Speaking of which, why have Catholics always been so intertwined with the Demoncrat party?
Catholics are right in the middle of the spectrum and vote about 50%-50% for each party, and usually choose the popular vote winner (Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, etc.) in every presidential election... yet I keep hearing people saying Catholics "have always been a reliable Democrat voting bloc" and are "wholly intertwined with the Demoncrat party"
Jews are usually extremely liberal on the issues, and give at least 70-80% of their votes to the Democrats in every election, reliably voting for the Democrat Presidential candidate in every Presidential election over the last 70+ years... but I keep hearing people say the Jewish vote is "in play" and "winnable for the Republicans"
Am I the only one who finds this analysis of religious voting patterns bizarre? If we analyzed geography this way, we'd list Vermont as a "swing state" and Ohio as "totally owed by the Democrats"
“.....why have Catholics always been so interwined with the Democrat party?”
Not my extended Catholic family of Americans of Italian ancestry.
Most of us have been life-long Republicans. My late uncle, who lived on Long Island, New York, was an official of the Republican party on Long Island many years ago.
Most of my present day Massachusetts relatives, Catholics, are conservatives, any they have lived in Massachusetts their entire lives. Same goes for my New York area relatives.
My first cousin, Catholic and an elementary school teacher on Long Island, told me this in an e-mail message last Christmas while mentioning Obama....she said “I want him and his vacationing family GONE!”
Much of this happened because of the treatment of immigrants from Europe, especially Ireland and Italy in the late 19th century. The Democrat Party bosses inthe big cities saw huge opportunities in creating new voters, so they helped these folks get jobs, find places to live, and made sure they got to the polls. These immigrants looked at the two parties, saw the Democrats helping them with the problems in their lives, and then the Republicans who were rich people and business owners, making life difficult for them, and the die was cast.
Catholic immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries faced extremely hostile opposition from the Republicans and the overall establishment. You may wish to view the editorial cartoons of that era for evidence. Thomas Nast comes to mind as a particularly antiCatholic cartoonist. Google is your friend when you wish to view his contribution to American culture.