OBAMA LEADS WITH CATHOLICS IN NEW POLL
A new Pew Research poll shows President Obama with a widening lead over Mitt Romney, with 51% of Catholic voters supporting the President and only 42% saying they intend to vote for Romney. The President's nine point lead over the millionaire businessman showS the Catholic vote leaning the President's way even during a time of partisan attacks on him by right-wing elements in the Church.
While the poll is an encouraging sign for Democratic efforts, with more than three months befor the election, our work must continue, particularly among Catholics for Obama efforts in each diocese.
23 comments:
But when you ask practicing Catholics - people who actually go to Church on a regular basis - Romney wins.
The question was weekly Mass attendance, not practicing Catholics. The homebound, the poor or students without transportation, and low income people with Sunday shifts forced on them should not be considered "non-practicing Catholics" (sadly, too many conservatives are blind to the existence of such people).
But it is true that those who attend worship regularly are more Republican. Interestingly, it is LEAST the case with Catholics. There is a slight difference with Catholics, while stark differences with evangelical and mainline Protestants, Jews and Muslims.
Among Catholics, what is the best predictor of which candidate is favored? Those who belong to an all white parish are overwhelmingly for Romney and Catholics whose parish is not all white are strongly for Obama. It is a much better predictor of voting preference than Mass attendance, income, etc.
Obama is way ahead in my diocese and we have a Catholics for Obama committee in each deanery.
The Republicans are not doing any Catholic outreach, just to the white Protestant and Morman congregations.
Oh, are you going to be surprised!
Obama 2012! To vote for the republican party of today is morally wrong. So the point is? Been voting Democrat my whole life and Im catholic.
Romney doesnt have a chance against Pres. Obama. Vote OBAMA 2012
Voting for a Republican is morally wrong? Wow! Seems you have no clue of the meaning of morally. But, I shall leave the explaining of the definition to God. Then you will understand. Although you might want to consider understanding before you meet your Maker. There is a hell you know. I grew up in PA., a blue state, and recently found out my family votes Democrat because that is what they always did. They have no real understanding of the party platform. An did ya know justifying is a sin also? Be more concerned about your immortal soul.
Maggie --
Nothing has been more helpful in winning Catholic votes for Obama than people like you telling Catholics they will go to Hell if the vote for him. Thanks for your assistance.
Actually, Katherine, I don't think Maggie was telling the OP he/she is going to hell, rather that a fuller understanding of the party platforms would negate the claim that voting republican is morally wrong----a valid point, since that claim is being made by someone who admits unwavering support for the party that overwhelmingly declares sucking a viable baby's brain into a sink as a Constitutional right.
Social justice is important, but do you really think the Apostles would vote for Herod and expect to get authentic social justice after he facilitated the slaughter of the innocents? Jesus always facilitated social justice and aid to the poor through His Church, never through Caesar or government officials. Obama voted to deny even comfort care to infants born alive during an abortion procedure, then lied about doing so, what kind of "social justice" is that? Does Pontius Pilate ring a bell? What kind of social justice did he officiate?
By the way, Katherine, I have to say your own posts seem to show a serious weight given to stereotypes of Catholic supporters of Obama since you appear to believe that a parishioner's race decides support for Obama more than the religion said parishioner claims to belong to, which seems to imply that people don't think beyond skin color; and that conservatives are often blind to the poor, despite the recent study showing that conservatives are far more generous to charity than liberals, http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html.
My sister gave more to charity last year than Biden. Obama gave less than 1% to charity before his decision to run for office.
I'm not writing this with anger or to accuse you, Katherine, or anyone else, but to hopefully clear up some murky areas that often spring up on emotional turf like politics.
Hell is real, and not everyone is going to be there, that's just scriptural fact. Asking ourselves the hard questions can help us to determine if we are on the narrow path or not, because they punctuate whether God is first in our lives, or worldly messages.
No one has to vote, but everyone is definitely going to die.
Amy,
You have too many errors to respond to. Let me just correct you on one. One can note survey research on voting preference and Mass attendence. One just should then declare those who are absent from Mass not to be practicing Catholics. Just as one can note the more significant survey research fact as I did. Something I simply noted without offering theories as to the cause, unlike Maggie.
