I have written about Obama and his "reachout"/"values" voter thusly:

They [the Extreme Right] seek approval. And it is here where Digby has aptly applied the lessons of Richard Hofstadter and where Senator Barack Obama, most notably in his latest speech on faith has not and needs to:

For some time now, there has been plenty of talk among pundits and pollsters that the political divide in this country has fallen sharply along religious lines. Indeed, the single biggest "gap" in party affiliation among white Americans today is not between men and women, or those who reside in so-called Red States and those who reside in Blue, but between those who attend church regularly and those who don't.

Conservative leaders, from Falwell and Robertson to Karl Rove and Ralph Reed, have been all too happy to exploit this gap, consistently reminding evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their Church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage; school prayer and intelligent design.

Democrats, for the most part, have taken the bait. At best, we may try to avoid the conversation about religious values altogether, fearful of offending anyone and claiming that - regardless of our personal beliefs - constitutional principles tie our hands. At worst, some liberals dismiss religion in the public square as inherently irrational or intolerant, insisting on a caricature of religious Americans that paints them as fanatical, or thinking that the very word "Christian" describes one's political opponents, not people of faith.

So Obama acknowledges the divide, acknowledges the Republican exploitation of this "status resentment" and chooses to respond by embracing it and "apologizing," so to speak, on behalf of Democrats:

We first need to understand that Americans are a religious people. 90 percent of us believe in God, 70 percent affiliate themselves with an organized religion, 38 percent call themselves committed Christians, and substantially more people believe in angels than do those who believe in evolution.

. . . This is why, if we truly hope to speak to people where they're at - to communicate our hopes and values in a way that's relevant to their own - we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse. Because when we ignore the debate about what it means to be a good Christian or Muslim or Jew; when we discuss religion only in the negative sense of where or how it should not be practiced, rather than in the positive sense of what it tells us about our obligations towards one another; when we shy away from religious venues and religious broadcasts because we assume that we will be unwelcome - others will fill the vacuum, those with the most insular views of faith, or those who cynically use religion to justify partisan ends.

In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, Jerry Falwell's and Pat Robertson's will continue to hold sway.

Obama has learned nothing from Lincoln and nothing from Hofstadter. As wonderfully talented a politician he is, until he does, he will not best serve the interests of progressives and the Democratic Party.

In this election cycle, the candidate who embodied the Obama ideal of reachout to religious voters was Harold Ford, who even shot his first commercial from a church:

In an attempt to woo religious voters, Tennessee’s Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate has filmed a campaign commercial in his childhood church, with a large white cross looming over his right shoulder.

“I started in the church the old-fashioned way… I was forced to,” said Rep. Harold Ford Jr., sitting in a glossy wooden pew. “Here, I learned the difference between right and wrong.”

Released last week, the commercial comes as Ford, the scion of a powerful African American political family, enters the homestretch of a tight race for the seat of retiring Majority Leader Bill Frist.

So how did Ford do with those religious voters? How did Ford do regular churchgoers, the group Obama identified? Corker, Ford's opponent, carried this group 61-38.

So Ford's drift and appeal to the Right MAY have wielded some dividends, but certainly nothing decisive. What is the flip side of such an appeal? Contrast in order to get independent voters. And how did Ford do with Independents? He underperformed Democrats across the country is how he did - only splitting Independents with Corker. So it appears Ford also paid a price with his reachout approach.

Now why do I think Jon Tester is the new breed of Democrat? First, he won. That's obviously important. But just as important was how Tester won - as a proud Democrat in a Red State:

Tester is Winning in Red State Montana:

Has Tester trimmed his sails in fear of Karl Rove, as Halperin suggests Dems should do? Quite the opposite:

Jon Tester believes in freedom first. Under the PATRIOT Act, the FBI could obtain records on every video you ever rented and every book you ever checked out. They can obtain your bank statements and medical records; they can even keep tabs on our guns. What's worse is they can request this information for any reason at all, without your knowledge.

