Catholic vote is key for Bush, Kerry Many faithful fit in undecided group

New Orleans Times Picayune ^ | Aut. 16, 04 | Bruce Nolan

[churchillbuff]

When President Bush scored an enormous hit with a campaign appearance this month before a Catholic men's organization, he was preaching to the choir as he basked in the approval of an enthusiastic subset of Catholic voters that both he and Sen. John Kerry covet.

But neither can definitively claim those voters. ...[snip] A recent Time magazine poll found that likely voters who considered themselves "very religious," regardless of faith, favored Bush over Kerry by 59 percent to 35 percent. Those who considered themselves "not religious" favored Kerry 69 percent to 22 percent.

[VRWCer]

Not only is this Catholic (and hubby) voting for Bush, but our church parking lot is a sea of Bush/Cheney bumperstickers (right next to the Right to Life ones, very often). I can't imagine anyone in our parish voting for that pretender to the throne, that pseudo-euro-weenie-wannabe. Our parish is huge in their support of Right to Life, as is our archdiocese. They must be interviewing the CINOs in NY.

[utahagen]

I've posted this before on Free Republic, and I'll keep posting it. When pollsters ask about religion, they do not press the person being interviewed about what it means to call oneself "Catholic". Therefore, the self-designation of "Catholic" may mean nothing more than "My grandmother used to take me to Mass when I was ten years old but then my parents started taking me to a Methodist Church and now I'm not really anything, so I guess I'm Catholic". About 25% of the US population is "Catholic". Of that percentage, I'd say about 30% go to church every week or almost every week. (Weekly church attendance is the threshold requirement for being a CAtholic in good standing.) Of that (weekly Mass-going) group, I'd estimate 90% are supporting Bush. Yes, 90%. This is a group I know well and I can tell you there are very few Kerry voters in the group.

[RockinRight]

I think the Catholic-Democrat connection dates back to FDR...

[RockinRight]

What about the devout Black Baptists that vote 85% to 90% Democrat? Or people like the "Reverend" Jackson?

[RockinRight]

Well, last election I said I wouldn't vote for Bush and I didn't.

Who did you vote for? And why?

[Jaysun]

What about the devout Black Baptists that vote 85% to 90% Democrat? Or people like the "Reverend" Jackson?

Makes ZERO sense. My Grandmother is a Democrat. I questioned her as to why considering abortion, homosexuals, etc. When it got right down to it, she had bought into the lie that the Democrats "help" people with their insane socialism programs. So I said, "Basically, you sold off the babies and stance on homosexuals for an idea of government that world history proves doesn't work?"

She vowed to switch. We'll see.

[patriciamary]

Bush should hammer the gay issue to catholics.

[bushinohio]

What about the devout Black Baptists....

I don't understand this either. How can "religious" people like Jimmy Carter, Rev. Jackson, and Rev Al Sharpton support a party that is for the willful destruction of human life. Is there any place where you can find any of these men talking about the issue of abortion. It would be nice to read what they have to say. Does this issue just conveniently slip their minds?

[TASMANIANRED]

Liberalism is a religion, Abortion is their sacrament.

[KingNo155]

Make that 3 My wife and I are 2 joining your vote!

[KingNo155]

The democrats think that by giving a man a fish to eat they are helping him and being christian, we all know they are buying a vote. Christ taught "teach a man to fish" so he won't have to vote to buy a fish...lol my take

[Calpernia]

I really wish I knew what was in Schundler's closet.

[Jeff Chandler]

Catholics who don't understand the primacy of the sanctity of life will not be swayed by that issue, at least not between now and November. It would be better to reinforce the notion that in a post 9-11 world, a strong, resolute leader is needed for our survival. Bush is that leader.

[Coleus]

SATAN  Personified

John F. Kerry gives CPR to a dead Hamster yet votes NO 6 times to BAN Partial Birth Abortion!!! Tries to save a Rodent and allows the slaughter of human beings created in God's image.  What does that tell you about his Character?

"had also dived off a dock to save a hamster named Licorice from what the elder sister, Alexandra, called "a watery doom," even administering CPR."

