Comments for The “Catholics for Obama” Syndrome (cont.) at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 32 out of 20 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:28:37 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-14504 Wasserman-Schultz is still beating the Republican racism drum. Keep in mind the Lincoln Republican party fought the Civil War to end Slavery. Keep in mind also the Republican party introduced the Civil Rights Bill which was filibusterer against by the Democrats. Keep in mind the Catholic church purposely hid its pedophile priests from view for centuries. Keep in mind the Catholic church is hypocritical. Keep in mind that inserting a needle into the base of the brain of an unborn child and sucking that brain out is still murder of an innocent human being. May those of you who subscribe to abortion rot in hell for all eternity. - Ken Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:54:59 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-13802 I am a proud and passionate Catholic Democrat. To argue with this would be futile and I, frankly, don't care about the judgments here. I simply want to point out that there is not a single assumption about me in this article that is true. It is easy to draw false conclusions when your logic is based on false premises. - Patrick Keller Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:45:59 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-12856 The suggestion that Republicans care about civil rights and that the Democratic party is not pro-poor or middle class is perposterous. Just more right wing distortions. - Gary Ellingson Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:05:44 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11816 With the HHS mandate the Democratic Party has effectively told faithful Catholics in the party to take a hike. That is an invitation that I intend to accept without hesitation. It is to be hoped that as the Republican Party accepts Catholic defectors the character of the party itself will thereby be changed. The Republican Party may once again become the civil rights party, a position it seemingly abandoned forever with Nixon's southern strategy that assimilated the Dixiecrats. The so-called neo-cons, themselves defectors from the Democratic Party, whose roots go back to Woodrow Wilson, may become marginalized, and might even find the more internationalist Democratic Party more hospitable, thus bringing Republican foreign policy more into line with the Just War Doctrine. Another impact might be the Republican Party extricating itself from the thrall of the free-enterprise cult, formerly known as the British system, which Republican President William McKinley recognized as inevitably leading to the impoverishment of the working class. There might be a return to what has been called the "American School" of economics, once a central idea of Republicanism, calling for a central national bank with policies to encourage investment and discourage speculation, liberal investment in infrastructure, and tariffs to protect American businesses and working people. Catholics coming into the Republican Party as refugees from the Democrats might well operate to effect changes in these directions. If so, the Republican Party would be the Republican Party again, and that would be the best political thing I can imagine for the United States. But how much resistance would Republicans put up against becoming Republicans? - Jack Quirk Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:49:14 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11814 I believe a few G.K. Chesterton quotes are appropriate: “Be careful not to be so open-minded that your brains fall out.” “I want a church that moves the world not one that moves with it” “Moral issues are always terribly complex for someone without principles.” “Only a live fish can swim against the current, the dead go with it.” Mother Teresa stated: “Roe v. Wade”, she said “deformed a great nation (America). She added, “The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships...It has portrayed the greatest of gifts-a child-as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience.” She believed that loneliness was “the greatest poverty” of all and saw the West as prey to a soulless materialism. Though she received many awards including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 she confessed “It is not success, but the dedication to one’s faith that is important.” My own quote: The Democratic Party is not only political in nature but also religious. Catholicism and the Democratic Party as it currently is are mutually exclusive. - George Kadlec Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:19:27 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11813 We ran Ellen McCormack for President in the Democratic Presidential primaries in 1976. One of the main reasons was because the Democratic party had left us on abortion. - Anne Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:52:26 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11807 Those 54% of 'Catholics' who put the present government in power can be blamed for the situation we now find ourselves. We are at the edge of the abyss. Will they put us over? - Magdalene Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:39:31 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11804 If we are catechized Catholics, then we have a philosophical and moral CHOICE based on LOGICAL and FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES. Do not read on until you really understand that sentence. Both Blessed John Paul II, and my own Archdiocese Archbishop Jose Gomez have both had written statements about the FUNDAMENTAL principles. AB Gomez wrote: "The right to life is the foundation of EVERY other right and liberty in our society." Let that sink in... He continues, "Of course, we are ALWAYS working for justice and peace. But we can NEVER disconnect this vital work from our defense of innocent life and human dignity." (The Tidings 1/20/12) With this I ask, why are ANY faithful Catholics (including religious) monkeying around with the democratic party when the party clearly funds, supports and entertains