Time for Democrats to Prove our Point by Fr. Frank Pavone

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priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2006/06-11-09democrats.htm
Time for Democrats to Prove our Point
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Pendulums swing, and political experts point out that the results of yesterday’s elections are not unusual for the sixth year of a two-term President. I will leave to them the detailed political commentary about the dynamics of this election. Let me share with you, however, some key points for us to keep in mind as a pro-life movement, and as we continue with renewed zeal to press forward with our goals.
  1. **The Democrats gained power by latching onto our momentum, not theirs. **These comments in the Washington Post today are instructive: “The complexion of the Democratic presence in Congress will change as well. Party politics will be shaped by the resurgence of “Blue Dog” Democrats, who come mainly from the South and from rural districts in the Midwest and often vote like Republicans. Top Democrats such as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) see these middle-of-the-road lawmakers as the future of the party in a nation that leans slightly right of center. In private talks before the election, Emanuel and other top Democrats told their members they cannot allow the party’s liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year.”
    And the hear of the “liberal wing” is support for abortion on demand.
    The Democrats did not (and could not) gain any control in Congress by opposing the pro-life position, but rather by having enough candidates who claimed to embrace it (like Bob Casey, Jr.). Neither party made abortion a top campaign issue; meanwhile, on issues like the war or taxes or spending, pro-life people take various positions. Democratic advances are no indication that people buy into the party’s platform on abortion, which in fact the American public has never supported.
I read Fr. Pavone’s response to the elections in an email that I get sent automatically. I thought this would be a good place for people to read what he has to say. It is very long, so click on the link to read the complete letter.
 
Fitz said:
“The complexion of the Democratic presence in Congress will change as well. Party politics will be shaped by the resurgence of “Blue Dog” Democrats, who come mainly from the South and from rural districts in the Midwest and often vote like Republicans. Top Democrats such as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) see these middle-of-the-road lawmakers as the future of the party in a nation that leans slightly right of center. In private talks before the election, Emanuel and other top Democrats told their members they cannot allow the party’s liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year.”
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Unfortunately, the liberal wing is in control of the party and they will punish anyone in their party that opposes them. Just look what they did to Lieberman in CT. They are like rabid pit bulls right now.
 
WanderAimlessly said:
Unfortunately, the liberal wing is in control of the party and they will punish anyone in their party that opposes them. Just look what they did to Lieberman in CT. They are like rabid pit bulls right now.
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Interesting point, look at the news heads of committees. All, I think, are minority leaders on those committees, so it is to be expected that they would ascend to chairmenships. The ONE exception is Jane Harmon who is the ranking member on the intelligence committee. She is to be replaced even though she is one of the most educated on intelligence and systems. Rumored replacement is Alysee Hastings, impeached judge, who has great disdain for the intelligence of this country.
 
WanderAimlessly said:
Unfortunately, the liberal wing is in control of the party and they will punish anyone in their party that opposes them. Just look what they did to Lieberman in CT. They are like rabid pit bulls right now.
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And so we will see a third party shift finally. 🙂 Both Main parites had better be on their toes. Joe switched and he is coming on strong. Others may follow suit.
 
maggieodae said:
And so we will see a third party shift finally. 🙂 Both Main parites had better be on their toes. Joe switched and he is coming on strong. Others may follow suit.
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We will see. Unfortunately, the current major parties are not ideological in nature so it is hard to just support one part based on that. Yes the Democrats are more left and the Republican are more right, but both span the whole political spectrum. A third part will have to start lower at the local level and work their way up. It they become like the major parties now, they will fail.
 
I have come ro realize that abortion is the greatest evil. I don’t think most Catholics agree. I pray more start to see the situation for how serious it really is. Here’s Fr. Pavone’s second point he made in his letter.
  1. **Unless pro-life wins, nobody wins. **The Democrats’ continued failure to affirm that government must protect unborn children from the violence of abortion calls into serious question their ability to speak credibly about war. In 1994, Mother Teresa asked President Clinton, and all America, “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” (Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 3, 1994).
The Washington Post reports today that exit polls found 41 percent of voters rated corruption “extremely important” to their decision. Yet corruption cuts both political ways. The willingness to permit, under law, the dismemberment of children in the womb without so much as supporting measures to give them pain relief represents a deep corruption of the mind and heart. In fact, one of the first questions I have for the new House leadership is, “What action will you take on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, that would require a mother to be given the option of providing pain relief for her unborn child at 20 or more weeks of pregnancy before killing that child by abortion?”

