Atheists Hold Sway Among American Left

"Secular liberals, and especially those who are explicitly nonbelievers, have become a major force on the political left. Researchers have found, for example, that delegates to the Democratic National Convention - the politically-active folks who nominate the Democratic candidate for the American presidency - are more than twice as likely to be completely secular as the population-at-large.

[...]

To my knowledge, for example, Senator Hillary Clinton has never thanked the atheist community for what will no doubt prove to be energetic support for her presidential candidacy. Why is this? Nonbelievers might justifiably ask Mrs. Clinton and other Democratic leaders for the credit they truly deserve."

CBS News, December 2. 2007

Interesting, although I think the last lines says clearer what the real situation is: that leftist atheists are merely "cattle". Currently, they are not many enough to excert pressure. When that situation changes, the presidential candidates for the Democrates will have to spend less time in churches. I'm only watching this from abroad with half an eye, but it seems to me that while the Republicans feel the ties with evangelicals have damaged them(and probably vice versa), and try to distance themselves from them, Clinton (especially) want to attract religious voters. Barack Obama is more reasonable, but then his parents weren't believers as far as I understand.