Democrats for Life?

[mary_bobo]

So how does a Pro-Life Democrat send a message to a Pro-Abortion Democratic party . . . by switching parties . . . or by supporting the Pro-Abortion Democratic candidates . . . or by sitting out the election?

Seriously, how do Pro-Life Democrats send their message when they vote?

Good question. I know that there are a number of pro-life Dems in the Congress, but as long as the party leaders are as radical as they are, the pro-lifers do not have a chance. The leadership will withhold party supports for any of those pro-lifers who dare to buck the system. It is a sad state of affairs especially since so many of those Dems who are in the leadership say that they are Catholics.

 

[melensdad]

melensdad:

So how does a Pro-Life Democrat send a message to a Pro-Abortion Democratic party . . . by switching parties . . . or by supporting the Pro-Abortion Democratic candidates . . . or by sitting out the election?

Seriously, how do Pro-Life Democrats send their message when they vote?

I don’t see why those are the only options offerred.

When looking at the PRESIDENTIAL offerings, those seem to be the choices. Now granted, the GOP may end up nominating a Pro-Abortion candidate, and if that is so then we all should look at a third party.

What about supporting pro-life Democrats who DO run for office, for instance? How about working at the local level to run pro-life candidates, or raising money for them? Why not get involved and slowly but surely build up things in a direction you’d like to see it head?

I have no argument with any of those things, and think all are viable but will take a decade or more of hard work. In the mean time we have primary elections coming up to select Senators, Representatives and a President, in addition to many state lawmakers.

The Bishops certainly are not telling us we must be Republicans. I prefer to contemplate what they are telling us.

You are totally correct. However they are telling us that ‘life’ issues are non-negotiable and we should not be voting for politicians who favor abortion, human cloning, same sex marriage, embryonic stem cell research and euthanasia. Contemplate all you want, but that is a very clear message from them, and it was then echoed very strongly by Bishop O’Malley a few days ago in Boston. We should oppose a pro-abortion member of the GOP just as strongly as we oppose a pro-abortion Democrat.

i’m not a member of democrats for life but i am for the time being still registered as a democrat and i am also a practicing catholic and therefore staunchly pro-life.
. . .
so by default i’m leaning towards registering independent and casting my vote on a candidate-by-candidate basis

And that seems a very reasonable thing to do.

 

[josephdavid]

I think Republican stands on social issues are far better than the Democrats. But then catholics of good faith can disagree on the best way to accomplish social goals. the same can not be said for abortion. You simply can not jusify aiding and abeting the killing of 1.2 million children a year. ALL rights flow from the Right to Life

You simply can not justy any party who does not respect life in the womb or out of the womb period.

Life does not end at birth and no life is greater than the other. You find me where in Scripture of CCC where one life is greater than the other. This is the moral problem.

We sacrifice the poor to vote for parties who only in name who are against abortion.

 

[josephdavid]

Its easy for Republcians to claim the moral high ground becuase they have it. There is no way one can legitimately rationalize suporting a Party who thinks killing ones child is a constitutional right. If the Republcian Party emabraces abortion “rights” i will leave then like I did the Democrats.

It is been shown time and time again NEITHER party has the moral ground especially the Republicans.

 

[Ender]

so by default i’m leaning towards registering independent and casting my vote on a candidate-by-candidate basis (which i’m obliged to do now, anyway).

Your best opportunity to influence your party is during the primaries. Since it doesn’t matter how you are registered when it comes to the general election you would be better off remaining a registered Democrat so you can vote in their primaries, and then find another way to vote in the general election, at least until they offer a pro-life candidate you can support.

Ender

 

[josephdavid]

With respect, your source for this statement???

medicalnewstoday.com/articles/50266.php

 

[rlg94086]

We sacrifice the poor to vote for parties who only in name who are against abortion.

Whoa…neither party is in favor of human sacrifice. That would definitely be an intrinsic evil!

Seriously…neither the Catholic Democrats nor the Catholic Republicans “sacrifice the poor.” They just approach the issue in different ways.

 

[josephdavid]

More specifically, Republican abortion opponents threaten political retribution; Democratic abortion opponents have long since decided that abortion is an acceptable price to pay for other social goals.

Ender

Please site evidence to this statement?
I can name quite a few Democrats who would dispute your claim and their voting record shows it.

 

[josephdavid]

Its easy for Republcians to claim the moral high ground becuase they have it. There is no way one can legitimately rationalize suporting a Party who thinks killing ones child is a constitutional right. If the Republcian Party emabraces abortion “rights” i will leave then like I did the Democrats.

The Republican candidate for President in the lead at moment is pro-abortion. The Republican Presidential candidate in close second is against federal laws for abortion but not against the individual states having laws in favor of abortion.

 

[josephdavid]

Whoa…neither party is in favor of human sacrifice. That would definitely be an intrinsic evil!

Seriously…neither the Catholic Democrats nor the Catholic Republicans “sacrifice the poor.” They just approach the issue in different ways.

When some one’s vote favors cutting programs which help the poor to pay for tax cuts that only benifit 2% of the country?. When you sacrifice innocent lives in a country to make a regime change based on faulty intelligence?
When 46 million of our fellow citizens are with out health insurance and many have died because of this this? No one was in favor of this? Some one voted for this some one allowed this to happen.
As a government official both President and Congress each have a moral obligation to make sure the “General Welfare of the every American” is met.

