Catholic and Democrat in US

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Many good comments here…

My personal opinion is that Democrats align far better on the majority of Catholic Social Teaching than Republicans do… with the large exception of their “Pro-Choice” position. Given the gravity of the abortion issue, it requires a good deal of discernment on the part of the individual to determine which candidate to vote for… taking in to account and weighing all issues and the candidates stated position on the issues as well as their record voting and acting on those issues… from there individuals should vote their conscience.

One thing is certain to me… being pro-life is more than being anti-abortion.
 
godisgood77 said:
One thing is certain to me… being pro-life is more than being anti-abortion.
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True though abortion is the greatest threat to human dignity and life right now. Not just the life of the unborn but also the life and health of the post abortive mother.
 
It is really hard to cover the spectrum of thought one must use when voting, so I will take a stab at my position and try to make it fit in a forum.

Some say you can’t vote for a dem because of the party platform. So lets take a look at what a person in a political office can and can’t do.

Locally, take a mayor or city councilman or county judge or commissioner. Can they make abortion illegal or stop them, nope. Do they have direct (name removed by moderator)ut and impact as to how the homeless are treated, how the police or sheriffs dept treat minorities, making affordable housing available, head start programs and a whole host of things that directly affect the people in their communities lives. Should abortion be the preeminent issue when voting for them. Absolutely not.

Jump up to the state level of gov. or state representative or senator. What do they get to control? Abortion laws to some extent, but can they make abortion illegal. Nope. Not currently. Do they get to have impact on housing, tax structure, health insurance, schools, the death penalty and a whole host of things that affect everyone in their state. Yep. Should abortion be the preeminent issue when voting for them, maybe, maybe not, there is a lot more that they actually have control over that affects peoples lives.

Now at the national level. Do they get to simply outlaw abortion. Nope, not them either. The President can appoint justices to the SCOTUS that might overturn roe, but they can’t simply outlaw abortion. Well let me restate that. They could if they would put forth a constitutional amendment which stated that life begins at conception and it must be protected. They have not, and will not do that, why, because it would be political suicide for many of them, and more likely than not, the amendment would not pass either by congress or by the states that would need to ratify that amendment.

Do the elected officials at the national level have much more control over lots of other issues which affect all Americans, yep. Immigration policy, war, health care, taxation, economic policy, civil rights and on and on.
 
Can a President stop abortion, nope. Can he appoint judges whom he/she thinks might overturn roe, yep, but nothing is guaranteed. Does the President control all the departments and how they prioritize or not prioritize certain things, yep. What does that cover, well a whole whole lot of things that affect Americans every day. There isn’t room on this page to list all the departments that the President is responsible for overseeing and setting policy for.

So should abortion be the preeminent issue when voting for a President. Nope, not in my opinion because he has way more influence on how people who are already living are treated then he will have in stopping abortion.

Many will disagree with my approach, their call. I am taking a realistic view on how who I vote for can affect all people, and yes I include the unborn in that statement. Abortions will cease when women stop getting them. I am not being sexist, but no man has ever gotten an abortion. As long as there are women willing to kill their children, no politician, judge or law is going to stop them from doing so.

No I am not giving men a pass on blame either, we have a whole society of them who don’t take care of their children, wives, mothers of their child, parents or themselves or respect lives they have a responsibility to.

If this problem was easily solved it would have been done already. But it isn’t and won’t be till the end of time I fear, no matter how much anyone wants to prioritize it.
 
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More information. Planned parenthood certainly seems afraid of local laws, but you think local officials don’t have any effect? @farronwolf

What are TRAP Laws?

Targeted restrictions on abortion providers (TRAP) laws are designed to shut down abortion providers through costly and medically unnecessary requirements.
www.plannedparenthoodaction.org www.plannedparenthoodaction.org
 
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That didn’t take you long, did it? Seems like maybe you do realize that local laws can affect abortion?
 
  1. Your approach seems to be that no one from the bottom up has enough influence to end legalized abortion, so let’s just set the issue aside and only focus on what can be done short term. My approach starts from the premise that candidates who are pro-life and oppose abortion, no matter what level of government they serve, generally have as their starting point, a position that takes into account the dignity of the human person that guides their decision on policy including all the social issues that affect other areas of life. Of course, we never just assume this and we do our due diligence in checking voting records, public statements, and listening to opponents etc
If at least 90% of voting Catholics ever took seriously, going back 30-50 years, that the abortion issue is the preeminent issue that informs all other issues, I wonder if the conversation we are having today would be much different. I wonder if all the social issues would be closer to the society having a culture of life if Catholics would refuse to support a pro-abortion candidate. I have generally found that pro-abortion candidates talk a good talk about other social issues but the policies carried out are woefully ineffective at coming close to solving problems and seem to mire people deeper into them.
  1. One thing the left is good at is voting in lock step with each other and being willing to take even the smallest steps towards reaching their biggest goals. The progress is slow over the years but it does continue to progress. We could use a little more of that same persistent patience in eradicating abortion instead of taking the stance that it takes too long so why bother.
farronwolf said:
So should abortion be the preeminent issue when voting for a President. Nope, not in my opinion because he has way more influence on how people who are already living are treated then he will have in stopping abortion.
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Babies in the womb are already living. This sheds a lot of light on how you came to approach the voting issue.
 
None of this matters. Trump is going to be a two-term president, so just get used to it.
 
You are mistaken if you believe I don’t think that embryos and fetus’ are living. I guess I should have worded it as those who are their constituents, my bad wording. That is all I will say on that.

If at least 90% of Catholics believed a lot of things the Church teaches we would be in a better place. That is a given.

But on the main sacrament of marriage which should be the basis of any child being conceived, Catholics and the Church herself has certainly changed the way they treat it over the past half a century or so.

How many pro life candidates are actually pro life, or just anti abortion to some extent. Very, very few of them are pro life, but I guess as long as they talk a good talk that is all that matters to some.

We will continue to disagree on this topic I am certain.
 
I doubt it.

He has failed miserably to lead during this pandemic, and his polls are showing the results. But hey, lets all get behind the sort of pro life, . . . man for another go round.
 
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I’m tired of being offered candidates who are approaching senility. I don’t mean to be ageist, but I sure wouldn’t vote for myself for president, and I’m the same age as the candidates.

What if everyone wrote-in Marco Rubio, for instance?
 
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RuthAnne said:
None of this matters. Trump is going to be a two-term president, so just get used to it.
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Let’s all hope and pray that Trump is not re-elected. He has been so bad for America and the world. He has been exposed over and over again as a fraud and shyster. Hopefully America will rise up!!
 
godisgood77 said:
Let’s all hope and pray that Trump is not re-elected. He has been so…
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No. Will not. In all charity, I and many others do not share your hope or your prayers because we disagree with your perspective, though I will pray that God’s will be done for our country and He pour out His grace upon America, and that all Catholics pray for God to lead them to vote God’s will.
godisgood77 said:
Hopefully America will rise up!!
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I rather hope that America kneels in prayer.
 
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MagdalenaRita said:
We do not vote according to our conscience.
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I think I understand what you’re trying to get across but it’s not technically correct to ever say we do anything outside our conscience. The church herself is pretty blunt that it’s never ok to violate one’s conscience.
 
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