Posted on 10/10/2004 10:23:40 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
Could the first Catholic presidential nominee since 1960 lose the election because of the Catholic vote?
Even as Kerry is drawing closer to Bush in general, he is falling farther behind among one surprising and crucial group: white Catholics.
According to a Pew study released Monday, President Bush now leads among white Catholics 49% to 33%. That represents further growth from Pew's September 28 poll which had it at 49% to 39%.
The candidates had been roughly even until August, when Bush began to pull ahead, according to Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Religion Forum. Significantly, Bush won the white Catholic vote by 7 percentage points (he lost the overall Catholic vote, which includes Hispanics, by 2%).
In other words, if the election were held today and reflected these polls, Bush's victory margin among white Catholics would be twice as large against Kerry--the first Catholic major party presidential nominee since 1960--than against the Baptist Al Gore.
This is extremely bad news for Kerry because white Catholics are disproportionately represented in several battleground states with large Catholic populations: Pennsylvania (30%), New Jersey (45.9%), Ohio (28%), Michigan (28%), Wisconsin (34.4), Minnesota (28.7%) and New Hampshire (38.2%).
Kerry has said he plans to give a major speech on his Catholic faith and how it shapes his values "somewhere in the course of the next month."
For Kerry to be doing this badly among Catholics, it most likely he means he's losing not only conservative Catholics but the far larger group of "convertible Catholics," which represent 8.1% of the electorate.
The new polls did not indicate what prompted the shift but in general conservative Catholics have been strong supporters of President Bush's policies on terrorism and abortion. It's less clear why Bush seems to be doing so well among centrist Catholics, who tend to be more liberal on social issues and even tend to be pro-choice on abortion.
Kerry has been far more reluctant to discuss his faith than Bush has, a tendency that aides attribute to a Northeast Catholic cultural aversion to public explications of religion. He and other speakers did speak openly about his faith during the Democratic convention but has shifted back more recently to his pre-convention tendency to avoid the topic.
Loosing ground in the Hispanic Catholic Church too.
All the good folks are up in the North. In Queensland. I guess we are more like Texans than anyone else. Friendly people, helpfull and hospitable. No nonsense. Come on over soon. I know you'll love it!
Kerry would last less than five minutes.
I'm not Catholic so I really didn't know. I'm Lutheran and I haven't seen him in my Church. My point is he shouldn't be campaigning in ANY Church but the rules are different for DemocRATS.
The 39% of the voters that support Kerry probably fall into the 'lip service' category too.
The liberal white elitists like to slap some skin to get that vote once again. Those fake reverends are nothing more than poverty pimps and hate America. Bush/Cheney 2004
Kerry has made a mockery of everything decent in life. Skerry is about as catholic as his islamic terrorist supporters. Kerry/kennedy should have been ex-communicated eons ago. The Pope should have done his job of kicking these two CINOs out long ago. I would like to see a young conservative Priest with some fire as the next Pope. Sorry, tired old senile men are not cutting the mustard anymore. I think the cheek has been turned one too many times in dealing with liberal pro-death liberal elitist CINOs. Bush/Cheney 2004
I believe you are correct on this Dat Mon. Bush/Cheney 2004
Fools always exist for the purpose of continuing to be a fool. Bush/Cheney 2004
Massachuetts is heavily Catholic - even out on the west end, in the Berkshires. Pittsfield, at least when I lived there, was called "Little Italy."
Wouldn't it be a hoot if kerry lost Mass.
Kerry has said he plans to give a major speech on his Catholic faith and how it shapes his values "somewhere in the course of the next month."
..............
To little, too late, too lame
I really wish people would stop saying Kerry is Catholic. It's a lie. He goes through the motions, that's all.
Perhaps if Lurch knew a few white Catholics, he might find out what is important to us. But given all the blood money he gets from the abortion industry, I think not: his ignorance is willful.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), second left, joins former congresswoman Carrie Meek, left, the Rev. Jessie Jackson, center, the Rev. Al Sharpton (news - web sites) and Pastor Gaston E. Smith, right, in prayer at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2004. (AP Photo/Carl Juste, pool)
I have also heard that the Pope is losing ground with Black Buddhists.
the photos 0f Kerry with jackson in churh
;.............
arrrgh
gotta go - i think i'm going to throw up
Nah, only those who make less than $200,000 a year.
Kerry has a dim view of the intelligence of practically everyone.
Supporters of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) during a service at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, Florida, October 10, 2004.
Well, it may not be "stumping" but here in Cleveland (heavily Dem) he used our Cathedral as a photo op on Ash Wednesday. That revolted me even more. I know quite a few people who are now Independent because of the liberal slant of the DemonRat party--especially me!
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