Fmr. Ambassador Ray Flynn: Democrats Exclude Catholics from the Democrat National Convention

NewsMax.com ^ | 07.28.04

[Coleus]

Flynn: Democrats Exclude Catholics

Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.com
Wednesday, July 28, 2004

President of Your Catholic Voice, former mayor of Boston, former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican during the Clinton Administration, and author of “The Accidental Pope” and “John Paul II” - Ray Flynn is a man on a mission.

In appearances around the country, in articles on Your Catholic Voice (YCV) Website and in interviews on Meet the Press, Nightline, Face the Nation, This Week, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, this man who describes himself as a “loyal Catholic American first,” wants to re-enfranchise the sixty-two million Catholics in the United States – too many of which he says have become “politically homeless.”

Unabashedly pro-life, pro-family and pro-needy, Flynn has been president since May 2003 of YCV, a non-partisan independent Catholic lay organization dedicated to “motivating, educating and activating Catholic citizens for political and social participation.”

His mantra: “Catholics have become spectators in American politics, not active players.”

Flynn is out to change all that, but suggests that he doesn’t get much help from the Catholic politicians. “Catholic politicians feel they have to compromise their Catholic principles and values to get ahead, he told NewsMax in an exclusive interview.

"The popular line of the day for Catholic elected officials on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage is, ‘I’m personally opposed, but I don’t want to impose my own values and beliefs on other people.’"

"Amazingly, this has become the political response that satisfies both Catholic voters and opponents to Church teaching."

Although not taking specific aim at the nation’s most prominent Catholic politician these days – John Kerry – the description fits. Kerry is the first Roman Catholic from a major political party to seek the presidency in 44 years.

Although Flynn has not formally endorsed Kerry, he has expressed the belief that Kerry’s campaign needs a Catholic movement - a reaching out to Catholic voters.

Flynn maintains it could make a deciding difference in battlegrounds like Ohio, Wisconsin and New Mexico – states with large Catholic populations. Nearly 20 percent of Ohioans are Catholic, and the ratio is higher in cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Flynn suggests that Kerry could serve himself better by being more overt with his own faith. Instead, the candidate rarely gets personal about his faith on the campaign trail, stressing instead his strong belief in separation of church and state.

And Flynn’s complaint extends not just to the candidate but to the party he represents. “At one time, the Democratic Party fought for social and economic justice and was the party of blue-collar, working-class Catholic families," he said. "Today, the Democratic Party is controlled by wealthy, left-wing activists whose extreme political agenda, for the most part, excludes loyal, faithful and patriotic American Catholics.”

As president of a nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization, Flynn has been careful in choosing his words.

However, when Kerry last year suggested Pope John Paul II “crossed the line” by instructing Catholic politicians to block legalization of gay marriage, Flynn, a great admirer of the Pope, was pushed over the edge. “For Kerry to attack and address the Holy Father, the revered moral leader of over one billion Catholics worldwide, in that way was highly disrespectful and cynical.

"If a candidate for President does not understand that the family is the foundation and source of stability for society, I think he is out of touch with mainstream Americans.”

But candidate Kerry may just be between a rock and a hard place when it comes to defining the role of his faith in his candidacy. Flynn says, “It’s different to 40 years ago. JFK, as a Catholic, had to convince non-Catholics that he would not take orders from the Pope. The challenge for Kerry is to convince Catholics that he is faithful to the values and traditions of the Catholic Church.”

Although Flynn laments that instead of attending civic and church meetings, Catholics are shopping in the malls or watching athletic events on TV, he does see hope on the horizon.

“Much to my surprise, young adults are getting involved more than I’ve ever seen before. I’ve seen it in San Francisco, Boston and cities throughout the United States.

"I also see it on college campuses — like Harvard and the University of San Francisco. It’s truly amazing — the sense of commitment these young Catholics women and men have.

”These are young people who have been positively influenced by the moral leadership of Pope John Paul II and are not afraid to get involved.

"A positive movement of young Catholics is building, not only in the United States, but also in many parts of the world. I personally saw the impact that Pope John Paul II has had on young people in my many trips with him over the years.”

In the run-up to the November elections, these are some of the important hearts and minds that Kerry must capture, says Flynn.

