- Absolutely.
- Extraordinarily difficult due to the degree of cultural prejudice among the “American Middle”.
Yes I said cultural, not religious. Earlier on in the thread there was an impugnation of the level of real religious belief of several recent Presidents. But the thing is, a large number of Americans already have some sort of religious identification be more a cultural or ethnic thing than an element of true practice of faith. I know a bunch of people who identify as being of X organized religion yet have not been to one of its places of worship, except for weddings, since childhood and routinely break every one of its precepts. Many Americans would easily tolerate someone who declared “I believe in my own way that there is a Greater Will at work in the Universe, but while we’re here we must do what’s best to improve the human condition here and now”, if he’s NOT all New Agey about it and comes across as an otherwise down-to-earth guy, and as mentioned before does not come across as condescending(*). Oh, the fundies may freak, but if his policies are good on taxes, jobs and security, many in the so-called “Middle” would think “good enough that he believes in Something Greater”.
The key is to not be “too different” culturally. And the culture is theist even if the structures of the State are secularist. Sure, being from the Judeo-Christian tradition helps, but even there you have to be wary. Say you’re a Christian but attend church kind of irregularly, and when you lived in Florida you attended a Methodist Church and when in Oregon you attended a Baptist and when in DC you attended a Presbyterian because they were closest to your house… well, if you mouth the right biblical quotes when interviewed on the Christian Radio station then that’s not too bad, after all we all have busy schedules. OTOH attend the same church every Sunday, pray before every meal, and be even a deacon in the congregation… that officiates gay marriages? You are a prohibitive longshot. If you’re a Joe Lieberman-type Orthodox Jew, you are electable. OTOH if you go around in the broad-brimmed hat, the beard, the curly sideburns, tassels hanging from under your coat, it’s uphill for you.
(*)I know, I know, demands for examples, etc. Look, politics is about perception – and the so-called “American Middle” has an anti-intellectual tradition longer than we care to recount. Atheism, agnosticism, utilitarian ethics, heck throw in darwinism, neuropsychology, and even whole-language reading classes, they all look and sound to that “Middle” as highfalutin’ talk from fancy-pants perfessers with too much book-learnin’ fer their own good. When Ann Druyan writes about how wondrous and beautiful it is to behold this world and realize it’s the product of countless natural processes that came together just right, what THEY feel is “hey, is that lady sayin’ that believin’ it came from God is simpleminded?” Again: the problem lies in being perceived as either a cultural outsider or a cultural elitist and that the American Middle would worry that it means at best you cannot truly understand their hopes and fears and at worse you dismiss their hopes and fears. Never mind that you do or not.
(Of course, the geniuses behind the doomed proposal to rename atheists as “Brights” are a beautiful example of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.)
One semi-serious plus of an atheist/materialist Prez is that the guy with his finger on The Button has got to be a little more careful if he’s NOT expecting that after the world gets toasted he gets to move in with 72 virgin playmates/meet Jesus/come back as a cow.