-breaking activists.
Now, what precisely was the CONTENT of this “centrist spirit” that helped create the surprising surge for Klobuchar? That was the topic of discussion during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. You can click here to tune that in or, as always, head over to iTunes.
The Washington Post noticed something interesting in the exit poll numbers and mentioned it, way down in the body of its report. As you would expect, Sen. Bernie Sanders did very well with secular voters. He was +27 with “very liberal” voters and +8 with those who “never attend religious services.”
Klobuchar, on the other hand:
Senior citizens boosted Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), with about a third backing her. The Minnesota senator also received strong support among weekly worship attenders and moderates. She received less support from strong liberals, lower-income voters and those under age 30.
This caught the attention of Michael Wear, who once served as one of President Barack Obama’s “ambassadors to the faith community.”
