There was a speaker from the Network of Spiritual Progressives named Lauren Nile. She reported on the results of a 28-year study that answered the question "Why is it that poor people who are actively harmed by the policies of the Right--tax reductions for the rich, reduced medical care & services, etc.--nonetheless so keen on voting for and supporting the Right?" The answer, after talking to thousands of people in the US, Canada, and England, is that the Right has acknowledged that people have spiritual needs, and the acknowledgement of spiritual needs was greater than the fact that at the same time, the Right was voting and acting antithetically to the aims of that spirituality. The Left, btw, was viewed as being snotty and superior and anti-spiritual. (Well, shucks, I know I'm guilty of at least the first two far more often than I think is admirable.)
It was a fascinating presentation. The Left has lost the trust of the people it actually needs the support of and who it can potentially do the most for because it hasn't been acknowledging that there needs to be a spiritual component for many people. Jesus was a liberal and you'd think it'd be an easy sell from that point to emphasize how love, service, and community values are consistent with the goals of progressive thought and action... but we've COMPLETELY dropped the ball on this. ~sigh~
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