 

[rlg94086]

The Republican candidate for President in the lead at moment is pro-abortion. The Republican Presidential candidate in close second is against federal laws for abortion but not against the individual states having laws in favor of abortion.

If you are looking for the perfect party/candidate, you won’t find anyone to vote for. The Church calls us to make prudent decisions.

 

[josephdavid]

If you are looking for the perfect party/candidate, you won’t find anyone to vote for. The Church calls us to make prudent decisions.

This is my point. In my mine there are two people who in politics today one a Democratic Senator and one a Republican canidate who hold up to consistent ethics towards life in their policies and voting records.

One is not running for President and one has no chance of winning the Republican nomination.

 

[rlg94086]

This is my point. In my mine there are two people who in politics today one a Democratic Senator and one a Republican canidate who hold up to consistent ethics towards life in their policies and voting records.

One is not running for President and one has no chance of winning the Republican nomination.

So you will do what? Not vote? I hope you will vote in the Republican primary for the choice you believe in. That’s the point of the primary process.

 

[josephdavid]

So you will do what? Not vote? I hope you will vote in the Republican primary for the choice you believe in. That’s the point of the primary process.

I will write in my vote. Like I did in 2004. There was one person at the moment voting a consistent ethic towards life both in relation to life in the womb and life out of the womb.

We have that choice.

But my point is neither party is pro-life as a whole. You have a handful of Democrats and a handful of Republicans who may vote consisten with ethics toward life and if you want to look at that handful you can incluse voting what would be consistent to the CCC and Catholic Social Teachings

 

[rlg94086]

I will write in my vote. Like I did in 2004. There was one person at the moment voting a consistent ethic towards life both in relation to life in the womb and life out of the womb.

We have that choice.

But my point is neither party is pro-life as a whole. You have a handful of Democrats and a handful of Republicans who may vote consisten with ethics toward life and if you want to look at that handful you can incluse voting what would be consistent to the CCC and Catholic Social Teachings

We are all allowed to pray and vote according to our well-formed conscience in line with Catholic teaching. That doesn’t mean we have to vote for a “handful” of candidates that josephdavid deems 100% acceptable.

IMO…your choice to write-in a candidate is the same as not voting. It is your right and completely okay according to Church teaching. But, I think you are passing up the opportunity to actually affect change. As a Republican, I make my preferences known and do my best to influence the party platform and candidates during the primaries. I then make the best choice (even if that is the lesser of two evils), when I cast my vote in the general election.

At a minimum, I would recommend you find a Third Party and try to help them gain some traction.

 

[josephdavid]

We are all allowed to pray and vote according to our well-formed conscience in line with Catholic teaching. That doesn’t mean we have to vote for a “handful” of candidates that josephdavid deems 100% acceptable.

IMO…your choice to write-in a candidate is the same as not voting. It is your right and completely okay according to Church teaching. But, I think you are passing up the opportunity to actually affect change. As a Republican, I make my preferences known and do my best to influence the party platform and candidates during the primaries. I then make the best choice (even if that is the lesser of two evils), when I cast my vote in the general election.

At a minimum, I would recommend you find a Third Party and try to help them gain some traction.

Write in vote is not a waste but a constitutional right. Not voting at all is a waste.

I have honestlyh worked in Politics for almost 20 years and with in both parties are corrupt and show clear signs of not being Pro-Life. I will say I know many people who support and Congressmen who are part of Democrats for life and they do vote consistently on Pro-Life issues: Anti-Abortion, Anti-embroyonic stem-cell, against the invasion of Iraq war, Pro-environtment, etc. and those people with in that Democrats for Life is growing rapidly.

 

[estesbob]

How about doing a little research on Ronald Reagan. I think you will find he was far from being a dunce. Read some of his early writings when he was President of the Screen Actors Guild and later. Hardly a dunce.

My Pastor was born and raisedin Poland when the Communists were in charge. One would call Ronald Reagan a dunce in his presence only at great risk.

 

[rlg94086]

I will say I know many people who support and Congressmen who are part of Democrats for life and they do vote consistently on Pro-Life issues: Anti-Abortion, Anti-embroyonic stem-cell, against the invasion of Iraq war, Pro-environtment, etc. and those people with in that Democrats for Life is growing rapidly.

That’s great. How many congressmen?

BTW…pro-environment in which way? There are Republican and Democrat environmentalists. There is more than one way to support the environment.

 

[josephdavid]

That’s great. How many congressmen?

BTW…pro-environment in which way? There are Republican and Democrat environmentalists. There is more than one way to support the environment.

At least 18 now. Before 2006 there was 3. I do anticipate the core Democrats such as Pelosi to turn on them and forget if it was not for these Pro-Life Democrats the Republican will be in power still.

Look at the voting record and you will see overwhelmingly the Repubicans vote more in favor for deregulating environmental policies than Democrats.

 

[rlg94086]

Look at the voting record and you will see overwhelmingly the Repubicans vote more in favor for deregulating environmental policies than Democrats.

Perhaps the regulations weren’t effective…they often aren’t. I know people on the Left have a very narrow view of what it means to be an “environmentalist.” It usually involves government regulations or schemes that do nothing but line the pockets of the environmental industry…ala carbon credits.

We probably should drop this part of the discussion. Environmentalism is off-topic.