Barack Obama's Catholic Problem

Catholic Online ^ | February 28, 2008 | Deal Hudson

[NYer]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In early January I wrote a column arguing that Barack Obama "will not win the Catholic vote." Although Obama has won eleven primaries in a row, his "Catholic problem" is emerging in voting patterns and early media skirmishes.

Catholic-vote expert Steve Wagner predicted two months ago that Clinton would beat Obama among Catholics. Clinton's advantage, Wagner explained, is her ability to put forth "persuasive arguments on key social issues." Obama, according to Wagner, has yet to make these kinds of arguments -- he attracts a "substantially frustrated constituency of people far to the left who don't feel they have representation. Catholics aren't feeling deprived."

Wagner was right. Catholic voters in the primaries, thus far, have chosen Clinton over Obama by substantial margins. In Connecticut, Obama lost Catholics to Clinton 37 percent to 59 percent; Massachusetts, 35 percent to 62 percent; Illinois, his home state, 49 percent to 51 percent; California, 37 percent to 54 percent; New Jersey, 28 percent to 69 percent; Florida, 22 percent to 63 percent; Maryland, 45 percent to 48 percent.

Where Obama has broken the pattern, his Catholic problem shows up among weekly Mass attendees. He won in Missouri, 50 percent to 46 percent, but lost active Catholics, 46 percent to 53 percent. He tied in Wisconsin but lost among active Catholics, 46 percent to 53 percent.

And yet, on the heels of his relatively poor showing among Catholic voters, came the remark of well-known Catholic jurist Douglas Kmiec that Obama is a "Catholic natural." Evidently, Catholic voters are slow to recognize him as such. It's hard to blame them when Obama has voted against a law that would have protected a child once it was born and outside the womb -- the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

[NYer]

Obama has a 100 percent pro-abortion rating from NARAL, supports partial-birth abortion, supports tax dollars for abortion, voted against notifying parents of minors abortions and supports homosexual marriage.

Senator Barack Obama is surging in the polls and seems poised to take the Democratic nomination. Debate has ensued as to what his positions truly are on fundamental human rights issues. For Catholics, the issue of deep concern is his failure to hear the cry of one entire group among the poor, children in the womb.His message last July to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund confirms his support for that Organizations' Agenda.

[Mike Bates]

Democrats for Dead Babies

[al_c]

He may not win the Catholic vote, but he may win the CINO vote.

[MEGoody]

Neither Clinton nor Obama should be getting any votes from Catholics because of their positions on abortion.

[pgkdan]

This whole article is nonsense. No “Catholic” would find either of these baby killing abominations worthy of their vote.

[marshmallow]

Clinton beats Obama among Catholics?

Wow! Well that's good news, aint it? < sarcasm / >

According to the article these are "active" Catholics, also.

Obviously the bishops and priests still have some work to do.

[Rutles4Ever]

These polls are inherently flawed because they assume that someone who identifies with “Catholicism” does so more than in a cultural sense. I know a lot of cultural Catholics who baptize their children and then proceed to sit out the next 10-20 years of Sunday Mass.

Point is, Obama and Clinton are non-starters. McCain is also off the list. Who does that leave?

[OpusatFR]

“Point is, Obama and Clinton are non-starters. McCain is also off the list. Who does that leave?”

~My question also.

I may sit it out. ~Or just vote the Constitution Party.

[smpb]

I think Deal Hudson is misinterpreting the data. It has nothing to do with Catholics as such. The Catholic population in this country is more Hispanic and White than the general population and less Black. Since Blacks are strongly pro-Obama, and Hispanics tend to be pretty strongly anti-Obama, it would explain the result.

[RobbyS]

Hispanic voters are still not the force that is implied by their numbers. Non-Hispanic Catholics are much more likely to vote than Hispanics.

[ex-snook]

McCain has his own problems.

---

The Trail

Friday, February 29, 2008; A08

A CRITIC IS CRITICIZED

Catholic Groups Angry at McCain Over Endorsement

HOUSTON — The president of the Catholic League blasted John McCain on Thursday for accepting the endorsement of Texas evangelist John Hagee, calling the controversial pastor a bigot who has “waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church.”

Hagee, who is known for his crusading support of Israel, backed McCain’s presidential bid Wednesday, standing next to the senator at a hotel in San Antonio and calling McCain “a man of principle.”

But Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement Thursday that Hagee has written extensively in negative ways about the Catholic Church, “calling it ‘The Great Whore,’ an ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ,’ and a ‘false cult system.’ “

“Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee,” Donohue said.

Catholics United, a national online group, also criticized McCain. “By receiving the endorsement of an outspoken critic of the Catholic Church, McCain once again demonstrates that he is willing to sell out his principles for a chance to win the Presidency,” Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United, said in a statement. “We hope Senator McCain will take the principled position of publicly and unequivocally distancing himself from Pastor Hagee’s anti-Catholic comments. Intolerance and bigotry do not belong in American politics.”

[tioga]

cafeteria Catholics

[dsc]

Bumper sticker:

Catholic?
Voting for Obama?
See you in Hell.

[trisham]

Heh.

[OriginalChristian]

My friends, the important thing to remember in NOV is SCOTUS appointments. The next POTUS will likely appoint several, perhaps as many as three. Can you imagine who HRC or BHO would appoint? Please hold your nose and vote for McCain. Roe is far from settled law. Peace.