the culture of death? Is the answer 'justice and peace' for the underprivileged through government funds? Wrong. Stats have shown that conservative Republicans are more generous to the needy than their democratic counterparts. But, back to Logic 101. We can not skip over the fundamental principle of the RIGHT TO LIFE. One can NOT justify their work with justice and peace by skipping and sweeping the fundamental principle of the right to life of the innocents or the elderly under the table of logic-- especially when we have a pro life candidate. Justifying justice and peace by ignoring Catholic fundamentals is the blinding lie and smokescreen of the devil. That is Devil 101- an metaphorical elective in both the Sociology and Political Science Departments. Once you've taken that class, it's easy to go to Devil 102 by ignoring Humanae Vitae and the theology of the body; thereby accepting contraception as a viable option for living, as well as premarital sex, sterilization, pornography, sodomy, and polygamy. Then on to Devil 103 where one supports implementing laws against the morality of the church. Why? Much of it is surely ignorance, and as one goes deeper and deeper in to the Devil's courses buying in to the distortion of morality and lies, and justifying a support of a party based on a candidate who justifies the killing of innocents, then there is a desensitization to sin, and a confusion of moral conscience. That is what we now have in our church. Both conscious and unconscious dissidents. Presuming we are up with local, national, and international news, I therefore ask, can we make a difference in our own church circles of influence to promote fundamental logical thinking and church teaching on morality? Can we start by prayer to the Holy Spirit and our blessed Mother to keep us clear and grounded on morality? Can we also call on the intercession of our greats like Aquinas, Ignatius, Augustine and others of your choice? Or do we only believe in 'some' of that Catholic stuff? OUR CHURCH HAS ALL THE KEYS. But because we're human like Adam and Eve, and because some of our own are eating off the fruit of the tree that God instructed us not to, those keys are scattered all over the place. Prayer, knowledge, and action help to break those bondages in your circle of influence. But we have to have the COURAGE to take a prudent stand knowing there will be both good and uncomfortable consequences. On the other hand, do we really have faith in the teachings of the Church which God started through Christ Jesus and has a rich and unbreakable history all the way from Peter to our present Pope Benedict XVI? Do we believe scripture-- that is, if we are lukewarm... that we get spit out in the end? There are several issues pending in politics, and there is also plenty of work to do in our own circle of influence... Hail Mary. - BEA Sat, 09 Jun 2012 12:11:12 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11801 jsmitty, your comment "The GOP continues to champion a leave policy that is the least generous in the industrialized world". You might want to look at those "industrialized" nations & see the economic mess they are in. - J. Bob Sat, 09 Jun 2012 04:07:25 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11789 I have never understood the motivation for the "Hyannisport meeting". The Kennedys were reaching the height of their popularity. Traditional Democratic bread and butter issues were carrying the day like never before or since. Why would they want to muddy the water by embracing a controversial social issue? Please, someone enlighten me. - NasicaCato Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:08:08 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11782 A very helpful article. Thank you. - Fr. Bramwell Fri, 08 Jun 2012 04:54:14 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11776 "Love one another as I have loved you." Nowhere in that command does Jesus use the word "government." "Social Justice" is a human concept placing us at the center and not Christ. It is therefore doomed to fail simply because the inequities it hopes to eradicate is at the mercy of finite subjectivity of the human mind as Orwell aptly stated, "All animals are created equal but some are more equal than others." And the bromides for social justice just keep on coming," It's all Bush's fault!" I'm not the biggest "W" fan. He was wrong about Iraq, but when three airplanes fly into three buildings and kill 3,000+ people directed by an amorphous fibrous network of nut job terrorists acting in the name of their "God," there's little choice left. And on a personal note, I was supposed to be at a meeting in the Pentagon approximately 500 feet from where the American #77 impacted on 11 Sep 01. The meeting was cancelled the day before. So a few here did not like W's war as it raged on and on. HMMM...seems as another war has waged on and on and we have yet to declare victory and this "war" is about 48 years old with no victory in sight...LBJ's War on Poverty. The treasure we've spent on this war eclipses all shooting wars the US has ever been engaged. Consider Haiti, all the $$$ spent to feed, clothe and shelter those who suffer poverty beyond the measure of our imaginations falls into the hands of political criminals living in luxury. The funds collected for earthquake relief have not improved the lot of those who suffer at the hands of elites whose avarice merits a rope around the neck versus the luxury they live at the expense of others. I can go on and on. When Michael Moore and the crowd he runs with decide they want to live in a modest house and contribute the majority of their largesse they earn to support their definition of "social justice," then I might give a tip of my them. Until such time, they're just another bunch of libs squired around in fancy cars and private jets eating caviar with the rest of beating their chests in their twisted self righteousness that the rest of the unwashed masses are not giving more of themselves and lobbying their friends in legislatures to find more creative ways to pick my pocket. After signing my 1040 this past April and writing a cheque because the amount my wife and I paid was still not enough, it angers me. God