GOP Woos Critical Voting Bloc: Catholics

[Khephra]

Republicans Hold Daily Masses, Private Briefings in Bid to Win Over Catholics, a Critical Bloc

The Associated Press



NEW YORK Aug. 30, 2004 — The drive to win over Roman Catholics is in high gear at the Republican National Convention, with daily Masses, a private briefing from the party chairman and a special hospitality suite in the convention hall.

Catholics make up one-quarter of the electorate nationwide, and it's even higher in key battleground states about a third in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Iowa. No wonder both parties are courting their vote.

snip.........

"I feel it is important that faithful Catholics play as active a role as possible in the public square," said Leonard Leo of Arlington, Va., who is a member of the Catholic Working Group, which is independent of the Republican campaigns. "The most important and nonnegotiable issues are the culture of life issues."

For Albert Wickens, a Republican convention volunteer from Madison, N.J., Bush is the only choice for Catholics because Kerry "promotes a culture of death."

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040830_1058.html

[htuttle]

1. "Just forget about all that stuff we said about you at Bob Jones Univ"

"You know, about you not being Christians and the Pope being the antichrist and all. That was just politics..."

[JLuckey]

5. And the Mary cult thing........

and worshiping plaster statues.

[James T. Kirk]

14. Statues

You are repeating fundamentalist claptrap. Catholics don't worship statues. The tolerance around here is amazing.

[DemNoir]

2. The fact is

The Pope is completely opposed to Bush on just about every issue.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. War is hardly a part of the culture of life, no matter

how the Rovian machine spins it.

I think Catholics would be frightened if they realized that the Bushes have long allied themselves with people who are sympathetic to Christian Reconstructionism aka Dominionism. Any Catholic who's paying attention knows those people would kill us or suppress our faith if they could.

There's a thread on Dominionism here, lots of good links:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2282947#2283663

[Khephra]

4. Don't forget the Bushie Moonie connections either

Most true Christians of any denomination would run in terror from Bush if they just knew how well tied into the Bush Family (and the GOP) Rev. Moon really is.

[Toucano]

6. Which voting bloc is NOT critical?

It seems like there's a new "critical" voting block each week.

Weren't the Amish critical a few weeks back?

[K8-EEE]

7. Passion Of The Death Penalty Faux Catholics

I can't believe any Catholic would vote for Bush, why don't they just vote for Pontius Pilate?

[BootinUp]

9. your beliefs betray you

Did I ever tell you about '72 when I was a lad at a catholic elementary school? Families for McGovern were pretty damn lonely.

[BootinUp]

8. If I had a time machine

I'd just go back to the middle ages right now, same politics, more land available.

[Larkspur]

10. Bush will win the ultra-conserviate, one-issue(abortion) Catholic vote

How many of those there are? Don't know.

Polls have shown that most Catholics support abortion, but wouldn't use it themselves, and they definitely support artificial birth control, despite the Pope's opposition. So it looks like Bush has made that old Protestant mistake of assuming that Catholics are a monolithic group that will automatically vote for who their bishop and pope says so.

Catholics are not a monolithic group. I know. I use to be one.

[Debi]

11. Is the GOP vying for the Catholics who are allowed to receive communion

Or those of us who have been "banned" for believing in a woman's right to choose?

[diamond14]

12. Catholics for JFK....there's no way that bush* will keep us from voting

for the CATHOLIC candidate....John F. Kerry....


bush* slinging crap about Kerry will NOT deter our votes....the reTHUGlicans did the same thing when the last Catholic JFK ran for office, only that time, it was "oh my, a Catholic cannot be President"....afterall, bush* comes from the religiously insane, sent by God, all-white, better than others...those who felt that THEY were the only people who could possibly be President...that they had the right, and Catholics did not....that Catholics could NEVER rise to the Presidency...

and ALL the old and middle aged Catholics will NEVER forget what the reTHUGlicans did during the first JFK's campaign....


now, we are still here...and bush* and his THUGS will be totally amazed at how many Catholics STAND UP and vote for the Catholic JFK....we already have our buttons at all the Catholic Churches...."Catholics for JFK"....yes, bush*, even here in Virginia...

[Princess Turandot]

13. It's a bit ironic isn't it..

that in 1960, the Rebublicans claimed JFK would be remote-controlled by the Pope.

Now they are trying to get this Vatican to tell Catholics to not vote
for a Catholic candidate.