Obama plans to install a principal campaign adviser on religious affairs, Joshua DuBois, to lead a revamped office of faith-based initiatives, according to sources familiar with the decision.
DuBois, 26, a Pentecostal pastor, built strong ties with leaders of the moderate and progressive religious communities during the campaign, and headed up outreach to conservative faith leaders who were more acquainted with Republican presidential candidates.
Highlighting Obama’s personal faith as a Christian, DuBois led organizing efforts across the country to broaden the president’s appeal with more religious voters.
Obama performed better than John Kerry in 2004 among voters of almost all faiths, even though those gains were in the single digits, according to Election Day exit polls.
Aides are nearing the final stages of discussions on how to structure and staff the White House faith-based program and religious outreach. Faith leaders who have been consulted by the White House said they expect an announcement within a week. The New York Times first reported the appointment Thursday.
Obama pledged during the campaign to overhaul former President George W. Bush’s faith-based office, saying “the promise of that office was never fully realized.” He said he would establish the President’s Council for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and pledged to depoliticize it and expand its reach.
Among the major outstanding questions is whether Obama will repeal a Bush rule that allows religious groups to hire only staff members who share their faith – a move criticized as government condoning discrimination.
4 comments:
personally i never knew or heard about this "faith-based" office while bush was president. is this discrimination....in a way yes. b/c if you want this "faith-based office" to work you need people of different backgrounds and faiths to voice their opinion wheather based on religion or morals. so if it just so happens that there is an anheist in the group he should be able to have a voice. running a country isn't easy and w the help of people w differnt faith backgrounds we should be able to find a happy medium.
To be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard about Faith-based initiatives, and I’m not really sure what Bush was thinking when he created it. This first thing that struck me as strange is that federally-funding faith establishments kind of flirts with that "line" that separates Church and State.
If the initiatives must go on, however, I’ll be really disappointed if Obama doesn’t repeal the Bush rule that religious groups can only hire people that share the same faith--doesn't that seem like an issue out of the jurisdiction of the government? As long as Obama is all for breaking down any barriers it may have at the moment and if by "expanding its reach" he means extending it to all religions and faiths, then I'm good.
I think that he should repeal this rule it is not fair.HOw you get your job shouldn't be judged on your reliogeon. It should be judged on how you work eveyone has the right to practice there own religeon. I also believe that your religeon shouldn't be the affect your ableness to work. You can always keep true to your religeon and do a good job at your job.
Argh, religion. I hate that to be elected the candidate must be Christian, and that the Christian candidate we ended up electing was questioned so much about his Muslim upbringing, which did not in fact exist. I hate that it matters at all. True, faith in something, anything, is a good thing to have, but I feel as though politics these days are too centered upon faith in a diety, and not faith in ourselves.
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