Election a setback for the prolife movement

[Catholic29]

This is a time to shift gears away from the legislative approach to the one of education and conversion, as you well noted.

We don’t have the political clout because we don’t have the numbers. I’ve always stated we need to start the education/conversion process at home. That doesn’t just mean literally in our own individual houses, but the Home of the Church.

If we cannot get our own family members to see the Truth why should we expect to change the minds of secular-minded people, let alone politicians, judges, doctors, etc?

When we start seeing the efforts of our evangelization, preaching, teaching and role-modeling take hold in our own parishes then we will see our united numbers increasing. It’s difficult to wage the battle when the opposition can so readily hold a mirror up to our House to show how few of us there are who buy our arguments.

I think the pro-life movement needs to take advantage of this 2 year period to clean house in our churches - starting with the Cathlolic faith, then moving down the list from there. If they can succeed in that effort the votes and political clout will be more present at the 2008 elections. It may not be enough to turn things around, but if we can get a significant increase you know the MSM will pick up on that and comment about it. That helps build/maintain momentum.

I couldn’t agree more…

If only more priests and bishops in America would openly support the cause of life. It seems to me that most of them are more concerned with avoiding scandal and maintaining their parish or diocese’s tax exempt status. Though I’m not suprised their laying low considering the abuse scandal thumping they recieved in 02, and have largely yet to recover their moral authority and trust from.

So I would say, yes, these do appear like bleak times for both the pro-life movement as well as the Church in America. And it will take much faith for pro-life Catholics to pull through. As for myself, frankly, I am at my wits end…

 

[Ceil-1]

I left the Democratic Party after seeing our government turn their backs on the Rwandans. What a bunch of hypocrites. Plus the “progressives” live there. They are pushing for a population decrease so that they can have their utopia. Of course to qualify for this utopia, you must meet their parameters. This is who is running the Democratic Party these days. This is not rhetoric. It is an actual social movement, and it has hijacked the Dems. Read Humanist Manifesto if you don’t believe me. It will frighten you.

I believe it is time for a new party. The libertarians value money too much. I seek a party that values individual rights, but holds human life as sacred, and, therefore, life issues are priority. This goes for paying for police, incarceration of criminals, and the like.

 

[Jeffrey]

American Independant looks like it might be worth checking out… haven’t read the whole site yet tho.

usiap.org/index.htm

I left the Democratic Party after seeing our government turn their backs on the Rwandans. What a bunch of hypocrites. Plus the “progressives” live there. They are pushing for a population decrease so that they can have their utopia. Of course to qualify for this utopia, you must meet their parameters. This is who is running the Democratic Party these days. This is not rhetoric. It is an actual social movement, and it has hijacked the Dems. Read Humanist Manifesto if you don’t believe me. It will frighten you.

I believe it is time for a new party. The libertarians value money too much. I seek a party that values individual rights, but holds human life as sacred, and, therefore, life issues are priority. This goes for paying for police, incarceration of criminals, and the like.

 

[WenckebachCath]

.

I believe it is time for a new party. The libertarians value money too much. I seek a party that values individual rights, but holds human life as sacred, and, therefore, life issues are priority. This goes for paying for police, incarceration of criminals, and the like.

I would like to see a new party as well. This is the fatal flaw of our two party system. The European system allows more imput from alternative parties because coalition governments are a more visible fact of life. I do think the Parlimentary system is superior in many ways. It is more organic and flexible.

 

[bekalc]

I would like to see a new party as well. This is the fatal flaw of our two party system. The European system allows more imput from alternative parties because coalition governments are a more visible fact of life. I do think the Parlimentary system is superior in many ways. It is more organic and flexible.

Yes, every time I vote in an election I’m gritting my teeth… It sounds to me that this election for a lot of pro-lifers was kind of like that. Someone said that in Ohio there was an election that was close and one of the guys claimed to be pro life, but it turned out that he had a year ago abused his wife. And I know a person an Evangelical board said something to the effect, I don’t care. I’m not giving this person my vote even if he claims to be pro life, and the other isn’t. I’m not electing someone who beats his wife.

We need a multi party system in this country.

 

[Lucania]

The same poll had the economy and terrorism tied for second and Irag was fourth.

