PHILADELPHIA — A Hillary Clinton operative assured supporters Monday that the former secretary of state’s presidential campaign has assembled an impressive faith-based get out the vote effort, possibly the best that any presidential candidate has ever seen.
“We’re putting together a really aggressive faith team, by and large,” Hillary for America’s John McCarthy told an audience gathered for a “Faith Council” event in Philadelphia hosted by the Democratic National Committee.
“One that, I think, will be well-poised to be one of the most well-oiled faith operations that probably any presidential campaign has ever seen,” he added.
Pushed for specifics on this allegedly impressive effort, the Clinton operative declined to comment, and instead encouraged the Washington Examiner to refer all questions to his email address.
McCarthy did not respond to the Examiner’s emailed requests for comment.
However, another event participant, Eric Sapp, who moderated a panel discussion titled “Rules of Engagement, Motivating Souls to Turnout, Messaging What’s at Stake,” told the Examiner that Clinton and the Democratic Party are indeed well-poised to draw a faith-based distinction between the candidates this November.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Democrats,” Sapp said, “because Trump is both so horrible, he is anathema to – I’m a Democrat because I’m a Christian, but a lot of Republicans, evangelicals … are saying you cannot vote for Trump if you are a Christian. A number of the religious right, evangelical leaders, are telling their people, ‘Don’t be fooled. [Trump] is not what we stand for.'”
“I have never seen an opportunity like this election to draw” a faith-based distinction between the two parties,” he added.
Asked to explain why 2016 present more of a difference than previous election, Sapp said, “It’s because of Trump.”
“The differences are stark. I mean, Trump saying ‘I’ve never asked for forgiveness.’ I mean, that is the most fundamental piece of … the best definition of a Christian I ever heard was ‘a sinner.’ Christians know that,” he said.
“You know his talk about the killing the innocents, and torture. And the ‘we’re going to kill the wives and children.’ Now, people go, ‘yeah, go after terrorists.’ But killing women and children? That is really a bridge too far a lot of folks, but we got to make sure we articulate that,” he noted, referring to Trump’s controversial suggestions for fighting terrorism abroad.
McCarthy added separately during the “Faith Council” event that along with faith issues, he and the DNC will continue to emphasize Clinton and the stories of marginalized persons.
“This convention is not just going to be about Hillary. What we’re really trying to do is lift up the stories of all the people on the margins of society, who are affected by these broken policies,” he told DNC-goers. “Between now and November, that’s really what we need to be talking about, because that’s what this election is going to be about.”
“As soon as we come out of this convention on Thursday, we’re going to be sprinting ahead,” he added.
