McCain & The Pope

Here's a link to the article: McCain and the Pope by Robert R. Reilly

Here's a quote:

Sen. John McCain cannot win in November without the Catholic vote, which is around 25 percent of the electorate. How is he going to get it? The worst thing he could assume is that it is going to fall into his lap because Catholics will have nowhere else to go. Some people with nowhere to go simply stay home. Or they may go elsewhere, as it appears they have already been doing. The Wall Street Journal reports that in "a recent survey of 19 states that have held presidential primaries this year, 63% of Catholics identified themselves as Democrats." That's up from 42 percent in 2005. Not a good augury for McCain. Senator McCain not only needs Catholics who will vote for him, but who will each find ten other Catholics who will do the same. That is not going to happen unless he galvanizes the Catholic electorate. He has an opportunity to do this when Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States during April 15 to 20. I was President Ronald Reagan's liaison to the Catholic community from 1983 to 1985. In the 1984 election, President Reagan won the Catholic vote and was the first Republican to do so. Senator McCain might want to take a look at how that happened. I recall a definitive moment when the Democrats vociferously complained about the ads run by the Reagan campaign in Catholic newspapers. The ads featured a photo of Reagan and John Paul II smiling together. Was this not politicizing the Catholic Church? How dare the Republicans do such a thing? At that time, Archbishop John Foley was the pope's minister of communications and principal spokesman at the Vatican. When asked, he responded to the complaints by saying that, since these two men shared so many fundamental moral principles in common, it was the most natural thing in the world that they should appear together in a photograph. Not wishing to hear that statement made again, the complaints from the Democrats immediately ceased. The key here is that Archbishop Foley, who came from a Democratic family in Pennsylvania, did not have to make this up -- it was true. President Reagan had embraced moral positions on the family, on the sanctity of human life, on school prayer, and against pornography that were completely congruent with those of the Catholic Church. And, like John Paul II, he was fighting for them. Can Senator McCain say the same? If not, a photograph with Benedict XVI is not going to solve his problem. He needs to campaign on these issues just as Reagan did. He cannot simply claim that point of view; he needs to promote it. He needs to articulate it. In 1983, President Reagan wrote an article titled "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation," which appeared in the Human Life Review. That was an extraordinary thing for a sitting president to have done. The fact that he did it convinced many Catholic pro-lifers that Reagan was sincere in his beliefs and was not simply acting for political advantage. They rallied around him.

My thoughts:

63% of Catholics identified themselves as Democrats.

63%.

The Democrats have abortion on demand as their party platform and 63% of U.S. Catholics identify as Democrats.

Look, I realize that if I suggest that these Catholics are in serious error, etc. they won't listen. They haven't listened to a lot of people for a long time and have rationalized remaining members of a pro-abortion political party.

So, since many, if not most of these Catholics will say they, themselves, are pro-life, why haven't they galvanized and influenced the Democratic party to drop its support for abortion on demand? Why aren't the Democrats afraid their pro-abortion stance won't alienate a significant portion of their base?

I suspect it's because the Democrats know they've got these Catholics, hook, line and sinker.

Why don't all these Catholic Democrats try to influence the Democratic party?

Any thoughts?

Comments

[Jimbo]

I'm not sure I can answer this question without knowing what beliefs about abortion are held by that 63%. I strongly suspect, however, that most of the Catholics comprising that 63% either are pro-choice or very sympathetic to it. I would also venture to say that a majority of that 63% are college educated, don't go to Mass much anymore, believe in "youth in Asia", have been married a couple/few times, don't know why we bother so much with those sacraments, and don't care much for what the Pope says. Don't most Catholics disbelieve the Real Presence?

They don't make any real, meaningful efforts to change Dem postion on abortion because it largely corresponds to theirs.

I also think there is significant resistance to rethink their political identification: Republicans are evil, greedy, warmongers, and the like. This emotional immaturity prevents their minds from doing its necessary work. Their disagreement with abortion, they say, shouldn't cloud their allegiance and agreeement in so many other areas.

[Clint345]

How can anyone say that Reagan and the Pope have common values. Reagan was divorced and his family was shattered. He never got along with any of his children. Dosn't sound like a good Catholic family man to me

[Annie Witz]

Reagan had trouble with the kids he had with Nancy not his first wife. Both his older kids were fine. There are facts about any marriage breakup that you don't know about. Being a Presbyterian he would have different take on this. (Yes I know and support the Catholic position) Being an ex-protestant I know the difference on some of these things by well meaning folks.On a final note Bill Casey of blessed memory was a strong defender of the unborn while his kid has just endorsed one of the two big pro-aborts for president. You can't always control what your kids do.

