The Republican Base is Crumbling

A recent Newsweek poll highlights a troubling development for Republicans — their religious base is crumbling. 

See the article for yourself at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15357623/site/newsweek/.

Evangelicals, one of the key constituencies of a winning Republican coalition, are moving away from the GOP:

"If the elections for Congress were held today, according to the new
NEWSWEEK poll, 60 percent of white Evangelicals would support the
Republican candidate in their district . . . in 2004, exit polls found
Republicans carried white Evangelicals 3 to 1 over Democrats, winning
74 percent of their votes."

Furthermore, Democrats hold a narrow lead among white Catholics (44% to
42%), a key constituency for George W. Bush in 2004.  This lead is
within the margin of error, but an important development for Democrats.

So, with Election Day only two weeks away, Democrats are poised to make gains among key religious constituencies.