[angry elephant]

Some of my Catholic family were staunch Democrats. The explanations were that the “Democrats are the working party,” and “In the old days when a Catholic family was struggling the Democrats would always show up with food baskets.”

There is some strange lore that runs through many Catholics that Republicans are rich and do nothing for the poor. Of course, the rest of know that the studies show that affluent Republicans always give more to charities than do affluent Democrats, but try to break through their embedded logic and you hit a brick wall.

[fwdude]

I thought Catholics were supposed to be so much more intelligent and learned than the heathen Protestants. Or so I’m often told.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

but try to break through their embedded logic and you hit a brick wall.

That generation is dying out. Unfortunately, the new breed of Democrat, like most of my nephews, are unthinking socialists.

[TexasGator]

“Some of my Catholic family were staunch Democrats. The explanations were that the “Democrats are the working party,” and “In the old days when a Catholic family was struggling the Democrats would always show up with food baskets.”

I explain away our SIL’s mother and father as being from the NE and were used to the ‘neighborhood protector’ (mob boss).

They feel they have to have a ‘boss’ to protect them from the evil republicans.

[niteowl77]

Some of my Catholic family were staunch Democrats. The explanations were that the “Democrats are the working party,” and “In the old days when a Catholic family was struggling the Democrats would always show up with food baskets.”

The food basket that binds to eternity reads better than the whiskey jug that compels infinite allegiance. I've heard more than one "Irish Catholic Democrat and proud of it" brag about how the family has voted 100% Democrat since coming over from Ireland and "the old man" being given free drinks by the local party boss.

In any event, it's like a family curse wherein one guy in 1848 gives ownership of his descendants - whether they like it or not - to a political party until doomsday, and each successive generation is fine with it. Weird. One guy I know (who votes Republican on the sly) can not change his party registration without losing an inheritance, and probably getting shunned by most of his family.

My own Irish family component had a falling out with the church over something three or four generations back, and apparently the break carried over into politics, because my maternal grandfather voted Republican and hated FDR with a passion.

Mr. niteowl77