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Political expert examines the Catholic Vote for 2008 (In a Giuliani vs. Clinton race)
CNA ^ | October 12, 2007

Posted on 10/12/2007 1:36:12 PM PDT by NYer

Washington DC, Oct 12, 2007 / 02:27 pm (CNA).- If the United States presidential race comes down to candidates Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, the Catholic vote will swing to Clinton. That's the claim of Steve Wagner, a chief political strategist who helped George W. Bush win the majority of Catholics' votes in the 2000 and 2004 elections. He has argued that appealing to Mass-going Catholics is a key factor in a presidential candidate's electoral success. 

Deal W. Hudson, of InsideCatholic.com, interviewed Wagner on the prospects of a Giuliani-Clinton match-up and the probable behavior of Catholic voters.  According to Hudson's report, Wagner believes Giuliani's candidacy will be hampered by the contradictions between his professed faith and his pro-choice stand:  "Kerry was punished for being a pro-abortion Catholic. Giuliani is wise not to talk about being a Catholic, or he will suffer the same fate."

In the absence of a pro-life candidate, Wagner sees economic hardship as a winning issue for Democrats.  The housing market, employment, and high gas prices are issues that could benefit Senator Hillary Clinton.  "Her message of helping the poor and those in need, in spite of her pro-abortion position, will be quite potent to Catholics when the GOP has nothing else to offer."

Wagner does not view the Iraq War as a pivotal issue in Catholic voters' behavior.  "The Catholic discontent with Bush and the Republican Party is not about Iraq, or he would have lost their vote in 2004. It's about their failure to deliver on the promises they made to address the moral decline of our society."

Republicans' ambiguity will prove harmful to their campaign, says Wagner:  "It's hard to say what Republicans are about these days. The GOP does not have an issue identity that Catholics are interested in buying into."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; catholicvote; clinton; elections; giuliani; romney; stoprudy2008
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To: OpusatFR

Right.

That’s why we have to support the candidate who has offered himself up to this process, who is totally prolife, who has the personal strength of character to do the job, and for this reason is ignored by the king-makers.

Do we not pray for good and righteous men to rise up ?

Do we not pray for the end of infanticide?

Are we no different than the Ancient Hebrews who prayed for leaders and then told God, “Well, we don’t want him to be exactly like that. How about someone more practical or well-known, or well, more like we want?”

God does raise up secular and religious leaders.

How well do we support these leaders when they rise to the occasion and stick their necks out fot the common good of society or our souls?

As for me, I need no reassurances from anyone.

I pray, I read the record, and I observe the rhetoric.

Been there, done that, with all the globalists’ choices, time and time again.

This time around, I am supporting a candidate I actually believe in- DUNCAN HUNTER.

www.gohunter08.com


21 posted on 10/12/2007 5:35:36 PM PDT by fetal heart beats by 21st day (Defending human life is not a federalist issue. It is the business of all of humanity.)
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To: NYer

No, you should investigate DUNCAN HUNTER.

www.gohunter08.com


22 posted on 10/12/2007 5:38:00 PM PDT by fetal heart beats by 21st day (Defending human life is not a federalist issue. It is the business of all of humanity.)
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To: NYer

Where is the dark horse candidate who is not afraid to toss his uncompromising pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-Ten Commandments hat in the ring?

www.gohunter08.com


23 posted on 10/12/2007 5:40:05 PM PDT by fetal heart beats by 21st day (Defending human life is not a federalist issue. It is the business of all of humanity.)
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To: NYer
An interesting book that real Catholics should share with their left-leaning family members...


24 posted on 10/12/2007 5:48:18 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: NYer
I wouldn't mind seeing Rudy head of Homeland Security or AG, but not president.

If given the choice of one of those two, I would have to look at the VP candidate, but it would be impossible to vote for Hillary,

25 posted on 10/12/2007 5:55:11 PM PDT by mware (Americans in armchairs....doing the job of the media.)
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To: OpusatFR

Giuliani’s responsible for some of the most screamingly liberal judicial nominations in the nation.


