New Pope and influence of politics in America (Already after John Kerry)

[Catt03]

Appears Kerry will be getting some mail. See paragraph 3


New Pope Could Influence Political Life in America
By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Published: April 4, 2005

ASHINGTON, April 3 - The death of Pope John Paul II came at a time when leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, reflecting the tone set by the Vatican, have become increasingly assertive in American political life. Their stance has created strains with some Catholic Democrats just as the White House has sought to make inroads with the once solidly Democratic Catholic constituency.

snip

One of the potential successors to John Paul is Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, who during last year's presidential campaign said that a politician who supported abortion "is not fit" to receive communion.

snip

At times last year, this assertiveness went beyond policy and into electoral politics, as some bishops hinted that their parishioners should vote for Mr. Bush instead of Mr. Kerry. At St. Patrick's Church in Wareham, Mass., for example, parishioners said that at the Saturday evening Mass right after the death of the pope, they were given pamphlets notifying them they would be asked to sign postcards next week, addressed to Mr. Kerry and the state's other Democratic senator, Edward M. Kennedy, reading: "Please do not make support of the U.S. Supreme Court's Abortion Decision a Litmus Test for Judicial nominees."

More

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/04/politics/04politics.html?hp&ex=1112587200&en=0ea5b3e4b9fc267a&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[robertarctor]

1. Consider the source

Adam Nagourney is to Karl Rove what Monica Lewinsky was to Bill Clinton.

Nagourney has as much journalistic cred as Jeff Gannon or Karen Ryan.

[n2mark]

3. I'm uncomfortable with the election of the new pope

so very uncomfortable.

[NVMojo]

2. ...and remember, the last pope didn't like Bush much so it was quite

a bit of grandstanding for Bush to issue his condolences the way he did. Flat ass grandstanding, IMHO. For all we know, the new papal group and Bush have connections ...I wouldn't put it past them.

[n2mark]

5. That is why I posted earlier

about the impact that shrub and Rove could have on the election of the new pope. I'm also hearing evangelical rhetoric within our church, I am very concerned. Of course I guess this is unusual for a USA president to attend the funeral of a pope, something is not right. I don't trust anyone anymore.

[Catt03]

6. John Paul may not have liked Bush

but it appears that they have the "culture of life" in common. Bush uses that phrase every single day.

It also appears that the focus for both these men is sexual issues which appears to prempt the poor, quality of life, and diseases (AIDS).

[Tux]

4. If they influence politics

Wouldn't they lose thier tax exemption and have to pay taxes like the rest of America?

I think Pope was/is trying to get the old Roman Empire power back.

[n2mark]

7. They won't lose their tax exemption,

especially if they have shrub in their back pocket. This faith based money buys all religions.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Perhaps the NY Times is trying to push for their own candidate

just as they pushed for the war in Iraq. Their oblique attack on Kerry is a ploy to advance another candidate.

[chookie]

9. Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition, either

Consider this: some Catholics were alienated from the Church in the 60s and 70s, when the Church embraced civil rights and progressive politics.

Funny that some Catholics feel more strongly about the Church since, in recent years, it has supposedly embraced "social conservatism."

Gee, anyone think that a common thread in these two trends might be bigotry? Maybe the first group were pissed off that they were morally obligated to accept "neggrahs" and reject war by the priests and nuns. And maybe the second group rushes towards the NeoRepublican Party because they have made it cool to be an intolerant bigot again.

[Leilani]

11. What the F_ _ _ _ does this have to do with bigotry?

Racism is NOT at the core of every event in the world.

For many, the schism in the church happened during the Vietnam War, along with the Berrigans & other anti-war activists.

Some left the church because of changes to the Mass.

Some thought the church didn't move left enough, concerning women's roles & contraception.

But I have never, never heard that any of the Church's turmoil has been linked to racism.

Another thread today argued that Catholics are racists.

3 callers into C-Span said Catholics are racists...one black caller said C-Span shouldn't discuss the Pope because it was a racist topic because he was white.

I'm sick of this crap.

[HawkerHurricane]

10. One issue voters.

Never mind the death penalty, the war in Iraq, the cutting of programs to benefit the poor and disabled...
ABORTION is the issue that Catholics must toe the line on.

[Lexingtonian]

12. doesn't matter

Abortion isn't a litmus test of primary importance at this point. The nutters all have long and disgusting histories of overtly screwing parties in court in consumer protection cases, affirmative action matters, church/state separation stuff, that kind of thing. Being a Republican and Federalist Society judge means there was a whole set of things, far beyond abortion, on which there was an agenda to obey. As for the USSC, it's 6-3 against messing with Roe v Wade (see Casey v PP), and one of the 3some is the most due for replacement.

Abortion is just about a settled matter, even if the Religious Right packs the federal courts. It's a 30/30/40 issue nationally- 30% of the electorate backs each of the fighting sides. The other 40% basically don't want to deal with the issue, don't want changes in the arrangement, don't want to hear or know or care or vote on anything involving it, don't want abortions to happen and yet don't want anyone other than women deciding such matters for themselves. As it is, even an overturn of Roe would bring abortion rights back to the state level, where legalization of it is still in place in a dozen or so- California, New York, and so on.

There's no apparent trend in the matter at the moment, either- supporters and opponents of the decision in Roe v Wade are dying and enlisting at roughly equal rates for the time being. When the pre-WW2 generation is pretty much gone and the early Boomers begin to go, around 2010, things do tip. The religious-political antiabortion p.o.v. very much has to do with growing up in an traditionalistic agrarian society, an upbringing which diminishes greatly among the Boomers.

So it's a game that hasn't fully run its course, but the end is coming into sight. For the time being Republicans feel they have to play along- after all, the worst that could happen to them personally is that a $500 airplane ticket to the Bahamas or Mexico or Canada gets involved. Well, that was the 'thinking' so far- the Religious Right getting out of control and banning travel of the kind is not unthinkable anymore, though.