Which has me scratching my head. The economy is good (with the exception of Michigan), unemployment figures are lowest in decades! I guess if you keep reading in the papers & hearing on the news that everything is so bad over & over that some will think “well I thought I was doing well but I must not be!!??” To fight terrorism, they want to entrust that to the Democrat party? I was going to say that the people have lost their minds, but it’s more like so many are just ignorant and their opinions are gathered from soundbites and what somebody else has told them or heard so & so say so it must be true.

 

[mary_bobo]

Which has me scratching my head. The economy is good (with the exception of Michigan), unemployment figures are lowest in decades! I guess if you keep reading in the papers & hearing on the news that everything is so bad over & over that some will think “well I thought I was doing well but I must not be!!??” To fight terrorism, they want to entrust that to the Democrat party? I was going to say that the people have lost their minds, but it’s more like so many are just ignorant and their opinions are gathered from soundbites and what somebody else has told them or heard so & so say so it must be true.

You are so right about the economy. But the Dems hammered over and over how bad the economy is and there are those who only believe what they hear and do not investigate for themselves. Unemployment rate is the lowest it has ever been. Used to be we thought that 5% was considered full employment. Wonder how come we did not hear how bad the economy was when Pres. Clinton had a good economy?

 

[Lucania]

Wonder how come we did not hear how bad the economy was when Pres. Clinton had a good economy?

Ha! I guess we’re in for the same type of love-fest between the media & Congress. Don’t know if I have the stomach for it.

 

[gam197]

originally posted by chicagoI’m sorry but I have to counter this a bit. There have ALWAYS been pro-life Democrats in various offices.

Where? I live in the Northeast ., the democrat haven. The last democrat candidate I was able to vote in was in 1970’s. I will say there are about 5% that actually are pro-life but 95% are not. The pro-abortion representatives also vote as a block here. There is little room for dissent. I’ve would have even worked for a pro-life democrat if I could have found one. No, they are few and far between. It turned into to the pro-abortion party. What you see at the top of the party is what you see at the base. And they are in favor of everything including gay marriage. They are like a cancer infecting the whole northeast.

 

[gam197]

originally posted by bekalc
I thought that with Casey answered a survey saying he wasn’t in favor of adoption for kids…

Check out wikipedia. That is where I saw that he was in favor of gay adoption.He is not pro-life. He has no problem with the morning after pill. He is even if favor of stem cell research but doesn’t want the embryo destroyed. There are ways to take the DNA out of embryo, etc.Rick Santorium has fought for pro-life legislation for years without exception.

 

[chicago]

Where? I live in the Northeast ., the democrat haven.

Well, in the Northeast even the Republicans are pro-abort.

I think that if you look to the Midwest and the South, you’ll find a fair number of old machine, rural, and just plain moral minded Democrats. In fact, in not a few state legislatures and even the U.S. House it has been their support which has been critical (even when these bodies were controlled by Republicans) to get anything good passed or bad stood up against.

What you see at the top of the party is what you see at the base.

Perhaps where you are, but even there I might question it. I’m guessing that the traditional Catholic base of city Democrats isn’t necessarily socially liberal at all. It’s just that parts of their distrcts are and the candidates who usual run and have money to win pander to those constituencies or are leftist themselves. And since people “only vote for Democrats” in these areas, they end up punching (possibly without understanding what a candidate stands for) the “D” line no matter what.

 

[CatholicMetis]

The Bishops don’t have to do anything to ex-communicate politicians that support abortion. Politicians that support abortions in public are automatically ex-communicate without the actions of a bishop. This was what Father Corapi said in his “Wake Up America” talk. Unfortunately the country went back to sleep.

 

[gam197]

Well, in the Northeast even the Republicans are pro-abort.

The democrats keep it that way in the Northeast. Just look at MA in today’s news; the people couldn’t even get the legislators to vote on gay marriage even though they got 66 thousand signatures.

Look at NH. There are 128 democratic representatives and 13 are occasionally pro-life. The pro-death democratic representatives always vote as a block and vote 100% pro-death.

All of the Northeast is this way. The base of the party is as bad as the top.

 

[mary_bobo]

The democrats keep it that way in the Northeast. Just look at MA in today’s news; the people couldn’t even get the legislators to vote on gay marriage even though they got 66 thousand signatures.

Look at NH. There are 128 democratic representatives and 13 are occasionally pro-life. The pro-death democratic representatives always vote as a block and vote 100% pro-death.

All of the Northeast is this way. The base of the party is as bad as the top.

