Posted on 02/10/2012 8:09:15 AM PST by Kaslin
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.
Even Chris Matthews on MSNBC is calling for a retreat.
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. Obama’s spin is certainly tripe.
It is an Irish thing. :)
Call me anything you want, as long as 0bambi winds up on the short end of the stick.
BTW, called my rep and sen (who are both up for reelection) and reminded them that this is an election year and to inform the resident that he can put this rule right where the sun don’t shine.
The Catholic Tribe Closes Ranks Against Obama’s Intrusion
____________________________________________________________
But, will it last until November 6th? Seriously.
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...
No bias there. /s
Sr. Carol Keehan, aka: Obama’s Nun.
What’s strange is that Keehan was pushing for Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, but not pay for them. How does she reconcile that?
Obamacare not only includes abortion, but assisted suicide, and Keehan was the top Catholic supporter of Obamacare, even testified before Congress in support of Obamacare.
Another problem with an article like this is the parochial nature of the argument. It permits Obama to divide the Christian faith by making this an argument over contraception/abortion rather than the narrowing of the First Amendment Free Exercise/Establishment Clause into a Sunday in church, “freedom of worship”.
Here is my takeaway:
1. Obama, the former constitutional law professor, so miscalculates the overwhelming reaction that during an election year he imposes measures that violate the First Amendment right to freedom of religion. What a rookie - even after 3 years - ojt is not working!
2. Most importantly, if reelected, Obama will be completely unrestrained by the electorate and will impose as yet unknown government rules and regulations that will satisfy his sole vision of the world. This November is “make or break” for this country.
The problem is the innoculation Obama has from being known to be non-Christian, even Muslim. He has said he is Protestant, so any article wishing not to be thrown away by saying otherwise just goes along with that.
That’s the cost of a slave mass media and a population that still won’t realize the corrupted nature of the information they are being fed.
“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. “
Shoulda read the bill you stupid slut!
Carl Rove was on Greta last night and before I could turn him off, he started talking about the Obama war with the Catholic Church, and I listened.
Greta asked Rove if this issue would stick around or if Obama had successfully put it off until after the election. Rove said that this story isn’t going away, partially because some Catholics, led by Ed Gillespie, are starting a national movement for freedom to practice their religion according to the beliefs of that religion. Rove noted that Catholics are a very large demographic group in this country, that includes Hispanics and many union workers.
What Obama underestimated in this issue is that, while individuals who profess to be Catholic, may not follow all the tenets of their church, or even agree with those beliefs, they still respect the Catholic Church, itself. It’s like insulting a family member when Obama insults the Catholic Church. The fallen or disaffected Catholics, jump to the defense - and other Christians will, as well.
The fact that Sr. Keehan, Obama’s Nun has taken a stand in defense of the Catholic Church is proof of this.
Obamacare opened up a whole new front for the killers of the innocent. The government death panels will dictate who lives and who dies though assigning economic value to the lives of human beings... The elderly and handicapped, who offer not economic value to the collective, will be the new frontier for the leftist killers.
The left is laughing its arse off. This is exactly what they want. All political debate is about time place and manner of “government rights.” Ultimate control of the people. The ball advances. The fact that they are distracting from the repeal issue is VICTORY for the left. We should be absolutely uniform in our rejoinder. REPEAL the bastard un-Constitutional legislation in its entirety!!!! Forget the Marco Rubio legislation that concedes the playing field. REPEAL!!!!!
Maybe it will suppress the lefty catholic/social justice types from turning out.
If they can’t bring themselves to vote R - maybe they will stay home.
Obama is merely reflecting the same attitude as Justice Ginsberg. To him and her, the Constitution is like that old Maxwell that “Rochester” drove for “Jack Benny” on the radio and TV. Just an old thing whom they are required to work with, but which ought to be replaced with something newer and more efficient.
Well, I guess I am an elder who will escape the death panel because I’ll be working to pay taxes for the freeloaders for the rest of my life. We have to clean house of these arrogant, murderous, godless bunch of garbage. If we don’t though, God will eventually and it won’t be nice for them.
Of course, on the other hand, I may be picked first for the oven because I am a mouthy conservative!
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