Catholics for Obama.

[Rusty T]

'nuff said

[MarcusAndreas]

I'm against all of them, they're all bad.

[Silver Hand]

They've been pushing something like The Voters Guide For Serious Christians on Catholic Answers Live alot lately. They want Catholics to start voting conservative again.

No offense to my Roman brothers and sisters, but why are so many (I know, not all) Catholics liberal? It makes no sense to me!

The Catholic Church is obviously the single largest Pro-Life organization on Earth. Why do so many Catholics vote Democrat, whose platform proudly supports "a woman's right to choose" to murder her child?

[Silver Hand]

I'm against all of them, they're all bad.

Mark,

I understand being against Osama, Biden, and even McCain (I voted Huckabee in my state's primary because Brownback had already dropped out of the race), but why be against Sarah Palin?

Besides, you've still got 5 years before you're eligible to vote

[brother vinny]

They've been pushing something like The Voters Guide For Serious Christians on Catholic Answers Live alot lately. They want Catholics to start voting conservative again.

No offense to my Roman brothers and sisters, but why are so many (I know, not all) Catholics liberal? It makes no sense to me!

The Catholic Church is obviously the single largest Pro-Life organization on Earth. Why do so many Catholics vote Democrat, whose platform proudly supports "a woman's right to choose" to murder her child?

I think pride is a big part of it. When one's father, one's father's father, and so on back through history to when one's ancestors first got off the boat, were all Democrat, switching parties is nearly akin to switching from Catholicism to a denomination.

Plus, the Democratic Party used to be (and still likes to think of itself as, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary) the party that looked out for the best interests of the "little guy," and the Church is nothing if not infracaninophilic. By contrast, Republicans seem historically steeped in elitism. I'm not saying this is the reality of the situation, but the appearance.

[Silver Hand]

infracaninophilic.

That took me a few seconds to sound out

By contrast, Republicans seem historically steeped in elitism. I'm not saying this is the reality of the situation, but the appearance.

Good point.

[Lazarus]

I think part of the problem is that the Republican Party was long perceived as a party of white, Anglo - Saxon, Protestant, business elites who were hostile to Catholic immigration and labor. The Reblican Party's support for the emancipation of Black slaves, which put the interests of the newly released slaves in direct conflict with the Catholic immigrants from Ireland, for better or worse, engendered a great amount of suspicion on the part of Catholics for the Republican Party. The Democratic Party was also more willing to allow Catholic politicians to assume leadership positions in the party, even to the point of nominating Al Smith, a Catholic, for president. The labor policies of the FDR administration and Roosevelt's willingness to reach out to the American Catholic hierarchy also cemented Catholic loyalty to the Democratic Party, eventually leading to the election of JFK to the presidency. In the 60's the Democratic Party was quicker than the Republican Party to support the civil rights agenda and this resonated with the way Catholics have always seen themselves as underdogs in American Society. Catholics tend to see themselves as a minority and recognize the Democratic Party as a protector of minority rights, especially the rights of immigrants. The currents seems to be changing at the present time, perhaps as Catholics have become wealthier and more confident as mainstream Americans, and we are seeing more and more Catholics becoming Republican. I think the right to life movement has had a lot to do with that. Thus, I think a political alliance between Catholics and the Protestant religious right is shaping up in some areas, such as in opposition to abortion and so called life style issues, but I wonder how such an alliance will work regarding issues such as immigration and foreign affairs. I think Catholic identification with the Democratic Party is loosening, but I don't think that necessarily means Catholics will support the Republican Party platform without question.

[Dee Dee Warren]

The Catholic Church has let openly professing Catholics who openly support abortion remain in communion for years. Let her get a backbone and start excommunicating people or I don't think you can complain. It has to start at the top. Why are there representatives still remaining in the church that are openly pro-abortion?

I am saying this because I think the OP is too narrow. I don't think you mean Tizzi Obama particularly but abortion writ large, no matter who the candidate is. Well there are already elected officials openly pro-abort and professing Catholics. Kick them out on their keisters.

[Silver Hand]

Speaking of, Pelosi's recent comments really torked me off. You know, her saying how there was so much disagreement amongst the Church Fathers on the issue.

[Dee Dee Warren]

Pelosi needs to be shown the door and told "don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya"

[Glenn P]

This is something I really don't understand. I realise that there are Protestant liberals (hello Spong!). But I don't get why there is such a strong liberal movement within Catholicism. Surely they don't want to say that they'd rather see babies butchered than a Protestant in the White House? Their house, like many (e.g. PCUSA, of the Presbyterian Church here in NZ as well), needs cleaning on this issue in particular.

[Adam]

This is something I really don't understand. I realise that there are Protestant liberals (hello Spong!). But I don't get why there is such a strong liberal movement within Catholicism. Surely they don't want to say that they'd rather see babies butchered than a Protestant in the White House? Their house, like many (e.g. PCUSA, of the Presbyterian Church here in NZ as well), needs cleaning on this issue in particular.

Everyone on this thread seems to have no concept of the American principle of the separation of Church and State. (I'm not saying it's encased in the Constitution--let's not go there). Has no one here studied American history of politics? And has no one studied European history (my major) either? It's a sad tale of the evil influence of the Roman Catholic Church into politics, war, even assassinations (Christian Taliban, anyone?)
Sure, there are Democrats, even Catholic Democrats, who are ardently pro-choice even to the extent of supporting the individual choice of abortion. I suspect most RC Democrats simply can see the truth that political choice is one thing, moral choice is another. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (for those RC who are magisterialists, which I never was during my 1969-1992 years as RC) is clear that abortion is a moral evil. There is nothing at all in it forbidding RC from voting for candidates, even RC candidates, who refuse to be stampeded into criminalizing abortion.
Adam

[Silver Hand]

Has no one here studied American history of politics?

Quite a bit in college, actually.

I suspect most RC Democrats simply can see the truth that political choice is one thing, moral choice is another.

That's a lie. People can separate their morals from their personal politics, but they are being inconsistent. If people are going to vote, the must have some conviction on the issue that compels them to cast their ballot one way or the other. Why divorce what you hold to be true and just from what you want to be done about it?

[Darth Executor]

There really aren't as many liberal catholics as people make them out to be. If you look at the breakdown of who voted for bush vs who voted for kerry, there are still more catholics who voted for bush and there's a significant number of protestants who voted for kerry.

[lao tzu]

That's a lie. People can separate their morals from their personal politics, but they are being inconsistent. If people are going to vote, the must have some conviction on the issue that compels them to cast their ballot one way or the other. Why divorce what you hold to be true and just from what you want to be done about it?

Jumping in before you get edited ... here's why this issue is a non-issue for me. The partisans are so caught up in their righteous indignation and assumed moral high ground that they can't see straight. You either failed to read the post you're calling a lie, or are incapable of doing so because of your emotional investment. This isn't by any means specific just to this one post. When I go looking for the literature to develop an objective view, the distortions are a mile wide on either side effectively burying the very data I need to see. Wrapping themselves in the nobility of their ultimate purposes, it becomes acceptable to change the numbers to suit themselves, to deliberately misrepresent their opposition, and to fail to see the human who opposes them in preference for the demon they'd prefer to battle.

Until ya'll can find a way to act like adults and end this blood feud, a pox on both your houses.

As ever, Jesse