Thursday, July 31, 2008

McCain resists calls to remove embattled Catholic aide


McCAIN KEEPS HUDSON AS CATHOLIC ADVISOR DESPITE INCIDENT WITH UNDERAGE GIRL.
Some campaign allies urge him to cut ties with scandal plagued conservative Catholic activist.


For weeks, Sen. John McCain's campaign has quietly resisted calls to dump one of his leading religious representatives who critics say is an inappropriate surrogate because of sexual impropriety.

At least three Catholic religious groups and hundreds of individual Catholics have asked the McCain campaign to remove Deal W. Hudson from its national Catholic-outreach group. The groups say Hudson, who quit President Bush's political team in 2004 amid similar calls, lacks the moral authority to represent the campaign on religious issues.

Hudson left a tenured professorship at Fordham University in New York after a 1994 incident in which he was accused of taking an underage student drinking and then having sex with her. He was never charged with a crime.

According to the Arizona Republic, the controversy could hamper McCain's efforts to win over Catholic voters, who are wary of his candidacy.

Tucker Bounds, an official McCain spokesman belittled Hudson's role in the campaign, saying about Hudson "He's a name on a list, a volunteer."

But those who are troubled by Hudson's background say he is more than a volunteer. Earlier this month, he was identified on a Catholic radio show as a McCain surrogate, and he also hosted a conference call with the deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee discussing the campaign with Catholic media.

"He just shouldn't be representing Catholics for the campaign. It's offensive," said a member of McCain's steering committee who did not want his name used. Catholics "reject him as a moral arbiter."

For McCain, it is the second time his supporters have upset at least some Catholics, a key voting group. In May, McCain rejected the support of the Rev. John Hagee, a Texas-based tel- evangelist who has made several anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish comments.

Hudson, a self-styled "theocon" who now lives in Fairfax, Va., left Fordham after one of his former students sued him, claiming he plied her with drinks and had sex with her. The case was later settled.

Hudson, who was a philosophy professor, declined to comment through a spokesman. In an earlier statement, Hudson said: "My past continues to be a source of shame to me and, unfortunately, my family. I'm not blaming anyone for this. In 2000, Hudson served as a leading figure for Bush's efforts in courting Catholic voters. In August 2004, he quit Bush's re-election campaign after the National Catholic Reporter outlined the Fordham incident.

In March, Hudson found a home with the McCain campaign, when he was among a group of about 100 "prominent Catholics" supporting McCain.

McCain is in desperate need of Catholic votes. He is not in accord with church positions on the war in Iraq, health care, assistance to the poor, stem cell research, the death penalty or the right of workers to form unions. While he is viewed as better than his opponent on the matter of abortion rights, he does not recognize the fetus as a person and does not support a federal law against abortion. He has supported pro-abortion appointees to the courts.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

what a sleeze bag

Rustler45 said...

Oh really Betty? But such in a Democratic candidate is perfectly acceptable. Why isn't it so in a Republican candidate?

Here Betty, here is a a stone. You throw first. OK?

"While he is viewed as better than his opponent on the matter of abortion rights, he does not recognize the fetus as a person and does not support a federal law against abortion. He has supported pro-abortion appointees to the courts."

Since when is any of this an issue with you pro-Obamaites?

Let's hear it.

Anonymous said...

Katie, you know you got a blinking bovine here? Are notyou supposed to shoot cattle with mad cow disease?

Rustler45 said...

Don, seeing the blinking cow?

Look into her eyes. Keep looking into her eyes. You will eventually become self-aware.

Anonymous said...

Look into the cow's blinking eyes and give your professor oral sex.

Anonymous said...

You wrote: While [McCain] is viewed as better than his opponent on the matter of abortion rights, he does not recognize the fetus as a person and does not support a federal law against abortion.

On the other hand, he is not co-sponsoring the solidification of Roe v Wade and jettisoning of every US (local, state, and federal) law seen as restrictive of abortion (FACE bill--different from the Freedom of Access to Clinics act); nor did McCain speak and vote against protecting infants born alive after an attempt to abort them.

Obama will nominate pro-abortion judges to the Supreme Court; McCain will nominate judges who actually take the Constitution seriously.

Philothea

Katherine said...

Philothea,

You make some valid points. Of course, if can say for certainly that Republicans appoint pro-life judges, Roe would have already been overturned by now with 7 of 9 SC justices Republican appointees (and the two Clinton appointees are people John McCain said he was proud to vote for).

Then there is the war, the economy, etc.

Anonymous said...

Katherine,
McCain has said that he would nominate constructionist, not activist, lawyers to the Supreme Court. It is indeed unfortunate that some of those nominated by Republicans were disappointing, but at least the Republicans are trying.

McCain is not the best, but he's better than Obama esp when it comes to this issue.

The war... more have died from abortion since the fighting started than in Iraq—almost 7 million. And Obama would make the situation much much worse with his staunch support of the FACE bill, including making more difficult to overturn.

And his support for infanticide doesn't seem to faze you either.

It's not just a question of two people who are about equal on abortion, it's about one person who wants to make the situation worse, and another who might not make it perfect, and might not even be able to improve it any, but at least he won't be eliminating every single law, federal, local, and state, from the books.

Philothea

Katherine said...

McCain has said that he would nominate constructionist, not activist, lawyers to the Supreme Court.

Which may or may not mean pro-life.

The war... more have died from abortion since the fighting started than in Iraq...

And we were steeply decreasing the number of abortions under Clinton only to see the rates plateau under Bush.

It's not just a question of two people who are about equal on abortion, it's about one person who wants to make the situation worse, and another who might not make it perfect, and might not even be able to improve it any, but at least he won't be eliminating every single law, federal, local, and state, from the books.

I appreciate your honesty that McCain mght not save a single unborn life. I regret Obama's suport for FACE, but it will never pass even one house of Congress, so that is not a real fear. If Obama can reduce the number of abortions as Clinton did, we will be a better country. And then there are all of the other issues you don't speak of, the war, poverty, discrimination, the economy, etc.