Written by Don Byrd
The Washington Post reports the Obama campaign has named Michael Wear to head up its faith outreach effort. Wear has been working with White House Faith-Based Partnerships Director Joshua Dubois, who held the post during the 2008 campaign. Just one year out of college, Wear’s most talked-about characteristic so far? His age.
At the White House, Wear has been involved in a wide range of religious issues, with particular responsibility for adoption and foster care. He also sought to build connections with young evangelicals, including those involved in the campaign to capture Ugandan guerilla leader Joseph Kony.
“Michael has spent a number of years in the faith-based office so he knows the territory,” said Amy Sullivan, author of “The Party Faithful,” a book on religion and American politics. “But the Republicans would put somebody senior with years and years of experience and a big Rolodex in that position. And I guess that tells you something about how Democrats still view faith outreach and its importance.”
Will Wear be an active, highly connected member of the campaign, turning religious leaders into essential campaign emissaries, as Sullivan suggests Republicans would? Would that really be a good thing?
