Why Catholics? The political advantages of Catholic justices.

[kweerwolf]

(From today's Slate)

Three hours after President Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, a conservative "Catholic-based advocacy organization" fired a warning shot at liberals. "Given the likelihood of a vigorous debate, we remain steadfast in our insistence upon a fair and dignified process free of any attack on Judge Alito's Catholic faith and personal beliefs," said the group's president. "Early attacks by left wing interest groups are particularly worrisome."

As evidence of the early attacks on Alito's faith, the group pointed to ... nothing. The only basis for alleging an anti-Catholic inquisition was the uproar over Alito's defense of abortion restrictions. This is the GOP's new victim shtick: Nominate pro-lifers to the courts; brag that they're simply upholding abortion laws favored by a majority of voters; and when liberals complain, accuse them of attacking a religious minority.

A decade ago, when Bill Clinton was president, Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition pioneered this shtick. "Anti-Christian bigotry," they cried at every run-in of church and state. I can't proselytize my employees? Anti-Christian bigotry. I can't pray over the school public-address system? Anti-Christian bigotry. But the shtick rang hollow, because 80 percent of the country was Christian. Bigotry against a powerful majority made little sense. As conservatives captured power—Congress in 1994, the White House in 2000—the victim pose grew less and less plausible.

Not to worry. Two years ago, Republicans found a new way to play victim. They were trying to get Bill Pryor, the attorney general of Alabama, confirmed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Pryor had called Roe v. Wade an "abomination" that had led to "slaughter." Such rhetoric, according to Democrats, suggested that Pryor was incapable of subordinating his moral convictions to constitutional law. A well-connected conservative lobby, the Committee for Justice, fired back with ads depicting a warning on a courthouse door: "Catholics need not apply." The ads accused senators of attacking Pryor's " 'deeply held' Catholic beliefs."

http://www.slate.com/id/2129120/nav/tap1/

[Clark2008]

1. Hmmm... would Scalito vote against a man who

voted to go to war?

Because that's against "deeply-held" Catholic beliefs, too.

Can't pick and choose, fundies, can't pick and choose.

[Patiod]

4. The term "cafeteria Catholic" seems to only apply to

those who chose to use birth control against church teaching.

Doesn't apply to those who support choice, but hew to the church's line on greed, social justice, the death penalty and the importance of war being truly justified.

I was accused of that, and explain to the accuser that she was right, and that's why I chose to leave.

[tx_dem41]

5. Can you point to where in Catholic theology...

all war is forbidden?

[nashbridges]

6. There's actually a "Just War"

criteria. All war isn't forbidden in the Catholic church, just wrong ones. WWII would qualify as a "Just war".

[Nikki Stone 1]

2. The old press guy for the Archdioscese of LA used to talk about "catholic

bashing"

Father Greg Coireau (spelling?)

[Fenris]

3. Alito would make the number of Catholic conservatives on the SC 5

That would mean that every consistently conservative justice was a Catholic. And I think it should be noted that there is a difference between the sort of authoritarian Catholicism of these men and the Catholicism of the majority of the laity.

It is an interesting statistic though.

[donsu]

7. I think the catholic church needs to be bashed into the 21st century

and they need to be bashed for their policy to hide sexual abusers, to this very day.

religions can't hold up a shield and say you can't attack us because we are a religion. that's a bunch of baloney.

[DanCa]

8. Some thoughts on this

1: It's not catholics I have a problem with, it's the theocrats of any stripe that want to push thier beliefs on me.

2: I firmly believe that senator Kerry won the election however the Bishops council forced him not to prove voter fraud.

3: we shouldn't have polling places at churches. Never trusted them.

4: When are we going to stand up and picket and protest the policy makers of the church.