An Independent Streak: Voters in the
middle are growing fonder of Republicans

by Michael Franc

The hottest political growth stock these last six months has been that of "independents." A recent Pew Research Center study found that "the percentage of self-described political independents has steadily climbed, on a monthly basis, from 30 percent last December to 39 percent in April." That, Pew adds, is a 70-year high.

Not surprisingly, Pew found that the Republican party has lost many disgruntled conservatives (and some moderates) to the ranks of the independents in recent years. But Democrats, too, began vacating their premises during the new president's traditional honeymoon period, falling from 39 percent in December to 36 percent in February to 33 percent in April. Talk about separate bedrooms! Because their ranks are exploding with the disgruntled from both major parties, one would not expect independents as a whole to move very far ideologically in one direction or the other -- unless, that is, something is going on here.

Writing last year in the Wall Street Journal, John P. Avlon described independents as "fiscally conservative, socially progressive, and strong on national security. They believe in putting patriotism over partisanship and the national interest over special interests." The Pew study concluded that "an increasing share of independents describe their views as conservative."

This should set off alarm bells in Washington's Democratic-party establishment. After all, the front pages swim in stories that must alienate those independents who pulled the lever last year for President Obama and moderate Democratic candidates for Congress. Headlines trumpeting unprecedented levels of federal spending and debt, frightening government power grabs and bailouts, and quiescence in the face of North Korean missile launches seem custom-made to rankle these voters.

A close review of recent polling sheds some light on what might be happening. On questions as varied as Uncle Sam's bailout of the automotive industry, the tradeoff between environmental protection and protecting jobs, the importance of free trade, and whether the best way to preserve the peace is through military strength, independent voters have been trending to the ideological right over the past six months.

According to pollster Scott Rasmussen, voters now believe Republicans are the party best able to handle the economy. Here, the GOP moved from a five-point deficit (39 percent to 44 percent) in February to a six-point advantage (45 percent to 39 percent) in June. Independent voters, in particular, now give the Republicans a decisive 49 percent to 24 percent edge, a 19-point improvement since those early, heady days of the Obama honeymoon. But Republicans shouldn't uncork their champagne prematurely: Most of this change reflects dissatisfaction with the Democrats rather than a decisive shift to the Republicans.

On taxes, Republicans improved slightly among voters as a whole, from a three-point edge in February (44 percent to 41 percent) to a five-point advantage now (44 percent to 39 percent). The most dramatic shifts since February occurred among younger voters (who now favor the GOP by a slight, but nevertheless surprising, 38 percent to 35 percent margin) and among voters with incomes between $20,000 and $75,000.

Voters with incomes $75,000 or higher seem to have internalized the president's oft-stated vow not to raise taxes on anyone with income below $250,000. They actually swung toward the Democrats these last four months. In February, voters with incomes over $100,000, for example, favored the GOP on the tax issue by 55 percent to 39 percent. Now, they give a modest 46 percent to 43 percent thumbs-up to the Democrats.

Independents, by contrast, moved away from the Democrats and are now one of the GOP's strongest voter groups on the tax issue. The percentage of independents that see the Democrats as best able to handle tax issues dropped from 29 percent in February to only 19 percent now. The Republican share didn't gain from the Democratic share's loss, though; it held firm at just below 50 percent.

The Rasmussen surveys also offer some valuable insights into the looming debate on health-care reform. While the Democrats retain a still-formidable 10-point advantage on this issue (down from a 15-point edge in February), an intriguing subplot -- again concerning independents -- has emerged. A year ago, independents sided enthusiastically with the Democrats on health care, preferring them by an overwhelming 51 percent to 26 percent margin. By Election Day 2008, that 25-point advantage had slimmed to 15 points. In February, with talk of big-government health-care reform in the air, the Democrats' margin with independents declined again, to a modest five-point edge. Today, the two parties split independents right down the middle, with the Democrats laying claim to only 38 percent and the Republicans holding firm at 37 percent. To the extent that these voters, who despise deficit spending, high taxes, and government waste of any kind, see the health-care debate as morphing into a traditional tax-and-spend brouhaha, this shift may be a long-lasting one.

Independents have also given serious thought to what they have seen these past few months on the national-security front. Once again, they find the Democrats and their approach wanting. A year ago, Republicans enjoyed a six-point edge with independents as the party best able to handle national-security issues (including the War on Terror). That advantage held firm through the early days of the Obama administration. But in the latest Rasmussen survey, independents abandoned the Democrats en masse and now favor the Republicans by a robust 27-point margin, 52 percent to 25 percent.

