Posted on 09/25/2008 8:40:28 PM PDT by Coleus
The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees both have agreed to be guest speakers at the Al Smith dinner Oct. 16 in New York, the Archdiocese of New York announced Sept. 17. The archdiocese said Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain would "share nonpartisan good humor before an audience of civic, business and social leaders."
The joint appearance three weeks before the Nov. 4 election would continue a longtime tradition of presidential candidates addressing the annual fundraising dinner -- a tradition that has been followed off and on in recent years. The last pair of candidates to appear together in a presidential election year were Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore in 2000. But in 2004, Bush and his Democratic challenger for the presidency, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, a Catholic who supports legalized abortion, were not invited to speak.
Dinner organizers instead invited former Republican President George H.W. Bush and former New York Gov. Hugh Carey, a Democrat. In 1996, when Cardinal John J. O'Connor was reportedly upset with President Bill Clinton because of his veto of the partial-birth abortion ban, the board of the Alfred Emanuel Smith Memorial Foundation invited the vice-presidential candidates -- Gore and Republican Jack Kemp.
Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York, who will preside at the dinner, called the dinner "a splendid opportunity to recall the spirit of 'the happy warrior,' Gov. Al Smith."
"It is my fervent hope that his example will continue to inspire those who hold elected office to provide compassionate care for our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the Lord," the cardinal said in a statement.
Smith was the first Catholic to be nominated for the presidency by a major political party when he ran unsuccessfully against Republican Herbert Hoover in 1928. He is credited by historians with paving the way for the candidacy of President John F. Kennedy, the only Catholic elected U.S. president. The annual dinner -- now in its 63rd year -- and the Smith foundation have raised millions to provide support for the sick, poor and underprivileged in the New York area.
In statements released by the New York Archdiocese, both McCain and Obama said they looked forward to the event. "The most important lesson I have learned is that to sustain my self-respect for a lifetime, it would be necessary for me to have the honor of serving something greater than my self-interest," said McCain.
"The work of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation serves as a reminder that the only way to truly know happiness is through dedicated service, and I am appreciative of the work the foundation does on behalf of Americans in need," he added. Obama said he looked forward "to speaking before an organization with such a remarkable history of compassion and commitment to helping those in need." "As a community organizer and civil rights lawyer I fought for justice and equality for the poor and underprivileged, and I'm in this race to continue that fight and restore the American dream," he added. McCain also addressed the Al Smith dinner in 2005.
Why would the Archdiocese host Obama with his monstrous beliefs and McCain, who sees little wrong with embryonic stem cell research?
Neither one really deserves to be invited.
But Obama, especially. Maybe he can demonstrate how to smother a baby in a dirty laundry closet.
Tha Al Smith dinner is supposed to be non-partisan, so all candidates are invited. And I’m not sure that McCain supports embryonic stem cell research; I think he’s more supportive of Adult Stem Cell research, which is perfectly acceptable to the Catholic Church.
Ask Cardinal Egan to disinvite Barack Hussein Obama
Let’s do both: Call and e-mail
meghanm@archny.org, sr.mary.elizabeth@archny.org
Obama on You Tube, Re: Planned Parenthood & FOCA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0__ctD48nfQ
Edward Cardinal Egan
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Avenue
New York, NY 10022
1-212-371-1000
Sr. Mary E. Wusinich, SV,
Family Life / Respect Life
http://www.archny.org/departments/index.cfm?i=890
http://www.flrl.org/
Archdiocese of New York, 1011 First Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022, sr.mary.elizabeth@archny.org
i remember when Bush and Gore went... Bush's speech was quite humorous... isn't it a white-tie affair? very formal...
He does, which is one reason I won't be supporting him.
I would like to point out that a Catholic school in Princeton had to cancel their scheduled speaker, Christie Todd Whitman, at their women in leadership event as per the Diocese of Trenton because Whitman is pro choice.
The Diocese was following an edict from the Vatican.
I believe the Archdiocese of NY is subject to the same enforcement of this edict.
To the extreme of infanticide?
That's sacrilegious.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.
Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment
Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
McCain was spot on and very funny taking shots at both himself, Obama, and the Clintons. I hope someone recorded it and props it up for others to see.
—Newb
So does that mean you’ll not vote for McCain, and by that, allow a vote for Obama to stand unchallenged? That certainly won’t help the pro-life cause.
I don’t know what you mean by “unchallenged”. This isn’t a schoolyard confrontation.
I can do more for the pro-life cause by opting for an acceptable third party candidate. That’s where my measly one vote has the statistically greatest chance of being visible and seen for what it truly is.
John Kerry passed on the Al Smith dinner in 2004. Clinton didn't come in 1996.
I disagree. Any vote NOT for McCain is, for all intents and purposes, a vote for Obama. I didn't vote for McCain in the primary; I was a Fredhead, but I'm enthusiastically supporting McCain and Sarah Palin. They are BOTH pro-life, and have personally demonstrated their beliefs, and they will work to promote the pro-life cause. Obama would appoint Justices to the Supreme Court who will only further cement the pro-abortion culture.
At this point, a third party candidate has no chance of winning, and though you may FEEL better about it, a vote for one will get scarcely a mention in the media.
This is not about my feelings. This is about refusing to be played and suckered by cynical technocrats who don’t give a damn about life and would sell their souls for five minutes of power. You don’t need to sell me on Obama’s bad points, but will pardon me if I decline also to cooperate with GOP dreams of global imperium and dissecting human embryos for “re$earch”.
I haven’t seen the Republican Party pushing Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Sure, there are some who signed on early, when the hype was there, but that hype had diminished in the face of successes in Adult Stem Cell Research. That hype has been further diminished by the demonstrated ability to manipulate Adult Stem Cells so that they are pluripotent, thereby eliminating the need for embryonic stem cells.
John McCain supports it. He declares his opposition to creating new embryos for the extraction of stem cells; his dodge is in accepting the destruction of pre-existing embryos. It's nice that McCain sees he can't ignore the pro-life constituency. What's not nice is that he thinks they can be suckered with a bait-and-switch. McCain's position on life is a political calculation; it's not principled. Since it's not part of the inner man, it can change at any time and is not to be relied upon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.