Why is religion featuring so prominently in the Republican presidential race? What happened to jobs?

On her Sound Off segment on MSNBC, Melissa Harris-Perry argues that religion has been central to Republican party politics for more than a decade. After 9/11, faith became a central part of conservatives’ electoral strategy as politicians tapped anti-Muslim anxiety to gain votes. But Harris-Perry reminds us that not all people of faith are conservative, and that religious voters could make issues of equality and social justice a major part of the 2012 election. 

—Kevin Donohoe