So when all is said and done, why the heck do Catholics vote Democrat??

[Steep]

I’d like to know.

The religion preaches pro-life, anti gay marriage, pro-traditional values, yet in every presidential election without fail, the Democratic candidate wins the Catholic vote.

Do Catholic voters realize they help to elect leaders who are against everything they believe in???

 

[JimG]

I’d like to know.

The religion preaches pro-life, anti gay marriage, pro-traditional values, yet in every presidential election without fail, the Democratic candidate wins the Catholic vote.

Do Catholic voters realize they help to elect leaders who are against everything they believe in???

Either that, or they no longer believe in what the Church teaches.

 

[BioNerd]

Well there’s a lot of arguments for it but a good portion of those Catholics don’t have those beliefs.

I know the Republican party at first counted on the Hispanic vote because the majority of them are Catholic but they most likely lost every one of them due to their views on immigration. No matter how many devout Catholics see it this way, it’s not a black and white decision for people. At least for Catholic Hispanics, a lot preferred to choose a president that would help keep their families together or at least do nothing to separate them rather than one who would push for deportation laws. But that’s just most Hispanic Catholics, the rest I can’t say much about.

 

[JimG]

Anyway, we are not supposed to discuss politics in the moral theology forum…

 

[yellowbird]

I’ve asked friends and they’ve said social programs for the poor, the elderly, mentally ill etc., as well as the environment. They believe the democrats are more in touch with the average American and Republicans are mostly upper middle class white people.

My friends are good Catholics. I try to see things from their point of view even if I disagree with their voting which is easy since I pretty much hate politics believing both parties are corrupt as all out gets. Don’t even get me started about congress …

 

[april32010]

 

[CaptFun]

I’d like to know.

The religion preaches pro-life, anti gay marriage, pro-traditional values, yet in every presidential election without fail, the Democratic candidate wins the Catholic vote.

Do Catholic voters realize they help to elect leaders who are against everything they believe in???

Maybe they are Democratic voters …who call themselves Catholic.

With their priorities in that order. Everything they believe in might not be that much.

In any case it’s easily done (by them).

I couldn’t do it though … left the party when they went through the looking glass and began calling down … UP! IMO.

 

[bitznbitez]

In a word “Inertia.”

Go back to mid 1800’s when Lincoln running for state office promised to protect everyone from the Catholic immigrants. Read up on the Know Nothings and Nativist stuff which did merge into the roots of the GOP. Regardless the quibbles around precisely how that happened you wound up with a largely democrat voting group of catholic immigrants.

Fastforward to today. The big shift away on the morals front, abortion and homosexuality etc. issues in the Democratic party has been very recent. Thus you have a lot of life long democrats, who have been that way for generations, still voting democrat despite opposing some of these issues, along with another set that are actually in favor of things contrary to church teaching.

Thats it in a nutshell.

What happens going forward is anyones guess.

 

[SMGS127]

In a word “Inertia.”

Go back to mid 1800’s when Lincoln running for state office promised to protect everyone from the Catholic immigrants. Read up on the Know Nothings and Nativist stuff which did merge into the roots of the GOP. Regardless the quibbles around precisely how that happened you wound up with a largely democrat voting group of catholic immigrants.

Fastforward to today. The big shift away on the morals front, abortion and homosexuality etc. issues in the Democratic party has been very recent. Thus you have a lot of life long democrats, who have been that way for generations, still voting democrat despite opposing some of these issues, along with another set that are actually in favor of things contrary to church teaching.

Thats it in a nutshell.

What happens going forward is anyones guess.

