Friday, June 20, 2008

Putting All the Catholic Social Justice Eggs In One Basket

There is an interesting post over at VOX NOVA talking about the chances of Obama of putting a more Pro-Life Democrat on the ticket.


I of course think it is more likely that I will be elected Pope next week than this happening. Still I do not want the PRO-life issue to be a single party issue. It should not me. When Governor Blanco of Louisiana signed one of the most restrictive pieces of abortion legislation I was very happy.

Still one cannot note a certain irony. As I have noted on this blog, certain Catholic voices are trying to make Obama look as if he reads the Evangelium Vitae, “The Gospel of Life” before he retires for the night. There is often much pressure on Republican and conservative leaning Catholics to vote for Democrats that are more PRO-life leaning. See the Seantor Casey of Pennnsylvania for a example. You know sort of a demand to prove our allegiance to the Gospel over the party is how the argument goes.



The problem is it never works on the flip side. That is troublesome and indeed politically stupid.

Let us look at three people that ran for President


The Catholic Senator Brownback that did things such as spend the night in the toughest Prisons with inmates on campaign stops and who Cardinal the Cardinal of Boston said "There is no other presidential candidate in the U.S. today that more reflects Catholic social doctrine as you do," is ignored for the most part by the Catholic Social Justice folks or to be more precise those that proclaim themselves to be its spokesman. Some were saying that because of Brownback's views on Evolution that sadly he way to go as a Catholic and in shedding his Evangelical baggage.



We look at Governor Huckabee. It is no secret that many Catholics, including people at Catholic Online were talking about how Huckabee was talking about what in essence was Catholic Social Justice Concepts. That indeed there was an opportunity to reach out among Evangelicals that shared many of the same ideas and that had Huckabee as a spokemans. Yet when Huckabee was attacked by the fantatical Club for Growth for two years nonstop for governing his state in a manner that was both conservative but not done on the backs of the poor, the weak, the old etc etc no Catholic Social Justice voices came to his defense or at least a sustained one!! IS it because he had a (R) by his name? Were they too busy focused elesewhere?


Which brings us to Senator McCain that has at much political risk spoken out against torture and led on not just once but twice on what many consider the Catholic social Justice issue of the last few years. That was immigration reform. That same immigration reform Obama killed in part at the behest of the Unions through the use of a Poison pill.

Yet this is all ignored!! At some point the true Catholic Justice friendly stands that Republicans have besides abortion must be talked about. I mean good grief Brownback is more anti State Execution than Obama!!! Yet that fact was never broadcast by people whose business it was to broadcast it!!!

Oh well. What if Mccain put Brownback on the ticket? That would be an interesting question. Would those that jump through hoops to try to fit Catholic non negotiable items in the Obama camp even care?

Anyway politicians notice when other politicians are not given kudos or support for stands they took. They notice who is showing up to support them or defend them. If the current trend of benign neglect continues to occur as this issue then we as committed Catholics all lose

No comments:

Post a Comment