Posted on 10/15/2004 8:36:54 PM PDT by Salvation
On Wednesday, Georgetown Universitys Catholic Studies Election Forum presented, Why should a Catholic Vote Republican Democratic? The forum, moderated by Georgetowns Father John Langan, S.J., featured a surrogate for President George W. Bush and for Senator John Kerry. Each campaign representative made the case for why he believes his candidate is the best choice for Catholics in November.
Father Langan, the Cardinal Bernardin Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown, kicked off the program by saying the election is the third most important conflict we currently face. The most important, he felt is the Iraqi war, and joked that this was followed by the Red Sox-Yankees baseball playoffs. He noted that a recent political program had identified Catholics and working women as voting blocs still in play for both candidates. Therefore, the purpose of the forum was to see which candidate makes the strongest case for Catholic support. Each surrogate had fifteen minutes to make his argument followed by questions and answers from the audience.
Leonard A. Leo, Executive Vice President of the Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies in Washington, D.C, represented President Bush and spoke first. He stated emphatically that because Senator Kerry opposes the Churchs teaching on culture of life issues, Catholic voters must disqualify him. Therefore, the real question is can Catholics vote for President Bush based on Church teaching.
Leo said his rejection of Senator Kerry as an alternative for Catholics is not based on Kerrys faith. The only objective criteria are the senators stated positions and voting record. This record must be examined in light of the Churchs social teachings. At the core of these teachings is the right to life, which is paramount to living the Gospel of Life.
He then presented Kerrys scandalous abortion record. Kerry is against any sensible limits on the practice. He voted against the partial- birth abortion ban six times. He opposes parental notification laws, and he is the first presidential candidate Planned Parenthood has ever endorsed. He also supports human cloning and supports reversing President Bushs ban on new lines for embryonic stem-cell research. He noted Kerrys commitment to filibuster any judicial nominee who is pro-life, and pointed out how the senator voted against the unborn victims' act.
Leo also dismissed the senators claim in the second debate that while he personally opposes abortion, he is not going to impose his religious views on others. He noted religion takes a position on an issue like abortion not as an article of faith, but because it is inherently morally wrong. He also addressed another popular claim by Kerry and others on the Left that Kerry is more pro-life because of the social spending he supports, which somehow leads to a decrease in women relying on abortions. Leo said abortions have declined in America not because of social spending, but because people are waking up to the horrible nature of the procedure. He also noted that you cannot measure someones commitment to Catholic social teaching by how much money he spends on social programs.
After presenting why Catholics who take the Churchs social teachings seriously could not vote for Kerry, Leo made his case for President Bush. He said Catholics can support the president after examining three main areas: the culture of life, social policies, and the Iraq war.
About the culture of life, he noted that President Bush signed the partial- birth abortion ban and unborn victims' act, and supports parental notification legislation. The president has also tried to make abortion rarer by promoting abstinence and advocating adoption as an alternative. He has banned tax money for overseas abortions. The president has placed a ban on federal embryonic stem-cell research beyond those lines already in existence from previously destroyed embryos and he supports adult stem-cell research. He also opposes human cloning.
Leo then presented President Bushs compassionate conservative social agenda. He noted that many of his conservative friends have bemoaned the fact that this administration has spent so much on social spending. He said President Bush has sought to lessen peoples tax burden, and introduced programs like prison counseling. He has also launched the faith-based initiative. Most of all, President Bush recognizes that when individuals are empowered to live their own lives, society recognizes their inherent dignity, which is the crux of Catholic social teaching.
Given the setting and the number of students in the audience fiercely opposed to the Iraq war, Leos toughest task was to present the presidents justification for the invasion. He said the war was the last resort for the administration. Saddam Hussein was a vicious butcher who represented a threat to his own people, the Middle East, the United States, and the entire world. Further, Hussein continually ignored the United Nations' 17 resolutions addressing the Iraq crisis.
Representing Senator Kerry was Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., M.H.S.A., a Senior Health Scientist at RAND and a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. He began by noting that Catholics are interested in all issues despite the fact that the media likes to portray them as a single bloc only interested in one or two issues.
Valedez said that political exploitation was at an all-time low and to distort Kerrys position on moral issues was outrageous. He spoke of the Churchs spiritual renewal since Vatican II, which promotes religious liberty, human dignity, respect for an individuals conscience, openness in policy, and the rights of all believers. He then took a shot at what he called Pre-Vatican II believers, whom he claims are in the business of rolling back reforms.
About Gospel values, he argued that John Kerrys vision comes closest to that of Catholics. He said Kerry is the better of the two candidates on a whole spectrum of social justice issues, including abortion, the death penalty, and social spending. Valedez then claimed that moral theology is not stagnant nor was it set in stone a couple of thousands of years ago. He argued it is wrong to believe that we have already uncovered all the moral issues facing humanity. It is rather a constant search for the truth.
He then made a not-so-veiled attack on Evangelicals, including the president, who he believes use the Bible as a means of demonizing others to promote their own agenda. He labeled this the politics of exclusion and claimed Kerrys view of the Gospel is one of openness, tolerance, and inclusion. He also said Kerry is someone who prays in secret and contrasted this to the Pharisee in the Gospel who seeks to bring attention to himself through ostentatious worship. The senator knows how to keep his faith and politics separate, he noted. Again, a not-so-subtle comparison to the president.