This is part of it, yes, but there are a small # of Democrats (myself included) who vote Democrat for other reasons. I abhor the plethora of positions the Democrats take on most social issues, but I see no practical effect of voting them in on, say, abortion. Take Obama, for instance. He has a very, VERY radical pro-abortion history, but he doesn’t even attempt to push abortion legislation. Even when his party had 60% of the House, the House was almost 2/3rds pro-life. On the flip side, I have seen no interest in Republicans taking any kind of active pro-life stance; they vote for pro-life bills in secret and use them for fundraising (see virtually every single one passed this year), then they turn around and only talk about economic issues. (The same is true for same-sex ‘marriage;’ look at all the Republicans running away from their religion in the name of politics). In addition, two Republicans with heavy pro-abortion histories have been the last two presidential candidates, effectively neutralizing the argument for me.

Secondarily, I support the traditional Democratic argument to international relations and war (although Obama has been a strong continuation of Republican policies in that regard, irritating me). I also support the Democratic argument on many economic issues (e.g. the benefit of having unions), voting rights, and the death penalty, to name a few other issues.

There is more to it, but I figure if you care to know, you’ll ask. I am not closed off to voting for Republicans certainly, but I will not vote for a severely sketchy one just to keep a pro-abortioner out of office, for the above reason that they will be heavily neutralized in any attempt to do anything about it. Long story short: Do I like Obama? Not really; in fact, I think many of his actions are quite bigoted or abhorrent. Do I like Obama over Mitt Romney? Absolutely.

 

[Steep]

In a word “Inertia.”

Go back to mid 1800’s when Lincoln running for state office promised to protect everyone from the Catholic immigrants. Read up on the Know Nothings and Nativist stuff which did merge into the roots of the GOP. Regardless the quibbles around precisely how that happened you wound up with a largely democrat voting group of catholic immigrants.

Fastforward to today. The big shift away on the morals front, abortion and homosexuality etc. issues in the Democratic party has been very recent. Thus you have a lot of life long democrats, who have been that way for generations, still voting democrat despite opposing some of these issues, along with another set that are actually in favor of things contrary to church teaching.

Thats it in a nutshell.

What happens going forward is anyones guess.

This is pretty weak, man. Not gonna lie.

The only reason you can come up for practicing Catholics (including nuns and priests) voting for presidents like Clinton and Obama is 1850s politics? Nah, not buying it. Even so, most American Catholics descend from Europeans who came over in the immigration wave of the 1890s-1900s. So that blows your theory to dust.

Also, I find your classification of abortion, homosexuality, and traditional values as “very recent” issues incorrect. Abortion has been on the American political landscape for 40-50 years. Gay marriage…about 30. And I think that many things like out-of-wedlock cohabitation/children, stem-cell research, and assisted suicide/euthanasia have long been opposed by the Catholic Church despite all of these things being supported by the Demo party.

 

[YoungTradCath]

Probably for two reasons:

1. Historical connections
2. CINO mentality, although this didn’t used to be the case, both because of differences in Catholics and the party back in the day

 

[Steep]

This is part of it, yes, but there are a small # of Democrats (myself included) who vote Democrat for other reasons. I abhor the plethora of positions the Democrats take on most social issues, but I see no practical effect of voting them in on, say, abortion. Take Obama, for instance. He has a very, VERY radical pro-abortion history, but he doesn’t even attempt to push abortion legislation. Even when his party had 60% of the House, the House was almost 2/3rds pro-life. On the flip side, I have seen no interest in Republicans taking any kind of active pro-life stance; they vote for pro-life bills in secret and use them for fundraising (see virtually every single one passed this year), then they turn around and only talk about economic issues. (The same is true for same-sex ‘marriage;’ look at all the Republicans running away from their religion in the name of politics). In addition, two Republicans with heavy pro-abortion histories have been the last two presidential candidates, effectively neutralizing the argument for me.

Secondarily, I support the traditional Democratic argument to international relations and war (although Obama has been a strong continuation of Republican policies in that regard, irritating me). I also support the Democratic argument on many economic issues (e.g. the benefit of having unions), voting rights, and the death penalty, to name a few other issues.

There is more to it, but I figure if you care to know, you’ll ask. I am not closed off to voting for Republicans certainly, but I will not vote for a severely sketchy one just to keep a pro-abortioner out of office, for the above reason that they will be heavily neutralized in any attempt to do anything about it. Long story short: Do I like Obama? Not really; in fact, I think many of his actions are quite bigoted or abhorrent. Do I like Obama over Mitt Romney? Absolutely.

