The Catholic Tribe Closes Ranks Against Obama's Intrusion

President Obama's attack on Catholic organizations has managed to do what the bishops have been unable to do, as Peggy Noonan points out: Unite the Catholic right and the Catholic left.

Obama's decision to use Obamacare to force Catholic hospitals, schools, universities and charities to fund abortion pills, contraception and sterilization constitutes a deep betrayal of his staunch allies on the Catholic left.

They went out on a limb for Obama and Obamacare, and he has cut off that limb and left them bereft.

Professor Doug Kmiec supported Obama and even wrote a book to justify how a pro-life Catholic could support a pro-choice president (and was rewarded with the plum job of ambassador to Malta). Kmiec has just written an open letter of rebuke to Barack Obama, charging he "put the cold calculus of politics above faith and freedom." "Where is the common good, sir, in not making room for the great Catholic traditions of education, health care and meeting the needs of the least among us?" Kmiec demanded.

The Rev. John Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, took heat from many Catholics in 2009 for giving President Obama an award and a speaking platform at a university named "Our Lady"; he now scolds the president's "unnecessary government intervention" that puts Notre Dame in the "untenable position" of dropping coverage for 5,229 employees.

And poor Sister Carol Keehan, head of the Catholic Health Association! She broke openly with the bishops to endorse Obamacare, promising it would not lead to the funding of abortions. She never imagined that, much worse, it would lead to requiring Catholic organizations to dispense contraceptives and abortifacients (the morning-after pill) on demand. She called the new regulations a "jolt."

Catholic reaction may well have jolted Sen. Rick Santorum back into contention for the GOP nomination. In last Tuesday's contests, he ran 10 points ahead of the last pre-election PPP poll, indicating a sudden intensity in the turnout for him. Pundits are focusing on the evangelical vote, but Santorum ran surprisingly well in heavily Catholic counties surrounding Minneapolis/St. Paul. He was on fire in his victory speech: President Obama has gone after the liberty of "just a small group of Americans," he said incredulously, "just Catholics in America."

Obama gravely miscalculated. He thought the new Health and Human Services regulations would become a battle over contraception -- politically speaking, a battle he could win. As a Protestant, he forgot the structure of Catholicism is essentially clannish; we may complain about our bishops, but that doesn't mean we want the president of the United States to push them -- or us -- around. The church has been around for 2,000 years, we know it does things funny, and we don't want outsiders interfering with our faith.

President Obama will pay a price, among swing Catholic voters and Latino Catholics, for his totally unnecessary aggression against carefully crafted conscience compromises.

How do Democrats defend the indefensible? I was on "MSNBC Live" with Thomas Roberts this week, debating former Democratic operative Karen Finney, who tried to say that if the Catholic Chur ch opens up "businesses," it has to accept government rules. I interrupted her to say, "These are nonprofits, charities, schools, not businesses." She compounded matters by suggesting the nonprofit tax-exempt status meant these Catholic institutions owe the government. Excuse me, these are Catholic charitable institutions that serve the poor and needy; they were built with love and sacrifice, large and small, over many years by Catholics acting out of our faith, and we are proud of them. Regardless of our political position, we do not stand by and see them attacked lightly.

Even former Democratic Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, a Catholic from Erie, Pa., who cast a crucial vote in favor of Obamacare in 2010, said recently that she would have never voted for the health care bill if she had known Obamacare would force Catholic hospitals and charities to provide contraception and abortion pills.

Mitt Romney was in something of the same position with regard to Romneycare in Massachusetts. He didn't know it would lead to Catholic hospitals being ordered to give abortifacients to rape victims, and when he found out he opposed it, but without success.

The lesson for Republicans ought to be: When you turn over large sectors of the economy to government control, bad things will happen.

The lesson for Democrats? Don't attack the Catholic clan -- it's bad morals, bad form and bad politics.

“Well, they’ve been called worse.
I called them worse after they sucked up to Obama, praising him like the Messiah at Notre Dame, giving him trophies for being the most extreme pro-abortionist in the WH, ever... “

Let’s face it, the Catholic Church is a business. At their core, like all the other religions, they need money and power. The Catholic Church looks the other way for the rich and powerful, they always have. The Mormons are doing the same thing backing Romney, who routinely goes against his churches doctrines. I have lost respect for all of them. They have feet of clay when it comes down to taking a stand for their principles. All of these “Catholic Leaders” who supported Obama thinking he wouldn’t do what he’s doing now are living in la la land!

Who Am I?

I was born in one country, raised in another.

My father was born in another country.

I was not his only child.

He fathered several children with numerous women.

I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in me.

My mother died at an early age from cancer.

Although my father deserted me and my mother raised me, I later wrote a book idolizing my father not my mother.

Later in life, questions arose over my real name.

My birth records were sketchy.

No one was able to produce a legitimate, reliable birth certificate.

I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as it was widely accepted in my new country, but I practiced non-traditional beliefs and didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye under scrutiny.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult, disguisingmyself as someone who really cared about them.

That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up.

It was clear to those who read my memoirs, that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics in my 30's then, with help behind the scenes, Iliterally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office in my40s.

They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone into anything.

I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization.

Yet I was a powerful speaker and citizens were drawn to me, as though I were a magnet and they were small roofing tacks.

I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances.

This bolstered my ego.

At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy...

I was very critical of my country in the last war, and seized every opportunity to bash my country.

But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy.

I pretended to have a really good plan on how we could do better, and every poor person would be fed and housed for free.

I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess.

It was the free market, banks and corporations.

I decided to start making citizens hate them and, if they became envious of others who did well, the plan was clinched tight.

I called mine "A People's Campaign".

That sounded good to all people.

I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics and was able to gain widespread popular support.

I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope', together we could change our country and the world.

So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities".

My true views were not widely known and I kept them unknown, until after I became my nation's leader.

I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and examined those people I associated with. I'm glad they didn't.

Then I became the most powerful man in the world.

And then the world learned the truth.

Who am I?

ADOLPH HITLER

If you were thinking of SOMEONE ELSE, you should be scared, very scared!

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