26 posted on 10/12/2007 9:00:08 PM PDT by COgamer
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To: Greg F

“I’m not sure there is a Catholic vote anymore. Irish, Italian, German, and Hispanic is the bulk of the American Catholic vote . . . but Irish, Italian and German almost certainly cut Republican and Hispanic almost certainly cuts Democrat. I don’t really think there is a “Catholic vote” if it splits along racial lines.”

Depends on what generation Hispanic and location. Hispanics that vote in Georgia, do tend to vote Republican.

Then of coarse, you go to more leftward areas...with new hispanic immigrants and they tend to me more to the left. Afterall, their former nation didn’t utter the idea of individualism, and it is almost wholly an American fostered culture.


27 posted on 10/13/2007 12:03:48 AM PDT by Rick_Michael (The Anti-Federalists failed....so will the Anti-Frederalists)
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To: OpusatFR

You forgot euthanasia as healthcare.


28 posted on 10/13/2007 5:26:20 AM PDT by steve8714
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To: steve8714

A true practicing Catholic could not vote for a democrat, nor their ideology. period.

Now, the twice a year ‘cat-lics’....well yeah, I am sure there are some out there.


29 posted on 10/13/2007 8:01:10 PM PDT by couch1971 (Stupid People shouldn't breed.)
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To: Rick_Michael
Hispanics that vote in Georgia, do tend to vote Republican.

That's really good news. You sure of that? If you have a link supporting that I'd love to see it.

30 posted on 10/14/2007 4:42:54 PM PDT by Greg F (Duncan Hunter is a good man.)
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To: Greg F

I wish I did. It was a report by a hispanic organization on Cspan. I was watching, and they were discussing how areas that are highly conservative and 2nd generation (on)...tend to follow the trends of that given area.

But when you think of the numbers...around half of hispanics are illegal immigrants and a percentage of those ‘legal’, where merely born from illegal immigrants. So it’s a bit hard to gauge where legal hispanics are with data that’s a bit mixed.

It’s safe to assume that many people that immigrate here, normally have a leftist influence. Latin America is especially influenced by Spanish political philosophy; which tends to be eastern in nature.


31 posted on 10/14/2007 8:59:00 PM PDT by Rick_Michael (The Anti-Federalists failed....so will the Anti-Frederalists)
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To: Greg F

Here’s a URL to how the Catholic vote turned out in 2004..Includes a red/blue map of the States by Catholic vote

http://cara.georgetown.edu/Press112204.pdf


32 posted on 10/14/2007 9:20:23 PM PDT by billmor
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To: Greg F

Here is an overview of the Hispanic vote for 2004...It does not have the vote by State but it is a good article

http://cara.georgetown.edu/Press112204.pdf


33 posted on 10/14/2007 9:27:27 PM PDT by billmor
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To: Rick_Michael

It makes some sense. I had a grandfather in Texas that was of Mexican heritage, but his family had been in Texas as long as most descendants of the Mayflower have been Americans. He was a good old boy and a big Rush fan. It’s hard to judge statistics from that sort of thing though.


34 posted on 10/15/2007 6:37:44 AM PDT by Greg F (Duncan Hunter is a good man.)
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To: NYer

I suspect if Catholics get out there and vote in the primary, Rudy won’t be the nominee.


35 posted on 10/15/2007 6:56:16 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: ishabibble; NYer; Greg F; fetal heart beats by 21st day
Gentlemen, to your work, I offer my own. May God bless our efforts.
36 posted on 11/06/2007 7:41:03 AM PST by pgyanke (Duncan Hunter 08--You want to elect a conservative? Then support a conservative!)
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To: pgyanke

Thanks for posting me. I am working within and without as well. Keep up the good work!


37 posted on 11/06/2007 8:54:13 AM PST by fetal heart beats by 21st day (Defending human life is not a federalist issue. It is the business of all of humanity.)
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