[Coleus]

Pro-Life Agenda for the 2004 Democrat National Convention, Boston

New Jersey Catholics Urged to Elect Moral Politicans-Ambassador Ray Flynn, June 29th, 2004

Statement by Ray Flynn of 'Your Catholic Voice' Regarding Comment by Cardinal Arinze on Communion

Flynn: Dems ignore Catholics

[Coleus]

Ray Flynn was Clinton's only pro-life apointee as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 1993-97 and was Mayor of Boston from 1984-93.

He supported President Bush in 2000 and will vote for him again in 2004.

[xsmommy]

ping

[jscd3]

Flynn suggests that Kerry could serve himself better by being more overt with his own faith.

I'm not sure what Flynn means here - Kerry is VERY overt with his faith. He worships himself, as anyone with eyes can see.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[oldironsides]

Many Pennsylvanians watched the treatment of Democrat Gov. Bob Casey at the Democrat National Convention in New York City. The Democrats humiliated Bob Casey and refused to allow him to speak. They are an oppressive regime with tight controls on everyone. No pro life person will be allowed any part in the Boston convention. We do know that Ted Kennedy, Sandy Berger, Danny Rostenkowski, Bobby Toricelli and a disbarred lawyer named Clinton are all welcome. Democrats are a narrow minded group of controlling leftists.

[NutmegDevil]

Ray Flynn sold out to BJ Clinton in the '90s and was rewarded with the Ambassadorship to The Vatican.

Ray must have seen the error of his ways; a true contrition cleanses the soul. I sure hope so, as we could use Ambassador Flynn on our side.

[ex-snook]

"Kerry is the first Roman Catholic from a major political party to seek the presidency in 44 years. "

If Kerry goes down it will be another 44 years for the Democrats and never for the Republicans. Their influence has been successfully neutralized.

[Antoninus]

Ping. I will be posting a here-to-fore unpublished interview with Ambassador Flynn very shortly...

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Who is Ray Flynn going to vote for?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

If he is for Bush, why doesn't he speak for him and for pro-life policies at the Republican Convention? Wouldn't that be the "Catholic" thing to do - to defend innocent life against Kerry and his wild-eyed baby-killing supporters???

[Coleus]

If he is for Bush, why doesn't he speak for him and for pro-life policies at the Republican Convention? Wouldn't that be the "Catholic" thing to do - to defend innocent life against Kerry and his wild-eyed baby-killing supporters??? >>

He would then lose his tax-exempt 501(c)3 status from his Your Catholic Voice organization. He has said many times on the Fox News Channel, FNC, that he voted for Pres. Bush in the 2002 election.

[jjmcgo]

I voted for McGovern, Carter, Reagan (to get rid of Carter), Mondale (because of the lousy job Reagan did in his second term as Calif. Gov.) and Dukakis. Then, Hillary Clinton kept Bob Casey from addressing the 1992 Democratic convention with the message that Dems could be pro-life. I have not voted for a Democrat since that day, the day the Dems officially became totally and stridently anti-life.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"He has said many times on the Fox News Channel, FNC, that he voted for Pres. Bush in the 2002 election."

---

I assume you meant in 2000.

It's too bad that Massachusetts Democrats split up Boston into 2 congressional districts, one of which is dominated by Cambridge and other northern suburbs and the other which is dominated by southern suburbs. If they kept Boston whole, Ray Flynn could be a pro-life Congressman from a district that gave Bush less than 20% of the vote in 2000!

[mewzilla]

To the Dems, the only good Catholic is a cafeteria Catholic.

[Clintonfatigued]

I hope that it helps more than last time. Gore did well among Irish-Americans in the last election, one of the reasons the northeast was so heavily 'Rat.

[Coleus]

Ex-Boston Dem Mayor Says Party 'Out of Touch' With American Values
By Roch Hammond
CNSNews.com Correspondent
July 28, 2004

(CNSNews.com) - Ray Flynn, former three-term Democratic mayor of Boston and the Clinton administration's ambassador to the Vatican, said the "core values" shared by Catholics and most Americans are being ignored at the Democratic National Convention and are absent from the Democratic Party platform.

