Obama on 'Faith-Based' Initiatives

Carrie Johnson / The Washington Post:
Activists Cite Campaign Pledge, but Obama Slow to Break With Bush Policies. Candidate Obama drew little attention during last year's presidential campaign when he ventured into the thorny territory of church and state. While George W. Bush had expanded government contracts to faith-based groups, Obama promised to end that arrangement if the groups proselytized to the needy they served, or hired only members of that faith. Today, that campaign pledge -- along with other complex questions of religion and government -- are posing something of a dilemma for Obama, as he tries to balance increasing pressure from the left to renounce Bush-era policies against a desire to find common ground on social issues.

Related:
Dozens of Groups to Justice Dept: End Faith-Based Hiring
By Dan Gilgoff / U.S. News & World Report:
More than seven months after announcing that it would deal with the so-called hiring issue around faith-based programs on a "case by case basis," the White House has given no indication of how its piecemeal policy is playing out.

Posted by Editor at September 18, 2009 12:22 AM