You are right, Katherine, she has too many errors. Can I take another? Don't confuse giving to charity with relief for the poor. Yes, rich conservatives love giving to the Opera, to junior's prep school, to maintain their house of worship and to the animal welfare league. Not bad things, but not relief of the poor.
But actually that study shows that when you take religious liberals, they are the most generous.
I think it's great that both Romney and Obama came out today in support of gay Boy Scouts.
It does show they can agree on something.
Cafeteria Catholics gave the power of satan to barracka. It will be the Faithful, responsible Catholics will send him back home!
Kurt,
Don't confuse forcibly taking other people's money and giving it to politicians, who rank right up there with used car & snake oil salesmen, with relief for the poor either.
There are ways to distinguish whether a charity provides legitimate aid & what percentage actually goes to that aid, and you have the freedom to give to that charity or not. When you give your money---& your neighbors money---to politicians, it's gone. Forever. Whether it helps the poor or not.
Katherine,
I'm sorry, but if I'm really in error it shouldn't be too hard to prove it. I don't know if you're very familiar with the internet, but anyone can say, "you're wrong," but that doesn't really prove anything.
So, please provide some proof that I'm in error.
Thanks,
Amy
PS Kurt:
The article states,"According to Google’s figures, if donations to all religious organizations are excluded, liberals give slightly more to charity than conservatives do. But Mr. Brooks says that if measuring by the percentage of income given, conservatives are more generous than liberals even to secular causes."
Amy
PS Anonymous,
Yes, but if you take religous liberals (taking out of the figures not religious giving but non-religious givers), we give more than any other group (religous conservatives, secular conservatives, secular liberals).
Further, the study did not measure relief of the poor but just giving to charities. So giving to the Opera, junior's prep school endowment, a cure for athlete's foot fungus, animal welfare and the garden club are all in there as well.
It is scandalous for a good Catholic to be anything but a good Democrat. In the pews, pubs, and union halls of America's cities, millions of poor European immigrants and their children pledged allegiance to the Church of Rome and the party of FDR. All that changed in the 1960s, with the rise of a new kind of Democrat: wealthy, secular, ideological. We can only watch in dismay as our national leaders abandoned their blue-collar, pro-life, and religious constituencies and took up with NOW, Hollywood, and the abortion lobby. So complete this transformation has been that we no longer speak of a natural alliance between Catholics and the Democratic Party. Indeed, today is it even possible to be both a faithful Catholic and a Democratic true believer? The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America shows how Democrat Catholics have taken opposite sides in the Culture War. On issues of human life, sex, faith, morality, suffering - and the public policies that stem from them - the modern, secularist Democratic Party has become the enemy of Catholicism; indeed, of all traditional religions. There are no excuses!!!! Catholic Democratic politicians and their followers employ in a vain attempt to reconcile their faith and their votes!
Chris,
The saddest thing is that the Catholic Church has lost its blue collar members. Sure the Democratic Party should do more for the workers (the Republican Party sure won't). But since the 1960s, the white working class has gone from the most Catholic to the most secular element of society. We have to ask why the church has abandoned blue collar workers.
I will vote for the person who will help thosein need, not just give the bible thumping rhetoric of both repugnican candidates. When president Obama wins his second term, I hope also that right thinking people will send better representatives to Washington to work with the president to get us further along the path that has been so hard to keep on the last four years because of the intransigence of the tea party and lock-step voting Repugnicans.
I will vote for the person who stands with those in need rather than the one who mouths the words tha he wants people to hear. The Romney/Ryan ticket is for the corporations (corporations are people, my friend) the rich and the poor be damned. When president Obama wins his second term, I hope he will also win a congress he can work with, rather than the non compromising tea partiers who are inthere now.
I have been praying to the Holy Spirit and have decided to leave the Catholic Church. Our house of prayer has become delusional. What has happened to Cardinal Bernardin's "Seamless Garment.It is now consistent life ethic. But neither apply to politics today. I will vote for Obama/ Biden because God does not make junk. From Womb to Tomb the image of God in others must be respected.
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