Flynn said the Democratic National Convention being held in Boston is not reflective of how average working people in America feel on a number of important issues.

"The Democratic Party delegates, hierarchy, [and] leadership are out of touch with American mainstream values," Flynn stated.

Flynn and other pro-life Democrats are unhappy with the Democratic Party and candidate John Kerry for their views on issues such as abortion. While Kerry, a Catholic, has stated that he believes "life begins at conception," he has maintained that he does not want to impose his Catholic beliefs on others and supports a female's right to an abortion.

Kerry has voted against bans on "partial-birth" abortion and has garnered the enthusiastic support of groups like Planned Parenthood, which actually provides abortions, as well as NARAL Pro-Choice America and the National Organization for Women, which aggressively lobby for abortion rights.

Flynn noted that Democrats did not allow the late Bob Casey, popular former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania (1987-1995), to speak at their conventions on several occasions because of his "pro-life" and Catholic beliefs.

"What's so wrong with having a diversity of opinion on important issues in a major political party?" Flynn asked.

The former Boston mayor claims that the voices of average Americans and pro-life Democrats are being ignored because politics are "controlled, influenced and manipulated" by the money and pull of special interest groups.

"[T]he feminists, the left-wing groups -- they're the ones that have the great impact on the Democratic Party now," Flynn said. "Where are the voices of just average people out there?"

While Flynn pointed to the discontent among pro-life Democrats, Catholics and other Americans for the way Democratic leaders are "evading" certain issues, he was not impressed with the Republican Party's ability to address the concerns of average Americans either.

Those average Americans "don't believe either party welcomes them with open arms," according to Flynn.

Politicians from both parties need to be more "open" and "respectful" of the views of average Americans, Flynn said, but he added that the burden rests not only with the politicians. Catholics, as well as others who believe in American "core values," also have the "responsibility to get politically involved" to ensure that their views are being addressed by the major parties, he said.

Officials from the Democratic National Committee did not return repeated phone calls requesting comment for this article.

Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.

[Meldrim]

Lynch, who is both prolife and endorsed by the NRA, won the district to the south.

[AuH2ORepublican]

According to the National Right to Life Committee, Stephen Lynch only votes pro-life about half the time. In 2003, he voted the right way on the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban and its hostile amendments, but in 2002 he voted in favor of the sham substitute to the PBA Ban that would have allowed late-term abortions so long as the woman's "health" (including emotional and mental "health") was at risk, which basically wouldn't have banned a single abortion. In addition, Lynch voted (i) in favor of the sham substitute to the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (it would have denied that there were two victims when someone kills a pregnant woman and her baby, and would not have charged someone with murder if the unborn baby dies but the woman lives), (ii) in favor of funding for the UN Population Fund (that carries out coercive abortions in places like China), (iii) in favor of Jim Greenwood's "clone-and-kill" sham substitute to the Weldon-Stupak Human Cloning Ban, (iv) in favor of a hostile motion to the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (the Act prohibits states from discriminating against doctors, hospitals and HMOs that refuse to carry out or pay for abortions), and (v) in favor of the sham substitute amendment to the Child Custody Protection Act, which amendment would have allowed an adult sibling, grandparent, minister, rabbi, pastor, priest, or other religious leader to transport minors across state lines for abortions in violation of state parental notification laws. Here is Lynch's voting record as per NRTL:

http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/bio/keyvotes/?id=4040

However, after looking at the voting record of the supposedly pro-life Congressman Richard Neal of Springfield, it is clear that Lynch has the least pro-abortion voting record in the Massachusetts congressional delegation (Neal only votes for final passage of very popular pro-life bills, and one cannot count on his support on any important vote), so I thank you for calling to my attention Lynch's abortion position.

BTW, if Boston was kept wholly within a single congressional district, I think either Ray Flynn or Stephen Lynch would be elected to Congress over ultra pro-abort Michael Capuano from Somerville, who would be out of a job (Capuano won the primary because of his support from ultraliberals in Cambridge and surrounding townships). And if the suburbs south of Boston were kept together, the congressman would likely be either a pro-life Democrat or a pro-life Republican. So stand by my assertion that splitting Boston up into two congressional districts ends up helping the pro-aborts.