WASHINGTON -- Leading Republicans on Thursday insisted that America's leaders must do more to defend Christian values at home and abroad, blaming President Barack Obama for attacks on religious freedom as they courted social conservatives expected to play a critical role in the next presidential contest.
"Those of us inspired by Judeo-Christian values ... have an obligation to our country and to our fellow man to use our positions of influence to highlight those values," Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said at a conference hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group led by longtime Christian political activist Ralph Reed.
Rubio, the first of several prospective Republican presidential candidates scheduled to speak, said Obama's policies "completely ignore the importance of families and values on our society, thinking that instead those things can be replaced by laws and government programs."
Organizers said more than 1,000 evangelical leaders are attending the conference, designed to mobilize religious conservative voters ahead of the coming midterm elections and the 2016 presidential contest.
The conference highlights the balancing act leading Republicans face as they work to bridge internal divisions and improve the Republican Party's image. While religious conservatives continue to wield influence in the GOP, just last year the Republican National Committee released an exhaustive report calling on Republicans to adopt an "inclusive and welcoming" tone on divisive social issues.
"You can ignore [religious conservatives], but you do so at our own peril," said Republican operative Hogan Gidley, who has worked for former presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor.
In the 2012 general election, exit polls showed that white evangelical and born-again Christians made up 26 percent of the electorate. The group has far more power in lower-turnout Republican primary elections.
"The Republican Party has given up on even trying to change. They're not even pretending anymore," Democratic National Committee chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida said in a conference call shortly before the conference began Thursday. "They've given up on any attempt to rebrand or reach out to new voters -- and in many cases they've moved in the opposite direction."
"It's clear that the GOP has redefined the far right," she said.
There was little talk of abortion or gay marriage on the main stage in the conservative conference Thursday. Rubio and Texas' Sen. Ted Cruz largely sidestepped direct mention of lightning-rod issues in favor of less-contentious themes.
Cruz highlighted what he called failures in the Obama administration that allowed attacks on Christians abroad, particularly in the escalating violence across Iraq.
"Christians are being persecuted in stunning numbers. They are being stoned. They are being tortured," Cruz said, calling for Obama to stand up for Christians in prison in Iran and Sudan. "We need leadership in America."
The speaking program will continue today and Saturday with several more potential presidential contenders, including Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor.
Even those GOP White House hopefuls considered more mainstream oppose gay marriage and abortion rights, including funding for Planned Parenthood, among other social conservative priorities.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to deliver his first major address to evangelical voters today, along with Wisconsin's Rep. Paul Ryan. Also on the program is a Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who personally opposes gay marriage and abortion rights but suggests that the GOP should downplay its focus on social issues.
A Section on 06/20/2014