You can rationalize it any way you want. But I would find it ironic if you ever spoke about Catholic teachings in a positive way when your vote went towards an anti-Christian, pro-atheist administration.

 

[yellowbird]

Probably for two reasons:

1. CINO mentality, although this didn’t used to be the case, both because of differences in Catholics and the party back in the day

RUDE. Can you read hearts?

And not true. Chicago is full of staunch Catholics who vote democrat. I disagree with them, but would never judge their loyalty to the Church or suggest their faith is in name only.

 

[Steep]

RUDE. Can you read hearts?

And not true. Chicago is full of staunch Catholics who vote democrat. I disagree with them, but would never judge their loyalty to the Church or suggest their faith is in name only.

I would.

You can preach for 364 days of the year, but what good is it when you are pulling the lever for anti-Catholic policies?

 

[yellowbird]

You can rationalize it any way you want. But I would find it ironic if you ever spoke about Catholic teachings in a positive way when your vote went towards an anti-Christian, pro-atheist administration.

This is why we shouldn’t talk politics. It gets ridiculously out of hand.

 

[yellowbird]

You can rationalize it any way you want. But I would find it ironic if you ever spoke about Catholic teachings in a positive way when your vote went towards an anti-Christian, pro-atheist administration.

I would.

You can preach for 364 days of the year, but what good is it when you are pulling the lever for anti-Catholic policies?

You’re picking your catholic policies and they pick theirs - the poor, homeless, being good stewards of the earth etc.

 

[Steep]

This is why we shouldn’t talk politics. It get ridiculously out of hand.

How is it out-of-hand? I asked a reasonable question with a valid argument. The Catholics who vote Democrat (you?) are getting offended and upset by it. But you still can’t answer why you believe one way and vote the other.

 

[SMGS127]

You can rationalize it any way you want. But I would find it ironic if you ever spoke about Catholic teachings in a positive way when your vote went towards an anti-Christian, pro-atheist administration.

You assume that Obama despises religion; I do not. I think he is completely insensitive to the Catholic Church, and I presume he values Earthly things over his religion to his detriment, but I do not think he despises religion. In that way he could be compared to many of the lost, but I see no malicious intent.

I am extremely thankful for my Faith. I try to be extremely devout and am pro-life, anti-SS’M’ legalization, anti-birth control, etc. etc. I believe in the authority of the Magesterium, and I fight every day to try to change the minds of those firmly entrenched against the Church. Do not assume that I have no consideration for my Faith. Do I have to hold my nose to vote Democrat? Yes. Does the Democratic Party anger me? Yes, quite a lot. But that does not mean that there are not good Democrats. And that certainly doesn’t mean that no Republican is in any remote way evil.

I also firmly believe that Mitt Romney would have been just as contemptous towards our religion, just in a different way (not to mention he has a long history of supporting both abortion and SS’M’). The Republican history of anti-Catholic bigotry is long and colorful, and I still experience it in daily life sometimes. Do not assume that only Democrats can be intolerant.

 

[yellowbird]

How is it out-of-hand? I asked a reasonable question with a valid argument. The Catholics who vote Democrat (you?) are getting offended and upset by it. But you still can’t answer why you believe one way and vote the other.

I vote republican. Don’t you read the posts???

I know enough Catholics who vote democrat - they are my brothers and sisters so I’m going to defend them because I’ve asked and they have their reasons which line up with the Church.

 

[Steep]

You’re picking your catholic policies and they pick theirs - the poor, homeless, being good stewards of the earth etc.

You’re right, Yellowbird.

Let’s allow abortion, allow gay marriage, have people have as many kids as they want without marriage, give free stuff to the unemployed and charge the employed more in taxes, and take prayer and God out of everything.

Let’s be Democrats and be good Catholics.