Santorum Overplays the Power of Religion

By Giuseppe Giannet | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Sun, Feb 19, 2012

COMMENTARY | Part of Rick Santorum's recent rise to possible front-runner of the GOP can be attributed to his faith. Santorum has managed to change the political discourse of late, bringing religion into the arena in an attempt to differentiate himself from the field. But if Santorum thinks religion will vault him into the White House, he is sorely mistaken.

On Saturday, Santorum levied an attack on President Barack Obama's faith, claiming the White House's agenda is "not a theology based on the Bible," but "a different theology," according toReuters. When asked to explain his statement, Santorum remarked, "If the president says he's a Christian, he's a Christian."

The comments fall in line with the longstanding Republican tactic of administering a proverbial "wink" when alluding to the president as a Christian. The strategy is condemned by the left as underhanded. Obama mainstay and political adviser Robert Gibbs accused Santorum of going "well over the line" when he questioned Obama's faith, according to the Huffington Post.

Yet, the Democratic rebukes will do little to curb the Republican suggestions. Santorum and the right in general see the power in relaying suggestive comments to the Christian right, but allowing individuals to decipher the meaning of the statements. Obviously opposed to a second term for Obama, these same people will imagine the worst about the president's beliefs.

Strategically, the White House's decision to take on the Catholic Church regarding the coverage of contraception could have turned into a disaster. Some have claimed the administration set the policy as a trap to expose an out-of-step Republican establishment. But that claim might be giving the Obama political team too much credit and the president's decision to reform the policy showed an administration aware of church's power.

The church represents more than just religion to Americans; it is a personal institution that is insulated from government directives. Santorum pounced on the contraception debate as another opportunity to paint President Obama as a big government liberal intent on intruding into your life. But Santorum is overestimating the scope religion will play in 2012.

The devout Catholic who took offense to President Obama's mandate seems to be in the minority; as a matter of fact, the devout Catholic, period, is a minority. A January Washington Post-ABC News pollfound only 1 in 3 Catholics attend Mass every Sunday. A Guttmacher Institute study showed 98 percent of Catholic women have used contraception. More troubling for Santorum, after the contraception battle, President Obama's approval rating among Catholics dropped only three percentage points, from 49 percent to 46 percent, according to Gallup.

If President Santorum hopes to be the nominee, he will have to find an issue other than religion. Focusing on faith will only energize a constituency that would already vote for any Republican over Obama. Americans in a general election will be more worried about which man can create jobs down here, not the man upstairs.

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