Tester believes we should be fighting terrorists, not invading the lives of innocent Americans. In Washington, Tester will fight for more human intelligence, a greater investment in our Special Forces, and closing backdoors to terrorism like the one left open by the Burns-Abramoff immigration policy in the Marianas Islands.

proud Democrat on the issues:

Choice

We all share the same goal: to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in this country. There are concrete steps we can take to achieve that goal. Jon Tester trusts the women of Montana to make their own medical decisions in consultation with her family, doctor and God. The politicians in Washington shouldn't interfere with this very personal and difficult decision. The decision to have an abortion is a difficult one and it should remain safe, legal, and rare.

. . . Health Care

Jon Tester believes that health care in Montana should be affordable, accessible and the best in the world. Jon has a record of strong leadership to deliver affordable health care for Montanans. As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Tester increased access to health care for children, seniors and small business employees. In the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester will stand up to big insurance companies and support a health care plan that makes health care affordable for all Montanans.

Iraq

Jon Tester supports our troops in Iraq who have fought bravely and made us proud, but unfortunately their leaders in Washington have let them down. This administration is conducting the war in Iraq with no plan and no end in sight and has failed to give our troops the armor and equipment they need to be safe and successful. Montanans deserve a senator who'll demand the President present a clear plan to give the Iraqi military control of their own country and bring our troops home. As your senator, Tester will never waver in keeping America safe and strong. Jon will keep the commitment we have made to our soldiers and veterans and will ask the tough questions to ensure that our troops have a clear mission and all the resources they need.

. . .

Minimum Wage

Jon Tester supports paying workers a fair, livable wage. As President of the Montana Senate in 2005, Jon Tester voted for a bill that would raise the Montana minimum wage to $6 an hour by July 2006. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, has voted against raising the federal minimum wage at least 11 times.

Patriot Act

Jon Tester believes in freedom first. Under the PATRIOT Act, the FBI could obtain records on every video you ever rented and every book you ever checked out. They can obtain your bank statements and medical records; they can even keep tabs on our guns. What's worse is they can request this information for any reason at all, without your knowledge. Jon Tester believes we should be fighting terrorists, not invading the lives of innocent Americans. In Washington, Tester will fight for more human intelligence, a greater investment in our Special Forces, and closing backdoors to terrorism like the one left open by the Burns-Abramoff immigration policy in the Marianas Islands.

Social Security

Jon Tester supports ensuring the long-term solvency of Social Security and does not support privatization. In 2005 he voted to urge Congress to provide sound, long-term funding for Social Security and to avoid privatization. Sen. Burns, on the other hand, supports privatization of Social Security schemes and has repeatedly voted to put tax cuts for the wealthy ahead of the long-term solvency of Social
Security.

Stem Cell Research

Montana values mean doing everything you can to help a sick neighbor. By voting against stem cell research, Sen. Burns has clearly lost his way. Jon Tester believes we need to devote every possible idea and every possible resource to curing degenerative diseases.

And Jon Tester won white men and women, rural voters, and all segments. Specifically among religious voters Tester did just a bit worse than Ford, taking 34% of regular churchgoers which would be no worse than equal among white churchgoers (Montana has a negligible African American population.)

But Tester did something Ford did not - he swept Independent voters, winning them by 59-35 over the Republican incumbent Conrad Burns.

The Obama Model failed to do what was advertised in Tennessee, with a very adept candidate. In my view, it was proven NOT to work and should be abandoned as a strategy.

The Tester Model DID work, winning and winning with Independents. Jon Tester was a tremendous candidate using a political strategy that Democrats across the country can use and succeed with. Harold Ford was a tremendous candidate who used a strategy that is not universal for Democrats, applied it in a fairly fertile state for it and failed to attract significant amounts of religious voters and failed to have appeal for Independent voters.

The verdict is in - Obama is wrong. Tester is right. Right for Democrats all over the country. We want and need proud fighting Dems like Jon Tester, not accomodating ones like Barack Obama.