I saw you say, a vote for a third party candidate was giving a vote to Obama. I noticed you changed it in your last post to say one could vote for a third party candidate, because I requested the Church teaching that states such.
**I think you may have misuderstood me then? I didn’t change what I said. I just thought you were looking for Church teaching that says a vote for third party meant a vote for Obama. There is none. I never said there was one or was trying to imply that there was one.
My point was merely that when we vote third party (due to the reality of our 2 party system) it is effectively a vote for the incumbent (in this case that was Obama). And like I said, I almost voted third party as well, but I knew that I wouldn’t help keep Obama out of office by doing that. My best bet was to give Romney as many votes as possible. I was focusing on the political realities here.
Having said that, I still do not think my concerns in this thread are solely political (and maybe I’m just not explaining myself well enough).**
We have documents that state one can even vote for a pro choice politician, as long as the voter is not voting to precisely support pro choice. Catholics are setting those instructions aside and going at each other with ad hominem worded false insinuations. It’s as if the need to strike out means anyone that didn’t vote the way they wanted everyone to vote; to even criticizing clergy for acting as leaders themselves.
I hear you. I don’t judge anyone for their voting choices. I hope that is not how I came across with you. I amy disagree with your choice, but I was really just stating a fact about voting third party. I wish things were different in our political/voting system.
From the activity I’ve witnessed, I will probably never vote again. I am convinced, there is no spirituality in politics. I was going to skip voting this election but let others talk me into the ‘obligation’, that now seems to have been for the purpose of hopefully making me vote against my conscience.
I think you and I agree here. For the last two presidential elections, I have come so close to not voting. Then I feel guilty about not voting and I vote…Republican. That’s just the way I lean, but I recognize there are a lot of Catholic ideals in the Democrat platform as well. It is very hard to vote Catholic if you know what I mean? I think I said it earlier in this thread (but maybe it was another), but I think it’s getting to the point when this is all such a joke.
Wrt Cardinal Dolan, I usually really like him and agree with him. I’m just not on board with this particular choice of words. I think the HHS mandate is the reason why I am more anti-Obama than ever before. However, if Bush was in office and this happened, I would feel the same way if the Cardinal used the same choice of words with him. I don’t know if that is making sense.