It’s not the dedicated Catholics we have to worry about, it’s the nominal ones that think all they have to do is go to confession say a couple “Hail Mary’s” and that’ll be the end of it. Consciences will be purged, and then they’ll go back and do it again.
And the Church figured out the 'go back and do it again' dodge centuries ago. It's called the sin of presumption (presuming on God's mercy) and it is a mortal sin, so you just dig yourself in a deeper hole that way.
I doubt if many of the Catholics that voted for Obama ever go to confession. I know lots of good Catholics, who do go to Mass every Sunday and are pro-life who do not believe that you must go to Confession at least once a year. They tell me I’m wrong that you only need to go if you have committed a mortal sin.