And I wish to heck Conservatives would lay off the religious stuff. As fervent as you and I are about our beliefs, I am sure that turns off a lot of sinners/voters.
Terry, 230RN
It turns out this may be a uniquely good time for politicians to talk about religion, and signal support for religious citizens who vote. Here are a few reasons:
It's only a matter of months since American churches were legally required to close, or restricted in ways that other public places were not. Pastors in
Florida and
Louisiana were actually arrested over this stuff. Some church-goers in Nevada actually
held at least one service in a casino, as the state allowed more occupancy there, than at a place of worship. Churches in California were also treated as non-essential, and faced tighter restrictions than other public places,
until the courts stepped in. Also, the Vice-President of the guy who tried to force nuns to pay for birth control was just installed in the Oval Office.
Across the border, Canadian authorities shut down a non-compliant church, and went so far as to
build a fence around it. I guess fences aren't racist there. They jailed the pastor for a month, too. A church in Manitoba might be facing a million in fines. Another
guy in Canada is in jail for "misgendering" his daughter. Which is to say, he refuses to misgender her, by referring to her as a boy.
The point here isn't a "defense of religion," or to whine or complain. The point is, if a significant portion of your constituents feel as if they're under siege, it makes sense politically to court their vote.