Food for thought: NEern Republicans are not conservative. They are what we call Rockefeller Republicans and are much more liberal than the other branches of Republicanism. Cases in point: Olympia Snow, Smith from Maine, Kennedy, Kerry, Leahy, and lots more are all pro-choice and I’m sure that you will recognize some Catholics in the group.

 

[chicago]

The democrats keep it that way in the Northeast.

I won’t contest how ingrained political power tends to try and keep itself established however need be. That said, it really was the Northeastern Republicans who have long had the more liberal tendencies going back over a century. Rich, “educated” WASPs.

Look at NH. There are 128 democratic representatives and 13 are occasionally pro-life.

128 representatives in NH??? Shoot, we only have 118 total in the Illinois State House and we’re a much bigger state.

All of the Northeast is this way. The base of the party is as bad as the top.

I have a hard time believing that all of the Churchgoing Catholic base of the Democratic voters are inherantly pro-abort, pro-gay marriage and such. Maybe a certain signifigant percentage, but probably not as much as their poor representation indicates.

 

[rlg94086]

Don’t forget poor Lincoln Chafee…voted out of office even though he agreed with Democrats on abortion and voted against the Iraq war. I feel so bad for him …I only wish he had been replaced by a conservative.

Food for thought: NEern Republicans are not conservative. They are what we call Rockefeller Republicans and are much more liberal than the other branches of Republicanism. Cases in point: Olympia Snow, Smith from Maine, Kennedy, Kerry, Leahy, and lots more are all pro-choice and I’m sure that you will recognize some Catholics in the group.

 

[mary_bobo]

Don’t forget poor Lincoln Chafee…voted out of office even though he agreed with Democrats on abortion and voted against the Iraq war. I feel so bad for him …I only wish he had been replaced by a conservative.

If we had to lose, I am glad to see that RINO gone. NOW he talks about changing parties. Should have done it long ago.

 

[chicago]

Food for thought: NEern Republicans are not conservative. They are what we call Rockefeller Republicans and are much more liberal than the other branches of Republicanism. Cases in point: Olympia Snow, Smith from Maine, Kennedy, Kerry, Leahy, and lots more are all pro-choice and I’m sure that you will recognize some Catholics in the group.

The same is true of Illinois Republicans. The primary base was long Lake County and the North Shore which is an area akin to the Northeastern elites. We never really experienced a “Reagan Revolution” to the extent that other areas did. Now there is a divide between the conservatives (in Western DuPage County and elsewhere) and the old guard. Which is one of the reasons why the Republican Party can’t manage to elect candidates Statewide. There is no unity and one faction doesn’t want to support the other. In Illinois we have more than a few Democrats who could be considered much more conservative than their Republican counterparts. Just look to former Congressman and ought to have been governor Glenn Poshard as a clear example.

 

[mary_bobo]

The same is true of Illinois Republicans. The primary base was long Lake County and the North Shore which is an area akin to the Northeastern elites. We never really experienced a “Reagan Revolution” to the extent that other areas did. Now there is a divide between the conservatives (in Western DuPage County and elsewhere) and the old guard. Which is one of the reasons why the Republican Party can’t manage to elect candidates Statewide. There is no unity and one faction doesn’t want to support the other. In Illinois we have more than a few Democrats who could be considered much more conservative than their Republican counterparts. Just look to former Congressman and ought to have been governor Glenn Poshard as a clear example.

Just for interest sake, how many more Dailey’s are there around who might run?

 

[MichaelTDoyle]

Mind you, I didn’t say that we “should” vote for the candidate who happens to be pro-choice, merely that one who has done so hasn’t necessarily committed a serious sin if by doing so they are attempting to make a sincere judgement of practical prudence whereby the matter of a candidate’s position on abortion wasn’t their primary concern. Ought such a voter give more weight to this issue? Perhaps. But, still, we need to be careful to deal in distinctions when accusing someone of serious sin.

Again, this is not the case if there was an opponent to abortion in the race. A Catholic consciance is not permitted to vote for a pro-baby killiner candidate when an opponent to abortion is in the same race. It is NOT a prudential judgement. There is no other intrinsic evil in this election that carries the weight of abortion.

While ignorance may excuse the sin; the lack of getting informed on such a primal issue may be a sin of neglecting to make a sincere effort to form one’s conscience.

Really! That this is STILL a question means our shepherds are habving a hard time getting through the siren call of the prince of the world.

Oh, if all Catholics had voted pro-life!