From Consensus to Confrontation: Election 2000 and Faith-Based Proposals.

Although both George W. Bush and Al Gore praised the work of religious organizations and pledged to provide faith-based groups a voice in their administration, the bipartisan support of faith-based legislation quickly dissolved in the 107th Congress. How did the policy environment shift so dramatically from consensus to conflict? This paper compares and contrasts the role of the faith-based initiative in the Bush and Gore campaigns to identify important differences in the two candidates? rhetoric and focus. A final section considers several political factors that contributed to the divisiveness of the debate as the new President sought to implement the faith-based policies promised in his campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]