Indeed, it’s time for Democrats to prove our point. Every effort to build a just society will fail until we eliminate the most fundamental injustice. We cannot welcome the poor or the immigrant without welcoming our own children, and we cannot advance peace in the world until there’s peace in the womb.
 
WanderAimlessly said:
Unfortunately, the liberal wing is in control of the party and they will punish anyone in their party that opposes them. Just look what they did to Lieberman in CT. They are like rabid pit bulls right now.
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Unless we are willing to shed our blood for the faith we will not see the end of abortion.
 
maggieodae said:
And so we will see a third party shift finally. 🙂 Both Main parites had better be on their toes. Joe switched and he is coming on strong. Others may follow suit.
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Yes, Sen. Lieberman ran as an independent. However, he made it very clear that he would be part of the democrat caucus.
 
MikeWM said:
You can possibly vote out legal abortion, but that won’t end abortion while people don’t consider it to be an immoral thing to do.

Mike
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Funny thing, the majority of people do say they don’t approve of abortion. I guess when unwanted pregnancy happens to them they make an exception to their behavior. I still think murder should be outlawed, especially in the case of abortion.
 
mary_bobo said:
Yes, Sen. Lieberman ran as an independent. However, he made it very clear that he would be part of the democrat caucus.
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Yet, since he is principaled I wonder if sometimes he will break ranks with the Dems. Right now he owes them nothing.
 
MikeWM said:
You can possibly vote out legal abortion, but that won’t end abortion while people don’t consider it to be an immoral thing to do.

Mike
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Just as laws against rape, murder, robbery, incest, speeding, etc. etc. etc. does not stop any of these. It appears that for far too many the banning of abortion is held at a higher standard than other evils performed in our society. I’ve yet to see for instance, anyone claiming we should not have laws against child molestation until we’re sure we have changed the hearts and minds of all the people. Ironic that so many find molesting children wrong but killing them not.
 
estesbob said:
Just as laws against rape, murder, robbery, incest, speeding, etc. etc. etc. does not stop any of these. It appears that for far too many the banning of abortion is held at a higher standard than other evils performed in our society. I’ve yet to see for instance, anyone claiming we should not have laws against child molestation until we’re sure we have changed the hearts and minds of all the people. Ironic that so many find molesting children wrong but killing them not.
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Well said, and thanks for joining in. I am surprised at how many Catholics do take a ho hum attitude on abortion.
 
estesbob said:
I’ve yet to see for instance, anyone claiming we should not have laws against child molestation until we’re sure we have changed the hearts and minds of all the people.
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You won’t find many people saying child molestation is ok. That makes passing a law against it so much easier. As it is, while many people believe abortion to be ok, passing a law against it is nigh on impossible, and passing a law that will be obeyed is downright impossible.

Mike
 
I can see one of the parties conceivably being replaced by a different party like the Whigs were, but an actual, serious multi-party system is a fantasy.
 
MikeWM said:
You won’t find many people saying child molestation is ok. That makes passing a law against it so much easier. As it is, while many people believe abortion to be ok, passing a law against it is nigh on impossible, and passing a law that will be obeyed is downright impossible.

Mike
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Self fullilling propehcy. "Since its impossible to pass a law banning abortions its ok to vote for politicans who make it impossible to vote for a law banning aborions. "

Meanwhile the children continue to die.
 
Fitz said:
Well said, and thanks for joining in. I am surprised at how many Catholics do take a ho hum attitude on abortion.
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Suprising to me also. The litany of excuses you see from people as to why they support abortion is downright appalling.
 
Fitz said:
Yet, since he is principaled I wonder if sometimes he will break ranks with the Dems. Right now he owes them nothing.
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I wish, but the Dems have made a big thing of welcoming him back with open arms. He is a Dem first and foremost.
 
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