Embarrassed by the Republicans, the US Democrats have amended their convention platform to add back mention of God and declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
The move was made to try and defuse Republican attacks but may have backfired as it infuriated many delegates.
The motion only passed after a third attempt.
“In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds have voted in the affirmative,” convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa said, drawing large boos and shouts of objections.
Removing God from their platform is something the Republican pairing of Romney and Ryan have seized on, saying the Democrats out of touch with mainstream American people.
Democrat Party officials both references were reinstated through the intervention of President Obama and come at a time when he is reportedly struggling to win support from white working-class voters, many of whom have strong religious beliefs.
Earlier in the week the Democrats had dropped the words “God” and “Jerusalem” from their party platform.
Responding to statements from conservatives who criticized the move to drop the word, including vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan, Democratic Director of Faith Outreach the Rev. Derrick Harkins called the controversy a “complete non-issue.”
“How dare anybody say we don’t have faith as a central component of who we are as a party,” said Harkins, who is also senior pastor of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. “It’s just an obfuscating argument to say that because language was changed that we have a change of faith.”
Sources
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