WP: Bush Tells Catholic Group He Will Tackle Its Issues

[kskiska]

DALLAS, Aug. 3 -- President Bush told an effervescent crowd of 2,500 Catholics at the annual convention of the Knights of Columbus on Tuesday that they have a friend in the White House who will work with them to restrict abortion, provide vouchers for parochial schools and champion a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Bush spoke for 35 minutes without mentioning his Democratic opponent. But there was no mistaking that the nation's largest Roman Catholic fraternal order was turning a cold shoulder toward Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the first Catholic to run for president since John F. Kennedy in 1960 and a supporter of abortion rights.

"Four more years!" delegates to the convention roared as Bush entered the hall and embraced their leader, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson. As a nonprofit charitable organization, the Knights are forbidden by tax laws from making political endorsements. But Anderson gave Bush a warm welcome, thanking him for "supporting the right to life of unborn children" and "restoring moral integrity to the office of the president."

(snip)

"Although he's a Catholic, John Kerry doesn't talk about the things I believe in. His support of abortion -- he's got a different agenda," said William M. Mulvihill, a delegate from Richmond.

Robert McLoughlin, a delegate from Prospect Heights, Ill., said, "If Kerry were here, we'd want to hear what he had to say." He added that he believes Catholics "have gotten past" supporting a candidate solely because he is a fellow Catholic.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37805-2004Aug3.html

[leesa]

1. Good! This will piss off his lunatic Fundie base because they hate

Catholics (along with anyone else that's not Fundie)

[squidbro]

7. Sorry, but Fundies and Catholic extremists are in this together

You might want to rethink that one.

The Fundies are allying themselves with the Catholics in a big way as their interests are very much alike and mesh well together.

It is the rank and file Catholics who indentify themselves with the church, yet follow none of the edicts as they are practical people, that Bush will alienate.

Most of the rank and file "Catholics" will support Kerry because he is like one of them.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

15. Yup, real Catholics will support Kerry. Extremists are a minority.

Any Catholic who supports Bush should be excommunicated.

[noahmijo]

2. Oh really?

Robert McLoughlin, a delegate from Prospect Heights, Ill., said, "If Kerry were here, we'd want to hear what he had to say." He added that he believes Catholics "have gotten past" supporting a candidate solely because he is a fellow Catholic.


How about a candidate that believes Catholics are lower than sewer rats and are all going to hell?

How about a candidate who talks a good game about being Christian but is closer to the religion of Satan than that of Christianity?

Phonies...* will NEVER take the Catholic vote, he's better off pandering to the church of Satan.

[Cobalt Violet]

3. So does that mean he will tackle ending the Death Penalty?

[calimary]

4. Oh yeah? I can't WAIT to see him tackle THIS lifelong Catholic's

issues. Starting with choice and ending with the damned war. And yes, the Pope is with me on one of these, too, george.

[alcuno]

5. I don't believe that Catholics have "gotten past" support for fellow

Catholics. I believe that we've had one Catholic president and we're probably around 25% of the population. What is there to get over?

My mom and dad, Florida Bush and Nader voters, staunch Catholics, are voting for Kerry. They both made a point to mention that they really dislike the mixing of politics and religion. The Knights of Columbus represents the fundie strain of the Catholic Church and all that squishy evangelical rhetoric creeps many of us out.

[MichiganVote]

6. Gonna take on the pedophiles Georgie?

Sure beats trying to help the Catholic clerics with their own homosexuality issues. Sure, help the Catholics, please do. With your track record should be interesting.

Careful what you ask for Catholics.

[DenaliDemocrat]

9. As a Catholic

I just see nothing very Christlike in Bush...

No "turn the other cheek"

No "do unto others as you would have done unto you"

No "feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison"


Bush is a war monger, and the Pope has already said this war in Iraq is unjust in the eyes of the Church as it fails the just war doctine.

From my standpoint, I just don't see how ANY Catholic could say that declaring war innocent people was more just than voting to let ANOTHER person have an abortion if they want to.

Freaking nuts.

[KittyWampus]

8. Abortion? The Catholic Church Forbids ALL TYPES OF BIRTH CONTROL JUNIOR!!!

I DARE Junior and the GOP to start suggesting we do away with ALL forms of Birth Control.

And I DARE the Catholic Church to start denying Communion to politicians who practise or advocate using ANY form of birth control.

It ain't just abortion that is forbidden.

It's time to call these hypocritical liars out.

Take them to task on ALL FORMS OF BIRTH CONTROL.

[sandnsea]

12. Especially vasectomy

Watch those men scurry out of sight if that were the issue.

[BrotherBuzz]

20. I believe a hysterectomy....

is the still the preferred form of birth control in the patriarchal Catholic society. Women first, after all it take balls to have a vasectomy!

[R Hickey]

10. Republican Catholics will drive away Democratic Catholics

...which, as an ex-Catholic, suits me fine.

[The Zanti Regent]

11. K of C supports a guy who forced his mistress to get an abortion...

Nice to see the K of C supporting a man who forced his 15 year old mistress to have an abortion...

[demgrrrll]

13. The K of C did not invite Kerry to speak to them, just Bush. I guess

if they really wanted to hear another point of view they would have invited Kerry too.

[truthisfreedom]

14. kill the living. that's bush's theme. the catholics embrace this are not

getting into heaven. sorry, guys... wrong candidate.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

16. All Bush supporting Catholics should be excommunicated

They're going to hell

[LSK]

17. what an idiot

<sarcasm>Keep preaching to the chior chimpy. You are sure to get new votes that way.</sarcasm>


How could this moron be even close to Kerry????????????

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

18. And the Catholic Church should keep its tax exemption why?

This is crazy. Pat Robertson endorses * and the Catholic Church endorses * and there doesn't seem to be anyone who cares. It seems like * is nibbling away at the separation of taxable political organizations and non-taxable churches. So essentially you can give as much money as you want to your church -- a lot more than you can under campaign spending limits -- and not only can the church use it to support a candidate or party without losing its tax-exempt status, but you get a tax deduction for what is in reality a political donation.

I think it's time to tax churches like other businesses.

[demgrrrll]

19. I agree and I wonder if a self proclaimed non partisan

group like the K of C can legally invite one candidate and not the other. How does that work in terms of tax exempt status?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

26. The K of C is NOT the Catholic Church

Let's be clear on that!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[drhilarius]

22. He'll reduce the # of frivolous lawsuits...

that molested choir boys bring against the clergy.

(II)

[Voltaire99]

23. Bush: 'I Will Be the Rhythm Method President'

A medieval-minded moron for a medieval-minded church.

[MaineDem]

24. He does nothing for this (non-practicing) Catholic

But, then again, I'm not anywhere close to the Opus Dei Catholics. I don't doubt that they support the BoyKing.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

25. I am cancelling my membership and writing them a letter right now

bastards!

[drscm]

27. He will tackle its politically expedient issues,

and attack anyone who disagrees with him on Iraq, his war on peace, fear-mongering, health care, health insurance, corporate welfare, etc.