There's a major difference between pandering and appeasement, I think. I'm not American but my perception is more that politicians pander to religious groups to sway large voting blocks, not with any actual intention of treating religious bodies with any future political reward.

You haven't followed some of the news from the health care debate and pressure on family services from the government. The rule making would not be described as "appeasement".

People don't see how much groups like Catholic Family Services or ELCA help in a lot of places the government has ignored. They don't advertise how much they do.

Appeasement is different from addressing the concerns of constituents in a democracy.

I think that is a perfect example of what jat850 is saying. It was pandering not appeasement, which backfired quite a lot with the booing.