only asked us for 10% but government wants more. Something is wrong with this picture. And I don't disagree with some here of the Democratic persuasion. It's all about money and who's Ox gets gored given who's in power at any given time. The Republicans talk a good game of reducing government but that's all it is. I offer the words of someone else," In fact, Catholic social teaching *does* compel opposition to socialism. Read Rerum Novarum, and don't miss the fact that while Leo XIII critiques faults of capitalism, he in no uncertain terms damns socialism. And please don't miss the fact that most of the flaws that have been attributed to capitalism of the last century have been in fact crony corporatism, in bed with government and plutocrats, masquerading as free-market capitalism. We Conservative Catholics hold no brief for the Bush Republicrats who "had to abandon the free market principles in order to save the free market. Also note that it was the confusion-sowing CINO liberals, like Hesburgh, and the Rockefeller Republicans who have manufactured the social side of our current crisis. Whether it's economics or social issues, we true conservatives are on the correct (and Catholic) side of things. "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." - George Washington - Frank Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:39:36 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11775 You appear to want me to vote for the Republicans. If so, bringing up Reconstruction is a novel, to say nothing of boneheaded, strategy. A pox on both their parties. - Howard Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:49:50 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11774 @DS: A very apt observation, regarding the length of comments. We used to have a strict word limit and a rule prohibiting comments that are continued (Pt.1, Pt.2, etc.), and we begin to think it was a mistake to have "liberalized" our policy. But gentlemen and ladies, please, don't use TCT as your personal blog. Limit yourselves to two paragraphs at most. We'll proceed on an honor policy, with private reminders from me, after which . . . exile. -ABM - Brad Miner Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:05:18 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11773 The Democrats have succesfully changed history, at least in the short term. David you know your history or can read. - Jim Hibbs Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:34:07 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11772 Very important article, Dr. Kainz. I'm forwarding it to all of my Catholic friends who don't check TCT daily. Unless I missed it, there has been no mention of the impact of Goldwater's resistance to the Civil Rights ACt of 1964. I do not beieve there is any eivdience that Goldwater was a racist, but his opposition to that law, I think, gave more ammunition to the Left to label the GOP as racist than aything else did. To those who justified voting for Obabma on the groundns that he would keep us out of war I must ask why they would believe the word of a man who believes in killing babies born alive. I would also ask you to look at the record of past presisdents who got elelcted on promeses of keeping us out of war. In other words, you abolustely knew that he intended to expand the practice of infanticde aroundd the world while you had no reason to believe his promises of peace. You also knew that he would expand the hideous practice of embryonic stem cell research. You must have known that he was really in favor of so-called same sex marriage. You knew that he embraced the philosophy of socilaism which the Cathlic Chruch has consistenlty condemned. You knew perfectly well he had long standing relationships with terrorists that would have disqualified him from having a security clearance if were trying get a job in the military of which he is now commnader-in-chief. And how did this swell state of affaris come about? Go back to 1947 and listten to the warnings of someone who said that 25 years from then no one would recognize the Catholic Church. That person was taken quite serioulsy by Abp Fulton Sheen, who brought her back to the Catholic Church. Today many young Catholics do not even know who she or Abp Sheen were. But they just might think that Luther was right all along and that Marxism and Christinaity are compatible. You think I I'm joking? I wish that I were joking. - Thomas C. Coleman, Jr. Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:55:39 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11771 I have noticed steadily longer commentaries on TCT, to the point that some of them rival the length of the column itself (eg, see above). I humbly suggest the editors introduce a word limit. - DS Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:28:38 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11770 While it's possible to be an orthodox Catholic and to be anti-statist and anti-culture of death, it is not possible to be an orthodox Catholic and to be against social justice when social justice is defined correctly (as what St. Thomas would call legal justice and distributive justice) and not when it is defined by "progressive" "Catholics." Read the section on justice in his "The Four Cardinal Virtues" by Josef Pieper, one of the great Thomists of the 20th Century. - Jon S. Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:26:00 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11769 I'm a conservative pro-life Catholic, and in 2008 I voted for Barak Obama, not because I like him, but because McCain was a hawk, and I wanted us to be scaling down our wars, rather than invading Iran. - Agapatos Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:20:58 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2012/the-catholics-for-obama-syndrome-cont.html#comment-11768 If there are any "...Catholic principles of social justice..." then we can start with a reasoned position that defines the term "Social Justice." I am afraid we will wait for this till doomsday but until then there's no reason to pay any other attention to this very disappointing article. - Leonard Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:11:49 +0100