SHAMEFUL AND PATHETIC

PAUL RYAN:  GIVING PHARISEES A BAD NAME

Brian J. Antal, president of the Mahoning County St. Vincent De Paul Society, said that the Romney campaign last week “ramrodded their way” into the group’s Youngstown soup kitchen so that GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan could get his picture taken washing dishes in the dining hall.  He called the use of this Catholic charity to be a ‘publicity stunt’ for the GOP ticket.

Juanita Sherba, St. Vincent’s Saturday coordinator for the dinning hall, had equally harsh words about Ryan’s visit.  The event “was a photo op,” she told the Youngstown Vindicator.  “It was the phoniest piece of baloney I’ve ever been associated with. In hindsight, I would have never let him in the door.”

Antal added: “The photo-op they did wasn’t even accurate. He did nothing. He just came in here to get his picture taken at the dining hall.”

The campaign had not contacted the St. Vincent de Paul Society in advance of the stunt, but just barged into the soup kitchen without permission, bullying their way past a volunteer.  The good Catholics had finished serving the hungry and washing up afterwards. Ryan grabbed an apron and began washing an already clean pot, posing for campaign photographers. Since all of the guests of the soup kitchen had been served and left, Ryan did not have to come into direct contact with any of the poor and hungry.

REPUBLICANS STILL UNABLE TO EXPLAIN ROMNEY FLIP FLOP ON ABORTION

REPUBLICAN CATHOLIC OFFERS NO DEFENSE OF ROMNEY NOT HAVING ABORTION ON HIS AGENDA

Former Republican National Chairman and current Romney Catholic outreach advocate Ed Gillespie went on FOX News Sunday unable to explain Romney's statement that pro-life legislation would not be on his agenda if he were President. 

After a career of flip-flops on the abortion issue, Romney's most recent statement is that he has no abortion legislation on his agenda.  Campaign officials have been unable to explain this comment, made to the Des Moines Register and Romney has not retracted it.  Right-wing groups like "Catholic Vote" and the "Catholic Association" have gone into a deep silence on this matter. 

On Sunday, Gillespie was reduced to mostly blather.  He said, “Life is a very important issue in this election—as is the economy and as it national security, all these issues always play a very important role."  He also assured viewers that Romney is personally pro-life.

Okay, Ed.  But explain Romney's statement. 

Gillespie then tried to pivot, saying the election is more about the economy than about social issues.

CONSERVATIVES STILL IN FIT OVER OBAMA INVITE TO AL SMITH DINNER

CONSERVATIVE LEADERS WON'T SERVE POOR IF IT MEANS BEING IN THE SAME ROOM AS OBAMA


Right Wing Catholics are still in a fit that Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York has invited Barack Obama to the annual Al Smith Dinner, a fundraiser for the Catholic Church in New York.  A first they were in an outrages at the mere invitation.  Now they are demanding that Cardinal Dolan slam the President in his remarks.  “[We Republicans are] going in hopes that the cardinal’s going to slam him,” said state Sen. Marty Golden, a Brooklyn Republican attending the annual Al Smith Dinner. “It’s insulting that [Obama is] coming... it’s reprehensible.”

According to the New York Post, conservative Catholics are worried that Obama’s appearance will be misinterpreted as a church endorsement.

Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League,almost had smoke coming out of his nostrils as he bellowed “Our whole objection is inviting Obama to this dinner about 18 days before the election.”

Some conservatives are boycotting the dinner and not contributing to Catholic Charities such as Jerry Kassar, chairman of the Brooklyn Conservative Party and Mike Long, chairman of the Conservative Party of New York State, who usually attends the dinner with Kassar.  Instead, they are re-directing their giving to a right wing political group.

CATHOLIC RIGHT STILL SILENT ON ROMNEY FLIP-FLOP

CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?

As pro-Romney Catholics have gone silent following Romeny's most recent flip-flop on abortion, Catholic efforts for the Obama-Biden effort far exceed the Republicans.

Catholics for Obama - Biden organized debate watch parties throughout the country Thursday night. 

And it’s not the only way the Obama campaign and liberal groups are using Thursday’s debate to organize Catholic voters, one of the country’s big swing voting constituencies.

Beyond encouraging Catholic watch parties, the Obama campaign has been visiting Catholic colleges in swing states and dispatching Catholic campaign surrogates to address Catholic groups in the leadup to the debate.  Romney has made no apperences at Catholic colleges.

President Obama has regular briefings on the campaign's Catholic outreach with Roderick Johnson, the campaign's Catholic outreach director. 

Independent Catholic groups that aren’t officially connected to the Obama campaign have been even more vocal in attacking Ryan from a Catholic perspective.  “Some of his positions are fundamentally at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church,” said a Ryan critique issued this week by dozens of Catholic theologians and other Catholic scholars.

With Paul Ryan, progressive Catholic groups have taken particular aim his proposed budget, which passed the House but not the Senate.