Kerry cited in Catholic heresy case

MEDIA SUING TO OPEN KERRY'S SEALED DIVORCE PAPERS

More Bias and spin in the many newspaper articles to protect the liberal democrat. Kerry provided NO evidence of an annulment and he was married to Heinz, his second wife worth Billions,  in the back yard of a home on Martha's Vineyard which is not ordinarily allowed for Catholics and there is also NO evidence of any RC priest who married them.

I wish the reporters would question him for the truth. Dream on.

Teresa on the Stump, Teresa Heinz Kerry, from Mozambique, PRO-ABORTION Catholic, UN Employee, etc.

Teresa Heinz Kerry, Drummond Pike and the Communist TIDES FOUNDATION

The Bible and homosexuality [Kerry thinks the bible is for homosexuality]

Kerry’s Dirty Deeds (How, pray tell, do they comport with religious belief

Vatican Worries About Kerry

John Kerry and Unborn Victims

Catholic Pro-Abortion, Pro-Homosexual

Catholic and 100% Pro Abortion

Catholics Kerry and Kennedy have a 100% Pro-homosexual Record with the Human Rights Campaign! Page 10,11

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
DOCTRINAL NOTE
on some questions regarding
The Participation of Catholics in Political Life

Living the Gospel of Life:
A Challenge to American Catholics
A Statement by the Catholic Bishops of the United States

Faithful Citizenship:
Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium

Canon Law and Abortion

Sign Petition: To  Excommunicate Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians

The Gospel of Life--Evangelium Vitae

Herod's Heroes, Sign Petition

Kerry, Candidate and Catholic, Creates Uneasiness for Church

A Primer on Canon 915 Can. 915 Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion

Excommunicate Kerry Website

Catholics Against Kerry

1400 Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, "have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders."²³⁶ It is for this reason that Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible for the Catholic Church. However these ecclesial communities, "when they commemorate the Lord's death and resurrection in the Holy Supper . . . profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and await his coming in glory."²³⁷

Can.  844 §1. Catholic ministers administer the sacraments licitly to Catholic members of the Christian faithful alone, who likewise receive them licitly from Catholic ministers alone, without prejudice to the prescripts of §§2, 3, and 4 of this canon, and ⇒ can. 861, §2.

Sin to vote for pro-abortion politicians?
By Father Matthew Habiger, OSB

Kerry Will Hold Pro-Abortion Rally Prior to Sunday's Abortion March

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I really can't see how any Catholic can vote for Kerry

Here in Springfield we have a group of way-out Santa Cruz socialists that demonstrates at the town plaza every Friday. They hold up vile pro-terrorist, pro-U.N., anti-Bush signs, and keep a U.N. flag standing nearby. On one Friday I saw one of our cantors holding one of the signs. This was quite a while ago, shortly after our Bishop (Sylvester Ryan, Diocese of Monterey) issued an anti-war statement and our pastor delivered an anti-war homily. Both the Bishop and the pastor took the position that the invasion of Iraq failed to meet the just war criteria. I still don't understand how they came to that conclusion.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Nice timing. Your ping to me at post #35 crossed my post #36.

[SuziQ]

Bush is a better Catholic than Kerry!

[Defender2]

If they're still in the undecedided group, I think the term faithful is erroneous. That means they flip flop just as bad as kerry and o'reilly does.

[SuziQ]

Both the Bishop and the pastor took the position that the invasion of Iraq failed to meet the just war criteria. I still don't understand how they came to that conclusion.

A LOT of Catholics are confused over this. What's hilarious is that Kerry is ALSO for the war, so what are they gonna do?

Neither the Pope, nor the Church as a body, has ever declared that participation in the Iraq war is a sin. It has NEVER been equated with abortion, which is the most serious of sins with which we have to deal here in America. The Church does not even teach that participation in capital punishment is as serious as abortion.

The Democrats are on the WRONG side of the teaching on abortion, and NO ISSUE is more important than the issue of LIFE. We need to remind all of our Catholic brethren of that!