Wow Ansell. I finished watching the Rangers kick ass in LA, and was just about to call it a night. I was proud of you, but I guess you couldn't help yourself. Baby steps. Tomorrow, see if you can control your impulses for 24 hours. Then try to beat that record.
In the meantime, it sounds like you're not clear on the mechanics of a presidential election, so perhaps I can help there too. In this country, we elect presidents through an electoral college, not by simple majority. In the 1996 election Clinton won there 379 to 159. The top 5 closest states that Bill Clinton won and Bob Dole lost were, in order: KY, NV, AZ, TN & FL. Other than AZ (30%) none of them are more than 25% Catholic. So, no, if Catholics had voted the same as other Christians in the 1996 election (they went for Clinton 50 to 41 percent), it is not likely that the election would have gone to Dole in any event.
But it is illustrative of a deeper point: The cultural fabric of our national politics. By that I mean that the region than a person comes from, and their ethnic and socioeconomic background is a much better indication of a person's religious affiliation than their religious habits. For the most part. Jews and a few minority religious groups are the notable exceptions who predictably vote in as a liberal block. It is for exactly that reason that among the strongest of all conservatives are conservative Jews: They have to be. Same goes for conservative blacks. And conservative Hispanics for that matter. Ever met a first generation Cuban immigrant?
But, again, this is really not the most helpful conversation for you right now. What you need to be reminded of -constantly -is the fact that you log on every day to FR and seek out threads that have any association to Catholicism. When you get there, you pick pretty much the same exact fight with a different stranger, day after day after day. Until then, you've got yourself a the mental health equivalent of a sobriety coach. I am writing a paper for grad school right now, so I'm spending a lot of time on my laptop. Every time you return to your negative behavior, I am going to keep reminding your mistake. It's a win/win, I think, because it will help keep me focused on my work. If I have time, I may even start checking on your behavior on other threads. Make a valid point, I'll leave you alone. Return to your compulsive habits, I'll be there to support you. I'm that kind of guy.
You may think you're helping yourself with delusional claims about educating pro life conservatives. But everyone that I am aware of on this website is pro life. Everyone is equally disgusted with men like Mario Cuomo. Its quite evident that you know that deep down. You don't like yourself very much and you are lashing out at strangers because you think it will help. It won't. You need to come to terms with what, exactly, it is that bothers you about Catholics and Catholicism and be honest about it. Then you need to find something different to do with your time every day. I would suggest volunteering to help with a political campaign (you're clearly motivated, and I don't doubt your political convictions), but there are endless opportunities for anyone with time to contribute.
My prediction is this: When you come to terms with whatever it is that is bothering you personally, life will get better for you. If you don't you will continue on this cycle of self-destructive behavior. The choice is yours.
But I'm rooting for you Ansell.
Let's try a 1996 election where the Catholics only give Clinton 41% instead of the 53% that the Catholic voters did give him.
But here you are defending their vote, on a thread about one of the Catholic heroes, Mario Cuomo.
It is no wonder that Catholics vote as they do, when even on a pro-life site you are so obsessed with concealing the vote and it's impact on pro-life conservatism, and how all this should be the topic of conversation on this thread about Cuomo's elegant and public Catholic funeral.
Imagine an America where the Catholics voted with the Evangelical Christians, instead of with the gays and atheists.
Cuomo's grand Catholic send off, and last reminder to the Catholic voter's of where their loyalty lies, the democrat party.
