Promoted by PD. Today's topics: Underground religious movements, Obama/Clinton polls, McCain campaign finance violation, and Harvard gym controversy (Doh! I forgot this part when I first posted).
Interested in Underground Religious Movements?
Jeffrey Weiss at Dallas Morning News's Religion Blog provides links to several articles about "The Fellowship" (a.k.a. "The Family.") The Fellowship is a very low-profile, conservative Christian group with significant power among Washington elites. Hillary Clinton has been a participant in the Fellowship since she was First Lady. Dallas Morning News links to some fascinating pieces on "The Fellowship" in Mother Jones, Harpers and the LATimes.
Faith in Public Life's Alex Carpenter highlights a new video on the Institute on Religion and Democracy. The video is being circulated by the IRD Info Project.
Below are three poll-based stories, all related to Clinton vs. Obama. (Or "Dem Eat Dem," as I saw the contest referred to on "Countdown" last night).
Joe Garofoli at the San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate reports:
The first major national poll taken since Sen. Barack Obama's speech on race in America shows Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in a virtual tie, reversing Obama's slide in the polls after the wide airing of controversial remarks made by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
"It's hard to disentangle the impact of (Obama's) speech," Gallup Poll Editor in Chief Frank Newport said Tuesday. The latest Gallup Poll, taken March 22, showed the Illinois senator with 47 percent of the national Democratic vote and Clinton with 46. On March 18 - the day of Obama's speech - after clips of Wright's sermons had permeated the media, Clinton held a seven-point lead over Obama.
Said Newport: "All we know is that he made a speech, and a couple of days later, he was tied with Hillary when a couple days before he was down seven points. It's not insignificant."
(Hat tip to Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's Religion News)
The Associated Press (via Beliefnet) considers the potential influence of Pennsylvania Catholics on the upcoming Democratic primary contest there:
This year, Clinton has fared well among Catholic voters in early primary states and she holds a substantial lead over Obama among Catholic Democrats in Pennsylvania polls. Some analysts argue, however, that Catholic voters' race, age and economic status - rather than religion - are more likely to play a greater role in determining their vote.
Pennsylvania has an estimated 3.8 million Catholics, or just over 30 percent of the state's population, and the percentage among Democrats is estimated to be slightly higher...
...This election, available exit polls show Clinton with a 61-35 percent edge over Obama among Catholic voters. A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed her leading Obama 70-24 percent among Pennsylvania Catholics.
And new poll reported by Religion News Service (via Ethics Daily) breaks down support for Clinton and Obama among members of different religious groups.
McCain Violates Campaign Finance Rules
Here's a short CNN video explaining the complaint to the Federal Election Commission advanced by FireDogLake and DailyKos against John McCain (via Firedog Lake):
Controversy on Women-Only Hours at Harvard Gym
"Hijabs at a Harvard Gym" in the Washington Post covers the recent controversy about Harvard's decision to have women-only hours at a campus gym, in response to a request from Muslim women students.
(Hat tip to Get Religion.)