This move to the GOP turned up in a recent series of Rasmussen polls that probed voters' attitudes on the "natural tension between protecting individual rights and national security." Rasmussen asked voters whether "our legal system [worries] too much about protecting individual rights, too much about protecting national security, or [gets] the balance about right?" A year ago Americans were evenly split on the question, 32 percent to 32 percent. Independents, interestingly, behaved more like Democrats, saying we worried too much about national security by a 37 percent to 30 percent margin. Now, Americans think we pay too much attention to individual liberties by a margin of 39 percent to 24 percent. Significantly, independents today look much more like Republicans on this important issue, with 42 percent saying individual liberties get too much attention and only 26 percent saying we pay too much attention to national security.

Independents seem particularly moved by the high-profile debate over enhanced interrogation of suspected terrorists. According to Gallup, that debate may be the source of former vice president Dick Cheney's recent surge among independents, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's equally stunning fall among these voters. According to a late May 2009 Gallup survey, Cheney's favorability rating nearly doubled among independents, rising from 21 percent in March to 37 percent in May. Pelosi's favorability among independents trended in exactly the opposite direction, plunging from 37 percent to 21 percent.

All this tells us that independents -- who now outnumber adherents of either national political party -- have become exceptionally fertile ground for conservatives. Tilling that soil is the essential first step to preserving our freedoms.

Mike Franc is Vice President for Government Relations at The Heritage Foundation.

First Appeared in National Review Online

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

NEW BOOK MAPS OUT PATH FOR LOST GENERATION TO FIND CHURCH: ‘Already Gone’ Delves into Reasons for Young People’s Exodus.

Ken Ham and renowned researcher Britt Beemer take a penetrating look at the mass exodus of young people from church in their book released this week, “Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It.” Surveys have consistently shown that more than 60 percent of children who grow up in church will leave it as they become young adults. Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and the acclaimed new Creation Museum, and Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, issue a clarion call to Christian leaders everywhere:

“It’s time to wake up and see the tidal wave washing away the foundation of your church. The numbers are in–and they don’t look good. From across Christendom the reports are the same: A mass exodus is underway. Most youth of today will not be coming to church tomorrow.” ARG surveyed a group of 1,000 young adults who have left churches. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the disillusionment begins early.

“We are losing many more people by middle school and many more by high school than we will ever lose in college,” the book says. The authors found that the “twentysomethings” who have left church could be divided into two groups–one that never attends and has no plans to return, and another that attends holiday services and plans to attend regularly after they have children.

About 40 percent of the first group has fundamental questions about the truth of the book of Genesis. Fifty-six percent said that secular science had caused them to doubt the Bible. In general, this group is skeptical of biblical authority. On the other hand, most of the second group still believes in Jesus Christ. More than three-fourths of them believe that they are saved, but they are troubled by hypocrisy, legalism and self-righteousness in organized Christianity. “The Bible is relevant to them, but the Church is not,” the book says.

One of the surprising results of the survey was the apparent ineffectiveness of Sunday school. Sunday school lessons usually tell children what to believe, but not why. The lessons tend to focus more on stories of inspiration and morality than on providing a factual basis for today’s children to defend God’s Word and live by it in a fallen world. “The brutal conclusion is that, on the whole, the Sunday school programs of today are statistical failures,” the authors’ survey finds.

The decay begins, Ham and Beemer believe, with a lack of faith in the creation story of Genesis. Children tend to separate the “stories” of the Bible from the “hard facts” taught in school about evolution and the age of the Earth. They look to their textbooks for answers, not the Bible.

“Ultimately, if we are unable to defend Genesis, we have allowed the enemy to attack our Christian faith and undermine the very first book of the Bible,” the book says. The authors look at today’s churches and find that they are driven more by man-made traditions than biblical mandates. These churches focus on things like programs, entertainment, and music when research shows that people want good Bible teaching.

In the end, Ham and Beemer call for a “new Reformation in the Church,” led by parents, Christian educators, youth pastors, and pastors, “to call the Church back to the authority of God, beginning in Genesis.”

Also this week, the Creation Museum, Ken Ham’s brainchild, celebrates a milestone—its second anniversary. This high-tech center near Cincinnati has drawn 717,000 visitors and the world’s leading media.

We are so convinced of the importance of this book in calling for a revolution in the church that not only can you order individual copies ($12.99 each) from AiG’s website, you can also order case lots at only $4.99 per book in a lot of 48. We are urging people to buy case lots and hand these books out to church leaders, Sunday school teachers, teachers, parents, and young people—once you read this book you will understand why we say it is a message for this time.

