Here’s the new ad:Notice how it identifies Reed only as a friend and business associate of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and doesn’t try to demonize the former Christian Coalition chief for being a member of the Religious Right? That’s intentional. It’s called religious sensitivity. It’s a relatively new skill for Democrats.They’re realized that labeling conservatives and Republicans as Religious Rightists ain’t necessarily an insult in the eyes of many voters, and that plays into the party’s image as being anti-religion.That’s especially important because this ad is aimed squarely at Southern values voters (It’s airing only in Georgia). The Democrats went a long way in closing the gap with Republicans among what the Democratic National Committee calls “values-first voters” between 2004 and 2006. The reason: the string of GOP corruption scandals, from Tom Delay to Randy “Duke” Cunningham to Mark Foley. Internal DNC polls shows that Democratic gains among values-first voters came each time one of those scandals broke. So look for the Dems to keep playing the corruption card with ads like this. Just don’t expect them to tak figures like Ralph Reed to task for being “agents of intolerance.”Also, check out God-o-Meter’s exclusive Ralph Reed interview.7