Friday, September 5, 2008

Catholic Priests Respond to Catholic Law Prof Doug Kmiec Latest Obama Talking Points

Tip of the hat to Hallowed Ground (That has a ton of great pics up) for the Funny Pic)

Catholic Law Prof (Former Romney Supporter) Douglas Kmiec no doubt in pursuit of the Vatican Ambassador Job or a Federal Judgeship is still spinning for Obama.

A person that appears to agree him has posted parts of this here.

No doubt Prof Kmiec is going to be going into full panic mode after the selection of Palin to the GOP ticket.

First it would not a Kmiec piece without Prof Kmiec the victim!!!!
In fact, Father Kavanaugh thoughtfully noted that my endorsement—which I would give again—has nevertheless come at a considerable cost for me: the loss of collegial friendships from the Reagan and Bush administrations; harsh, even brutal, blog commentary that embarrasses my family and myself; and even the denial of communion by a zealous prelate.

BLOGS ARE TALKING BAD ABOUT ME HORRORS!!!

He does say:

Unfortunately, the Democrats’ platform continues to endorse Roe v. Wade, but at least now this tragic moral choice is not one-sided. Some have pointed out that the old language of “safe, legal and rare” is gone. Good riddance. That language had become a mindless mantra, not a tangible step that could positively incline an expectant mother to choose life. Pro-life Catholics are looking for a viable path toward abortion reduction, not a simple slogan.

I must say his now political ally in getting Obama had a different take . Please see my post Catholics For Free Choice Says Pro-Life Obama Supporters and Democrats Deluded where I link the article of the Founder of Catholics For Choice Progressive, Pro-Life and Full of Yourself. Here is just a part of what she says as to Kmiec's efforts and the Dem platform

The 2004 Platform on choice was 59 words; this year's Platform devotes 127 words to the issue and sounds like a lot more than lip service to women's reproductive health. Support for Roe in the old Platform was justified on the basis of privacy and women's equality. The new Platform makes no mention of privacy; instead, it derives its moral authority from a "woman's right to choose safe and legal abortion" and talks about empowering people to make informed choices.

A notable omission is the Clintonian phrase "safe, legal and rare," replaced by a more honest and modest goal of reducing unintended pregnancy through better health care, family planning and comprehensive sex education. Sex education was not even mentioned in the old Platform.
The progressive pro-life desire to see the Platform commit to reducing abortions was subtly undercut; this year, the Platform merely "recognizes" that sex ed, family planning and good health care will have the effect of reducing the need for abortion.


In all other areas, the Platform uses strong language of commitment: the Party "strongly and unequivocally supports Roe" and "strongly supports access to affordable family planning services." Even the Platform's support for pre and post natal care and income support for women who have children is properly framed as a right on its own and not as a means to reducing the need for abortion.
All in all, the Platform comes very close to embracing the full reproductive health agenda that has been consistently advocated by the pro-choice, progressive women's movement.
So why, you might ask, are "pro-life" progressives (PP'ers) claiming victory in this Platform? Jim Wallis of Sojourners, the group that called the press conference, acted as spin meister extraordinaire, calling the Platform an "historic step forward" and thereby situating himself as a political power broker. As evangelicals in the pews leave the hard right and flock toward megachurches which focus less on controlling personal behavior and more on "feel good" faith, including feeling good about helping the poor and saving the environment, a new set of leaders is taking a closer look at the Democratic Party and positioning themselves near left-leaning evangelicals like Wallis. It is here where common political ground is being made. Up-and-coming religious leaders are as interested in political power as are those of the hard right - and they know as well as anyone else does that power is moving back to the hands of the Democrats
.

Oh dear that is a tad inconvenient for Prof Kmiec argument. Since Prof Kmiec is a rather new addition to the Democrat inner circles and that has been given the key yet to the Democrat Executive washroom, I think I will trust Frances Kissling who has been there forever on WHO GOT PLAYED HERE.

By the way is Prof Kmiec noting that basically his new ally is calling him just a person that is interested in political power basically!!! It is hilarious if it were not so tragic. It gets better. Read the whole thing.

Kmiec says?

Other Catholic voters are regrettably more difficult to reach because they have been sold the untenable proposition that the only way to honor life in the Catholic tradition is by reversing Roe, even as that does little other than toss the issue back to the states. These are people of sincerity, who are nevertheless being deliberately misled, some would say wrongfully enslaved, by Republican partisans who demonize Obama and those intending to vote for him.

ENSLAVED!!!! Good grief

By contrast, the GOP platform seems all slogan and no personal commitment. Going into Minneapolis, the Republicans re-stated their support for a Human Life Amendment (on no one’s political radar) and blamed “activist judges” for pretty much everything (grossly overstated and unfair to the existing bench). At the same time, they deliberately removed language calling for the reduction in the incidence of abortion. In this inversion of subsidiarity, there is no point for an individual to contribute to the common good until large institutional actors remake the universe. Not only is the perfect the enemy of the good, it is an all purpose exemption from the social teaching of the church to which, one suspects, the political descendants of Adam Smith think wholly optional.

Is Kmiec really trying to sell the talking point that the GOP does not want to reduce abortion? In fact is that not what many in the GOP has been trying to do by every small step it can do.

This post is getting a tad long but I am going to update later with people that no doubt will tear apart the other parts of his arguments (as well as the contributor at this blog later).

I have already addressed the fact that one of the MOST PRO-LIFE VP pics and her not mentioning abortion is a red herring here at Governor Palin Did Not Mention Abortion - Why Not?... . Also see Birth Defects , Special Needs Children and the Republican Convention

At the end of the day I know this. NONE of my donations to the McCain / Palin effort s are being used on pro abortion ads like we have seen in the Obama media buy this week. Kmiec cannot say the same

1 comment:

Carlos Echevarria said...

"Catholic Law Prof (Former Romney Supporter) Douglas Kmiec no doubt in pursuit of the Vatican Ambassador Job or a Federal Judgeship is still spinning for Obama." LOL

Great line...right on buddy!!!

I don't think Bertone or His Holiness would welcome him very much, though!!