Bush, Kerry, and a battle for Catholics

[CShine]

When George W. Bush meets with the Pope Friday at the Vatican, the third such visit of this president's term, it will be tempting to see a non-Catholic president reaching out to Roman Catholic voters as he runs for reelection. Catholics represent nearly 23 percent of American voters; both major presidential campaigns are ramping up their efforts to woo Catholics, along with other faith groups. And with Democratic Sen. John Kerry poised to become the first Catholic major-party nominee since John F. Kennedy, the nexus of politics and Catholicism is under the microscope to a degree unprecedented in more than 40 years.

But a profound shift in voter behavior since the 1960 election has rendered the old analysis meaningless. "There is no real Catholic vote to speak of," says John Kenneth White, a political scientist at Catholic University. "The real split in American politics today is between those who attend services frequently and those who go seldom or not at all."

In 1960, when Kennedy was elected, the divide between Catholics and white Protestants was real. Three-fourths of Catholics supported Kennedy and three-fourths of white Protestants backed the Republican nominee, Richard Nixon. Today, non-Latino voters who identify themselves as Catholics - without regard to frequency of church attendance - break down along political lines that tend to mirror the electorate as a whole. When Latino Catholics are factored in, the "Catholic vote" leans Democratic in general and toward Kerry for president.

Even the stickiest of issues that go to the center of the intersection of religion and politics show Catholic views virtually identical to overall opinion. On abortion, 34 percent of Catholic voters and 36 percent of all voters believe it should be "generally available to those who want it," according to a new CBS News poll. On the issue of whether it's "appropriate for political candidates to talk about their religious beliefs as part of their political campaigns," 49 percent of Catholic voters said it was, versus 50 percent of voters overall.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0604/p01s01-uspo.html

[MarianJack]

1. My Wife and I...

...are 2 devout Roman Catholics who are voting for Kerry, as are almost everyone in our Irish (mine)and Puerto Rican (hers) families are!

If I recall correctly, Gore won the Catholic vote in '00. EVERY teacher (all practicing Catholics) in the school I was teaching in in '00 voted for Gore.

[louis c]

2. The Church

My problem is not with Catholics, I used to be one myself. My problem is with the Bishops and the Church hierarchy telling Catholics how to vote. The Church should stay out of politics and stick to what they know best, running Bingos and conspiring to cover-up pedophilia.

[saigon68]

3. Actually louis c they did a real shitty job covering up pedophilia

But welcome to DU anyway. Your opinion should attract a lot of attention from a certain segment here.

And on the Bingo Front OUR BINGO INDIANS (The Oneidas) ran the local Bishop and his boys out of the Bingo business a long time (15 years ago) with their high stakes Bingo at the Irene Moore Activity Center with $50,000.00 pots.




http://www.oneidabingoandcasino.net/bingo/bingo.html


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[louis c]

4. TO saigon68

They covered up for 40 years, and most of the culprits died of old age. No cover up lasts forever, but a whole life-time is successful by today's standards. Please note that no Bishops or Cardinals were ever convicted. Remember, this was the greatest organized crime committed by a state (the Vatican is a State) since the Holocaust. I also notice that you ignored the fact at how well they have succeeded at Bingo.

[saigon68]

6. Actually louis c I was just welcoming you to DU

and putting some spin on your post-- I certainly don't disagree with you that Cardinal Law has managed to escape criminal responsibility and the various Bishops have now either died or "shuffled off" to retirement.

On the bingo front however--- The Oneida Indians--- are masters of this sport now. The church in Wisconsin never made a lot of money from bingo because they didn't hire full time salaried pit bosses or numbers callers.

[louis c]

11. Thank You

My anger with the church stems from the fact that if I support Democratic candidates for National or local office because I want job security, a living wage, health ins., safety in the work place, time and a half for overtime, the right to organize a union and maybe a pension, they stick their nose in against me. Even though I have never participated, counseled, encouraged, or taken a position on abortion, because I feel it is none of my business, they will excommunicate me if the candidates I support are pro choice. Fuck them, they can stick they're hypocritical bullshit up their ass. On second thought, they might like it.

[bemildred]

5. This is a complete crock.

They want to wake up the "Catholic vote" so they can employ
the old "divide and rule" political tactics, but very few will
buy it this time around.

All the stops are being pulled out (except race) so far, we have
gays, abortion, Catholics, Jews, anything to take the subject off
taxes, health care, schools, and imperial attitudes in international
relations. Can "Willy Horton" be far behind?

[saigon68]

8. I think they have Willie or Willie's cousin Ready to Come On-stage

Then they will play the Race Card for the Lily White Sheep !!

Baaa Baaa Baaa

[bemildred]

10. Yeah, it's looks like we are going to get "Saint Ronald" too.

And I left out immigrant bashing too, I guess there are
too many out of work and uninsured to bash the "lazy welfare
cheats" this time around.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. Bush and his fundies don't consider Catholics to be Christians

I certainly hope someone gets word to the Pope.

[MarianJack]

9. That's One Reason...

...that I don't trust *bush. He went to bob jones "university" to make a conservative statement and did not say 1 word about either the inter-racial dating ban or their belief that the Church is a "cult".

As a member of that cult in a bi-racial marriage, I'd be opposed to the moron even if I didn't know that he had his head so far up his ass that he takes a dump out of his nose! (yes, I know that's a physical impossibility)