Valedez then launched a scathing attack on the President Bushs economic policies. He said real GDP is the lowest in memory. Employment is contracted, bankruptcies are up sharply, the stock market is lower then when Bush took office, and the poverty rate is up. The income inequality has grown, the budget surplus has disappeared, and in its place is a huge deficit, he argued.
He closed by noting when policies are extreme, which go to the breaking points, they hurt everyone. This is clearly against the Churchs teaching on social justice. Kerry and Edwards are the right choice to restore the economic health of the country. More of the same isnt going to work. Freedom, equality, justice, and humanity are the values represented by the Democratic ticket, he said.
In general, the questions were thoughtful, although some could not resist the opportunity to make political points, particularly when it came to opposing the war. Some raised the issue of capital punishment and President Bushs support for the action, particularly as governor. Leo admitted this is one of the more vexing issues for him as a Catholic, but also noted that Kerry and the president share a similar position. Kerry has not made it a moral issue, according to Leo, because he is on record as supporting the use of capital punishment for terrorists.
As the election approaches, it is clear both campaigns are desperate for Catholic voters, as witnessed in the third debate in which Kerry employed Scripture, professed his Catholic faith, and mentioned his service as an altar boy. Now is decision time.
Catholics approaching the election have a clear choice. If they believe issues like abortion and euthanasia are non-negotiable, and that a candidates support for such positions disqualifies him for consideration, they must do as Leo suggests. They must reject Senator Kerry and support President Bush or not vote a practice the Church does not encourage.
Alternatively, they can ignore the Churchs clear teaching on life and the primacy she places on it when it comes to voting, and support Senator Kerry. Before doing so, however, they should consider the words of Denvers Archbishop Charles Chaput, who said recently that many Catholic Democrats have used the seamless garment as an excuse to sideline the abortion issue, making it one among many others. And, we cant do that. He noted that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the dignity of human life are at the heart of Catholic theology. He warns Catholics not to violate this doctrine. Whether its the creation of embryos for embryonic stem cell research or abortion, [these] are violations of the dignity of human beings, from our perspective. And you can never justify it.
St. Thomas More, pray for us.
© Copyright 2004 Catholic Exchange
Craig Richardson is the founder of the recently launched Catholic Action Network, an organization committed to calling Catholics to authentic and faithful citizenship particularly on issues of life and family.
For your continued debate and discussion.
Bush
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A Catholic should vote by their conscience.
Three word answer: partial birth abortion (who stands where?)
You have the answer!
Bush .....
BUSH
Hurray for Leo! (That's my dad's name). Boo hiss to Valedez.... come to think of it, that's just one vowel away from a nasty oil spill that happened in Alaska some years ago.
THIS CATHOLIC is voting for Bush!
A "true" Catholic has no real choice in the matter. Kerry has violated most of the Church's teachings.
The guidelines for your scoscientious decision making are right here, very specific:
Catechism of the Catholic Church and what it says about those who support abortion
Let's just hope enough "Catholics" have Catholic consciences left with which to vote by.
President Bush: Shares Our Catholic Values
President Bush and John Kerry: On the Issues Important to Catholics
"Seismic" Catholic Shift to Bush [Insight ]
Analyst cites abortion stance as some Catholic voters shift to Bush
Poll: Catholics Trending Towards Bush
Kerry Losing Ground Among White Catholics
Voting Our Conscience, Not Our Religion [Catholic Prof Says "Vote Kerry"]
Vatican: Kerry guilty of heresy; incurrs automatic excommunication
Any 'Catholic' who votes for a supporter of PBA is a Catholic in name only. Any 'Catholic' who votes for Kerry over Bush because Kerry is a 'Catholic' and Bush isn't, is voting for a meaningless label (that is attached to a man who supports the murder of innocent newborns).
You are so correct!
Thanks for supporting the President!
Anyone with a conscience should know how to vote by now.
BTW, does anyone know of one maternal medical condition that is relieved or "cured" by killing a fetus after it's delivered. I'm no doctor but I could imagine there may be women who are on the verge of stroke, or hemorrhage, or whatever, that MAY need some emergency delivery of the fetus before term. However, what medical condition could a woman have that would require that the baby be killed once it is delivered or in the process of being delivered...can anyone help me out here?
"Bush"
I agree Bush.
My daughter goes to a youth group where her youth leader is a *loud mouth liberal* and talks bad about Bush a lot. He has come very very close to calling Bush a baby killer (with bombs).
Of course my daughter said to him "But if you vote for Kerry you are supporting baby killing through abortions".
I was reared Catholic, but do not attend Mass. I am torn as to what I can do in this situation, but I know what this man is going is not right.
Any suggestions you guys can throw my way would help me a lot.
Everyone should vote for the only clear choice, our President, George W. Bush.
Let me give you a scenario..
Would you vote for a candidate who was pro-life, but also pro-slavery?
What would a Catholic do in this instance?
my wife and drive to crawford texas on our motorcycle and just have a coke or sit on bench and watch traffic go buy then come on home..... one day we will see him and his wife....
God Bless them both
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