A letter to Ryan from faculty at Georgetown, a Catholic university, summed up the Catholic opposition to the proposal: “We would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few.”

And then there is the “nuns on the bus tour” to decry the Ryan budget’s slashing of programs for the poor.  This week, the nuns reprised the tour, criss-crossing Ohio just in time for the vice presidential debate. “He clearly has not been where I’ve been," Sister Simone Campbell, an organizer of the tour, told MSNBC of Ryan. “He just is out of touch.”

The Romney campaign rolled out a Catholic outreach effort much later than the Obama-Biden campaign and has been hurt by the stridency and harsh rhetoric of their right-wing Catholic supporters.  The Romney campaign continues to approach nervously those who tell undecided Catholics they will go the Hell or be denied Communion if they vote for the President.

WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID?

ROMNEY SAYS HE WILL NOT NOT PROTECT THE UNBORN

PRO-LIFE ISSUES OFF THE AGENDA IN A ROMNEY ADMINISTRATION SAYS MITT

The GOP presidential nominee told the Des Moines Register yesterday that he doesn't intend to pursue legislation to restrict abortion if he is elected president. "There's no legislation with regards to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda," Romney told the Register's editorial board.

Romney's position on abortion has changed over the years, and has been at the heart of charges that he flip-flops on issues. When he ran for Massachusetts governor in 2002, Romney said he would "preserve and protect" a woman's right to choose an abortion.

Romney's new statement confirms the assurance his sister gave to women delegates at the Republican National Convention that Romney would never take away a woman's right to an abortion.

On other issues related to the lives the unborn, Romney is considered a danger to many social programs that help mothers choose life for their unborn child.  He also said he would repeal a recent EPA rule on Mercury that saves as many unborn lives as the number of surgical abortions in this country.  When the question of termininating unborn life has been not by a woman in a problem pregancy but by Big Business, Romney has a strong pro-abortion record as seen by his profiteering from an "abortion waste" company as well as by the Mercury abortion issue.

This blog also finds the President's views on abortion disappointing, but finds little difference between the two candidates in what they would do. 

FROM: "CATHOLIC DEMOCRATS"

The Catholic Vice Presidential Debate:

An Historic Moment - Two World Views of the Catholic Social Justice Tradition and Public Policy

Thursday, October 11, 2012

An Historic Day-50th Anniversary of the
Convening of Vatican II

Host or Attend a Catholic Debate Watch Party

Pre-Debate Conference Call: 8:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. EDT

Vice Presidential Debate: 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT

More information here: http://www.tfaforms.com/259490


(UPDATE: Sr. Simone Campbell will be on the conference call)

Dear Friends,

Thursday, October 11th will be an historic day. For the first time in American history, two Catholic candidates on the presidential ticket will debate each other. Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) will have the opportunity to speak to the American public about their vision for the future of the country.

In addition to this first-time political event, October 11th is the 50th anniversary of the convening of Vatican II under Pope John XXIII as well as the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church under Pope John Paul II. The debate and the day, taken together, will provide a special context for the stark contrast between Vice President Biden and Rep. Ryan as it relates to their different world views on public policy and the rich Catholic Social Justice Tradition.

We know what inspires Vice President Biden as a Catholic political leader. In his book Promises to Keep, Vice President Biden wrote, "the nuns were my first teachers.... they taught reading and writing and math and geography and history, but embedded in the curriculum also were the concepts of decency, fair play, and virtue." We also know who Representative Ryan looks to regarding political morality. In 2009, he filmed a video in which he said, "Ayn Rand, more than anyone else, did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this to me is what matters most."

Many of you have told us the sense of alienation you feel within the Church today, and for many, even in your own parishes. So we're offering you a reason and a means to join in solidarity with other supporters of Catholic Democrats on this historic day. Please let us know if you would like to either host or attend a house party for the Vice Presidential Debate by completing The Catholic VP Debate & Conference Call Request Form (it only takes a minute). We will connect you to one another by early next week in consultation with those who volunteer to host an event. If you are so inclined to host an event, please know that it is easy and just requires offering a little hospitality to some kindred spirits.

Additionally, we will also sponsor a conference call prior to the debate to help provide you with some additional context in light of the two world views - represented by Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan - on the Catholic Social Justice Tradition. The conference call will feature a special guest that we will announce in a few days. Participation on the call will be on a first come, first serve basis, as space is limited.

October 11th will be an important day for Catholics, our nation, and the life of the Church. We are looking forward to sharing it with you and to help you share it with one another. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@catholicdemocrats.org.

Warm Regards,

Catholic Democrats



PS Please consider making a donation at this time to help us serve you and to make sure that the Romney-Ryan budget and tax plan will never hurt millions of the most vulnerable in our society and to promote a network of vibrant Catholic Democrats communities that advance the common good across the country.