Should a Sarah Palin adviser speak for America's Catholic bishops?

[rug]

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the head of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' conference, just hired conservative activist Kim Daniels as his spokeswoman

By Peter Weber | 9:00am EST

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced on Monday that it has hired Kim Daniels as spokeswoman for the USCCB president, currently Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. Daniels, the USCCB announcement explains, is "an attorney whose practice has focused on religious liberty matters," and she "brings to the USCCB her experience as director of Catholic Voices USA, an organization of lay Catholics that works to bring the positive message of the Church across a broad range of issues to the public square."

The bishops left a few things off her résumé, says Grant Gallicho at Commonweal. Notably, the announcement "does not mention two of Daniels's previous employers: Sarah Palin and the Thomas More Law Center," a conservative legal organization at which Daniels fought for the right of pharmacists to refuse to dispense the morning-after pill. She spent nine years, from 2000 to 2009, at the Thomas More Law Center, established in 1998 by its president, Richard Thompson. Thompson and his center increasingly tend to "make news by making provocative comments about Islam."

The more eyebrow-raising job is Daniels' work as a paid adviser to Palin and her political group, SarahPAC. Daniels signed up to work with Palin after doing some legal work for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, at a time when "the former Alaska governor tried to remodel herself" after McCain's loss, says David Gibson at Religion News Service. Daniels was described as "Palin's personal domestic policy czar," and that association leaves an open question for the bishops about "whether Daniels will deflect controversies or become a lightning rod herself," says Gibson.

Palin has continued to alienate herself from all but her most loyal fans on the movement's right flank, and it is not clear where Daniels' relationship with Palin stands today. [RNS]

http://theweek.com/article/index/243442/should-a-sarah-palin-adviser-speak-for-americas-catholic-bishops

Well, there's a brilliant move.

[georges641]

1. Is she qualified to do the job?

If so, then yes, why not?

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

2. Well, being involved in the Thomas More Center is questionable

It would be like hiring an economist who had spent the last nine years at the American Enterprise Institute.

[hrmjustin]

3. She is a palinite. That should say it right than and there my friend.

She is crazy conservative. I am not talking a run of the mill conservative but Michelle Bachmann crazy.

[rug]

4. If you think Ayn Rand Christian Dominionist ideology is a qualification, then yes.

If you adhere to Catholic social teaching, then no.

As an aside, what's with republican operatives being named to these lobbying positions? The most recent I heard was Edwina Rogers, an adivisor to GWB and Trent Lott, named as Executive Director to the Secular Coalition for America, an atheist/agnostic/secularist special interest organization.

[georges641]

5. She's "guilty" by association?

The problem is Sarah Palin? Sarah Palin didn't get the job.

[rug]

6. It's not mere association.

In short, Kim is not a mindless conservative who affirms the greatness and inerrant nature of the American Republic. She’s someone sympathetic to Deneen and David Schindler and their criticisms of American liberalism. She’s someone who thinks deeply about the deepest things. If there were anyone we’d want advising our bishops, this is the woman.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/in-defense-of-kim-daniels/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-defense-of-kim-daniels

[hrmjustin]

7. You have to admit the Church leadership has been moving more to the republican party and that

is a terrible thing.

[georges641]

8. Which party cares more about justice for those waiting to be born?

The church in the US sees those 3000 to 4000 daily abortions as unjust deaths.

What do democrats do to try to prevent them? Is it a "terrible thing" that the church wants to save those lives and therefore politically align with those who care about them?

[hrmjustin]

9. Do you really think the GOP wants to end abortion?

They want the issue. If they banned abortion people in this country would in large numbers vote against the GOP.
Jesus said care for the poor and what does the GOP do about them? Republicans don't care about the poor at all.
I understand you are against abortion and we will just have to disagree on that but the idea the gop is out to care for unborn babies is laughable. They want an issue.

[georges641]

10. If what you say is true

There would not be so much opposition, and yet there are always the cries that prolifers, which now seem to be almost exclusively republican, will take us back to the stone ages, etc.

Why do you think the church is against abortion?

[hrmjustin]

11. I am not here to argue abortions nor am I going to.

My concern was about the tilt of the Bishops to the GOP which is not good.

[georges641]

12. They have no choice.

Life trumps everything else. When and if democrats show concern for the unborn, that would likely change.

[hrmjustin]

13. you do realize this is a democratic site. Why did you join it if you disagree with us.

[georges641]

16. This is a catholic group.

It should be no cause for concern if I actually believe, practice, and profess Catholicism

One again, the bishops see abortion as a grave injustice and of great magnitude, a million a year here in the US.

In what way will democrats help stop abortions. They don't even pay it lip service but instead praise it as a legitimate choice.

How could the bishops possibly side with that?

[hrmjustin]

17. I am just giving you fair warning that your posts seem to be advoctating for republicans.

That is against the rules no matter which room your in, and you said rules are important. Stick to theology, it will keep you out of less trouble.

What about the born? The GOp don't seem to care about the least among us.

[georges641]

19. I'm telling you why the bishops have no choice about tending to support republicans.

If the democrat politicians demonstrated concern and compassion for the unborn, it would be a different story.

Do you wish to remain ignorant about the bishops' motivations?

I'm not being a political advocate. I'm just striving to see this through their eyes.

[hrmjustin]

21. The Bishop's motivation is irrelavent. They are wrong!

They have a choice and they have chosen to go with the GOP.

Do you think democrats are right about anything?

[georges641]

22. I'm not going to debate politics.

But abortion goes against the basic right to live, according to the Church. There are democrat prolifers, but sadly they are treated like the black sheep of the family. When/if more democrats show concern and compassion for those waiting to be born, there will be a shift. There is no reason why democrats couldn't be all they are AND be prolife, is there?

[hrmjustin]

23. Well this is America and you have the right to believe that.

But I will again remind you saying good things about the GOP here will get you in trouble so stay clear of it. I think at this point you have gotten that you are going to be challenged on what you say here. I believe you are sincere in your views on abortion and we will just have to disagree on it.

[georges641]

24. But see I'm not even debating abortion.

I'm offering what I think is the reason for the bishops' political leanings.

Anyway, I've said it about 10 times so no point in going any further with this.

Thank you for your civility.

[rug]

14. Concern for life is not shown by passing legislation that imprisons women and doctors.

Legislation that provides prenatal care on demand, housing and jobs for single parents, and universal health care goes much further toward respecting life than filling prisons and stigmatizing thousands of people.

While the Democratic Party has fallen woefully short in this area, the republicans are actively rolling back and obstructing any efforts in this regard. All the republicans have done is to reduce fetal life into a political slogan.

When God created us with free will he endowed us with choice. The political task is to give women and their loved ones an actual choice between termination and birth. Too many do not have that choice. The solution is not criminalization.

[hrmjustin]

15. Well said!

[olegramps]

20. They might try harder to convice their own flock since Catholics rate with Protestants.

[47of74]

18. Dear USCCB,