Catholics Don't Need To Be Naive About FOCA

I saw a post at The Deacon's Bench called FOCA in focus: how serious a threat?

I left a comment that is currently as all comments awaiting moderation as all are at his blog. However I shall try to reproduce what I said.

Catholics on serious issues such as this need to be preemptive, As Predient Obama maps out what legislation he will expend poltical capital on (and contrary to the current wisdom it is not limitless) Catholics must show that this issue of FOCA is a big loser!!! That there will be a poltical price to pay.

The Vatican, the Bishops , and the those that supported immigration reform got blindsided by a very organized anti immigration reform movement. This happen not once but twice. I can tell you that issue is hot and many democrats are leery even now of bringing it up. There will be poltical captial that will have to be expended. There are lessons to be learned from that.

Darwin Catholic made an excellent point at American Catholic at Trust Us, We Were Lying! on FOCA.

I don’t see how we can even discuss politics if we don’t assume that the promises which a politician expressly makes on the campaign trial represent something which the politician at least thinks would be a good idea.

I don’t really doubt that if a some Republican presidential candidate were to get up in front of The American Nativist Association and announce that “the first thing he would do” about immigration reform would be to the sign the “Pure America Act” which would allow for the immediate deportation of all non-citizens and the sealing of the borders, that people would unhesitatingly call that candidate and dangerous yahoo and heap scorn upon him. Sure, such a bill would doubtless never pass congress, but the fact that he said he wanted to sign such a bill would be considered to be indicative of his character and policies.

Exactly!!!! If the aboved scenario occured I don't think we would be hearing America, or Commonweal, or others going chill don't worry. I am sort of amazed of a world view by some of lets not antagonze the Obama adminstration. The President is here to serve us not us him. I can not help but notice that Bush worked quite well with the Catholic Bishops and others even though on some issues there Catholic voices in stark oppostion to him. Why is Obama different?

Which leads us to the second point. That is the grand compromise that will repeated by an compromise next year and the year later and before you know it we have FOCA. For instance is FOCA being introduced in picemeal fashion. See this important post Worse than FOCA: Prevention First Act

I am not saying that we should be yelling the sky is falling in every ten minutes. But we do know where Obama and this Democrat majority Congress is hostile to very central Catholic issues. Lets not be fools