Beware Of Philosophy-From Answers in Genesis Ministries

by Dr. Greg Bahnse This article gives some great insights about today's culture...keith

March 25, 2009

All of Dr. Greg Bahnsen’s articles are reprinted here by the gracious permission of the Covenant Media Foundation

Newport Christian High School has something virtually unique among the various private, Christian schools around the country. It is an extraordinary feature of its required curriculum—a prerequisite for high school graduation which few other schools enforce. NCHS is unique in that it offers a philosophy course for its high school seniors.

There was a time when nearly every college and university required its students to take at least one introductory course in philosophy. Sadly, many colleges have lately altered such “old fashioned” notions about education and dropped their philosophy prerequisites for graduation. Not surprisingly, America’s colleges have been turning out graduates with little interest of proficiency in clear thinking, consistency, cogency, and depth of insight regarding a world-and-life-view. Those who graduate from Newport Christian High School are already a step ahead of many students from colleges which have amended their curriculum to suit the times.

But are they a step ahead with philosophy? An often abused test from the New Testament might suggest the opposite, at least upon first reading. In Colossians 2 Paul writes: “Beware lest there be anyone who robs you by means of his philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the elementary principles of the world, and not after Christ” (v. 8)—robs you, that is, of “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” which are deposited in Christ (v. 3). With this kind of warning in the New Testament, why would a Christian school want to require the study of philosophy? It might seem that we should rather avoid philosophy!

A closer and fairer reading of Paul in Colossians 2 will correct our misunderstanding, however. We notice, first, that Paul does not prohibit the study of philosophy; rather, he warns us about it. Likewise, parents will warn their teenagers about the dangers of driving, without prohibiting the use of the family car. Philosophy, like cars, can be used in a constructive or in a destructive manner. Paul warns against the destructive potential of philosophy.

Secondly, we notice, upon re-reading, that Paul’s warning is not directed against all philosophy, but instead against a particular kind of philosophy. Paul focuses attention on a certain kind of philosophy which is given an extended description: it is “vain deceit” (empty and misleading), follows “human tradition” (the accepted opinions of men), and is based on the “elementary principles of the world” (the presuppositions of those in rebellion against God). This is the kind of philosophy against which Paul warns the church. And well he should! Any philosophy which fits this description will indeed rob us of the treasures of knowledge in Christ.

So then, Paul warns us against worldly philosophy, which he has just described is this: it is not a philosophy which is “after Christ.” Christ was Paul’s life and love, the starting point of his thinking and goal of his behavior. Christ was central for Paul. Naturally, then, Paul could have nothing to do with a philosophy which was not according to Christ nor submissive to His holy Word.

Thus, we see that in addition to worldly philosophy there exists something which can be called “Christian philosophy”—philosophy which is “after Christ.” Although Colossians 2 warns believers about the destructive potential of any philosophy which is not according to Christ, this scripture actually explains why we must study philosophy.

We study philosophy in order to fulfill Paul’s command with greater efficiency and clarity. We study philosophy to make sure that our presuppositions regarding reality, knowledge, and ethics are truly Christ-honoring presuppositions. We study philosophy in order to see what kind of thinking we should not fall prey to in our culture. In short, we study philosophy to beware of misguided thinking and to commit ourselves to true thinking about man and the world.

So then, NCHS has a required course in philosophy. Even if there were no such course in philosophy, however, philosophy would still be taught at the school. Indeed, philosophy is being taught every day of the academic year at those schools which have no set philosophy course. Philosophy is always being taught, in every course in a school’s curriculum. You see, whatever the textbook or teacher in history, science, literature, math, foreign language, etc. says is a reflection of some kind of philosophical view of man, the world, reality, knowledge, and life. These attitudes and outlooks are always coming through, always being relied upon, always informing what is said. Every book and teacher communicates a philosophy indirectly.

Thus, philosophy is taught everywhere that students take classes, and it would, accordingly, be taught at NCHS even if there were no course on the subject. The difference at Newport Christian High is that we stop and take the time to reflect upon the philosophy which is always being implicitly communicated to our students. We believe that unless students take time to reflect upon major issues in philosophy (its presuppositions and implications), they will make philosophical decisions by default—without adequate awareness or intellectual responsibility.

Everyone does philosophy, for everyone comes to views of reality, knowledge, and ethics. The difference between “the philosopher” and the ordinary man in the street is simply one of degree. Everyone does philosophy, but not everyone attempts to do it well. At NCHS we want to stop and reflect on what we should think and do as Christians. We want to be explicit about our philosophy so that we can have greater assurance that we are doing philosophy well. Only then can we truly heed Paul’s warning to beware of worldly philosophy, for only then can we have a confidence that we have committed ourselves to a “Christian philosophy” instead.

Beware of philosophy! The best way to do so is to study it.