[daledog]

63%? I find this unbelievable. I some disagreements with McCain, but I will vote for him. I believe he is a natural for Catholic voters. He has a 100% pro-life record - and a long record it is. He has an adopted daughter who was from Bangladesh, I believe. Mother Theresa herself introduced the child to her new, future parents. He served his country honorably - way above and beyond the call of duty. He could have secured an early release from the Hanoi Hilton, but he felt it unhonorable to exploit his father's rank. He sacrificed years of his life for the morale of his fellow prisoners. What is more Christian than that? Two of his sons are now serving in the military, one in Iraq. In other words, he was walked the walk. McCain is much more likely to appoint judges who can bring about a reversal of Roe v. Wade. Let's face it, Obama and Clinton don't like abortion, they LOVE it. The choice is clear for Catholics.

[Jeffrey]

Unfortunately, that 63% will remain as long as American Catholics focus on the social aspect of Catholicism instead of the spiritual aspect. How many people do you know who believe a life in a cloistered monastery can be holier than a life tending to the poor?
Democrats sell themselves as the party for the poor (they're not, we know this), and too many people get duped into believing it.

[Richard Saling]

63% is sad. What are we doing as individual catholics to change this? I do not want to preach, but isn't that what Jesus told us to do? Spread the good news and do our best to live it, even though we all fall now and then.
On the murder of babies, If anything, we have science on our side. We now know what a baby look like at the first week of life in the womb, etc. Share this with those who condone it. The real issue is that the Church has moved away from many of its traditions. People have lost what sin is and the shame associated with immoral and illicit behavior. Priests have become softer. We should not be afraid to call things as they are and proclaim with pride that we are Catholic. We accept Jesus in our Heart as our Savior and God Loves US. Murder is a sin, even in the womb. Promiscuous behavior and the rejection of self responsibility of ones actions must be turned around. It starts with us. It starts by going to mass - not for Jesus or God, but for us; to remind us of the message that God has for us. It starts with us becoming apostles of Jesus and abiding in him. It starts with teaching our children and setting the example with them.

I will step down from my soap box now.

[Alan]

I'm trying to find the recent report of US Catholic opinion broken down by various demographics.

It supports Jimbo's assertion - 51% of Catholics don't have a problem with abortion being legal...

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/778/a-portrait-of-american-catholics-on-the-eve-of-pope-benedicts-visit

[Alan]

"Unfortunately, that 63% will remain as long as American Catholics focus on the social aspect of Catholicism instead of the spiritual aspect."

Good point, Jeffrey.

It is all the more unfortunate that many Catholics buy into the belief that force should be used to affect social changes in a free society rather than love, persuasion, and good examples.

The left is all about force as the way of immanentizing the eschaton.

[Dan Hunter]

Those 63% are not Catholic.

Christ said,"you are either with Me or against Me", we cannot have it both ways.
Either we are in the mystical Body of Christ or not.
To be a Catholic one must give his assent to believe EVERYTHING that the Church teaches and live by it.
Otherwise we become "Catholic" in name only.

This 63% percent that support the murder of the unborn babies, and that is exactly what they are doing by supporting any politician who condones child murder, are not Catholic.

Ut Prosim.

[joanne]

It's too late to change the party for this election. The only way I could find for now, and for however long it takes, is to walk (run!) away from the Democrats until it's safe to regroup in Truth. No doubt this will hurt the Republican party while it absorbs the left, but at least we'll be suffering one another for the best of reasons. :)

[Dan Hunter]

There is a third party and it is "The Constitution Party with the 100% pro-life Ambassador Alan Keyes at its helm.

I call on all Catholics to vote for Ambassador Keyes of the Constitution Party.

God bless you.

[youngfogey]

We need to stop calling people "Catholic" just because they were baptized as infants while living the lives of atheists as adults - by the standards of these surveys even Andrew Sullivan and Chris Matthews get to be called 'catholic'

[Jeffrey]

"The left is all about force..."

Why is it that liberals HATE the Church and accuse it of controlling people, and then create laws that make the State actually control people? As if the atheist State could do better?

It's completely beyond me!