Catholic Dads

12 Responses to Politics

1. brassband says:

   December 2, 2007 at 12:03 pm

   Huckabee is a first class candidate, and it's truly remarkable what he has accomplished on such a limited campaign budget. No candidate is perfect; my major concern about Huckabee is that as an ordained minister he will be subjected to relentless attacks from the left-wing media should he win the nomination. Although those attacks would be unfair given his experience in government — he was governor of Arkansas for over a decade — it will be difficult to counter.But if there is anyone who can deflect such attacks with good humor and sincerity — it's Mike Huckabee.
2. Paul, just this guy, says:

   December 2, 2007 at 12:59 pm

   Could we talk a little about the candidates, and which ones we as Catholics should support?Oh, what fun!It seems to me that, as Catholics, we should be supporting candidates who have the same values that we, as Catholics ought to hold.Most important among these are an appropriate respect for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, respect for the institution of the family, a preference to help the poor, and an understanding of just war theory as the Church understands it.Too, if possible, I'd prefer a Catholic candidate.I think the best choice, according to these criteria is Alan Keyes.However, we are allowed to consider other criteria as well, including purely political considerations.So it's also valid to consider ideas such as the candidate's view of the proper role of government in advancing moral aims, the candidate's view of the proper relationship between Church and State, as well as our preferences on issues such as taxation, spending, and foreign policy. It's also perfectly valid — even necessary — to consider the candidate's personal integrity, personal style, and even his electability.Ambassador Keyes, unfortunately, is not electable. Although he's right on the issues, his style turns off people who are less blessed with moral certainty than he is — that's the overwhelming majority of voters. He also lacks both organization and money to campaign with. I've voted for him three times (twice for President, once for the Senate), but I don't expect to see him on the ballot this time. If Keyes really wants to be President, he needs to get some financial backing and an organization on the ground early, rather than waiting until the last minute, and running a long-shot campaign on a shoestring.Even more unfortunate, from a Catholic perspective, is the fact that no Democratic candidate is worth consideration. All of them favor the protection of abortion rights, federal funding for recreational embryo-destructive stem cell research, and gay marriage. This is alarmingly true even of the several Catholics seeking the Democratic nomination.Gov. Huckabee is good on the so-called "social issues" — better than all the first-tier candidates, but his history of raising taxes in Arkansas, his policies regarding spending, and his evident belief that the federal government can and should impose a nationwide ban on smoking, cause me to want to seek another candidate.Of the "top-tier" or "frontrunners," none are truly promising from a Catholic social values perspective. Mayor Giuliani is frankly pro-abortion. I've written extensively about him on my blog, but suffice to say here that his much-vaunted promise to appoint strict constructionists to the Supreme Court is meaningless, given his admission in the first Republican debate that what he calls a "strict constructionist" might vote to uphold Roe v. Wade, and that that would be acceptable to him. Gov. Romney only recently changed from pro-abortion to pro-life, and the depth and sincerity of his conversion is hard to gauge. He didn't, for example, yet understand the importance to the pro-life movement of the Terri Schiavo case. His failure to prevent gay marriage from prevailing in Massachusetts is not encouraging to me, either.Sen. John McCain, while opposing abortion, supports federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, and has a long history of treating social conservatives with contempt. His lack of understanding of important concepts like freedom of speech as it relates to political campaigns (enshrined in his McCain-Feingold Law), disqualifies him in my mind.Fred Thompson touts his "100% pro-life voting record" as a Senator, but his disturbingly silent on just what he'd do as President, beyond appointing justices, to bring an end to abortion. What he has made clear is that, should Roe be overturned, he would not seek to outlaw abortion nationally, preferring the federalist position of having regulated by the states. (I can't help wondering if he'd support the repeal of the 13th Amendment, and allowing slavery to be regulated by the states.) I also have neither forgiven nor forgotten that, as a Senator, Thompson voted to acquit Bill Clinton of perjury at Clinton's impeachment trial.Congressman Ron Paul, a 10-term Republican congressman from Houston, and former Libertarian Party nominee for President, makes an interesting contrast. Paul, an obstetrician by profession, is pro-life, but also opposes outlawing abortion at the federal level, believing that the Constitution gives Congress no such authority. Paul however supports a Congressional bill that would define as a matter of law that human life begins at conception, which would serve to vacate Roe immediately, as the Roe decision explicitly states that if it were to be determined that life begins at conception, there could be no right to abortion. Paul's support seems to come mainly from people who support his position, unique among the GOP candidates, to precipitously withdraw all US troops from Iraq. This is not a position I agree with.Rep. Tancredo is the hero of the immigration reform crowd, with just cause. He's owned that issue for years. And he's right on that, as on virtually all other major topics. But I am frankly annoyed that, for Tancredo, every issue seems to lead back to illegal immigration.Finally, we have California Congressman Duncan Hunter, a former Marine officer and the father of a recently-discharged Marine officer. Hunter was the first GOP candidate to officially declare, just days in advance of the 2006 election. Hunter, with 20 years in Congress, is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. He has been, year in and year out, a sponsor of legislation in Congress to ban abortion. He's right on virtually every issue of importance to conservatives and Catholics, and he's my preference for President. But being underfunded and with insufficient organization, he changes of winning are poor.I hope these comments are useful to you. I strongly encourage you to learn more about Duncan Hunter.
3. UnifyingLife says:

   December 2, 2007 at 3:40 pm

   There are two links that I would highly recommend to all serious Catholics.The first is a link to an "Evaluation of the 2008 Presidential Candidates Against the US Bishop's Criteria". This blogger evaluated all candidates on a list of 30 criteria set out by the USCCB.The other is a letter written by Catholic author Thomas E. Woods, Jr. An Open Letter to the Catholic Community in Behalf of Ron Paul.I think that one of the things we really need to consider this time is whether or not candidates that say they stand for our values are actually going to fight to do something about it. With the Republicans in control of Congress and the White House from 2000-2006, how much really got done to advance pro-life and other Catholic causes? A couple of Supreme Court justices and a few efforts to stem the cultural tide… but they certainly didn't act like a party that was on fire to change the direction. Too busy fighting wars that JP the Great warned us not to start, I guess.
4. The Dutchman says:

   December 3, 2007 at 3:39 am

   Huckabee is for the war and the Pope is against it.
5. KaleJ says:

   December 3, 2007 at 3:49 am

   Ah, politics and religion. Good thing we aren't family here, let alone friends. kidding of course.Fitting in the theme of Hope for Advent, I am hopeful in this election for the following reason. I like Ron Paul. He is a Lutheran, but his policy and record fits so well with Catholic thought. Look at the first link UnifyingLife posted.Huckabee has some draw, but there are some serious issues I have seen. Sort of reminds me of how Bush spoke before his election. Good Christian soundbites, but his policy has been anything but Christian. Sounds good but rather a bitter anti-freedom aftertaste.Big government will do that. And that is what I see in Huckabee, more of the same.
6. Dessi says:

   December 3, 2007 at 2:51 pm

   So here's a related question. Although we may disagree on which Republican to support (it looks like Huckabee and Paul lead the charge), we can all agree that we want to keep the Democrats out of the White House.Having said that, here's something else to consider. Should we vote for the very best Republican candidate, regardless of his chances to win? Or should we try to find a "decent" candidate who has the best chance to win in the real election?Thanks for your insight. This politiking is new to me!
7. The Dutchman says:

   December 3, 2007 at 3:08 pm

   I'm working class, what will the Republicans do for me? Export more jobs to China? Start another war? More tax give-aways for the rich?They certainly won't do anything about abortion, that's for sure!
8. Dessi says:

   December 3, 2007 at 3:44 pm

   So, Dutchman, your choice would be…?
9. RobK says:

   December 4, 2007 at 12:35 am

   Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston tells us the support of many Catholics for Democratic candidates “borders on scandal” because of their hostility for life issues. I agree firmly with the good Cardinal, as a former Democrat.Dutchman, I know you want to argue along a different dimension – a more economic dimension. I understand that, but I for one, will not set aside my values.I think you are right about the Republicans not being the greatest on economic issues. I do not love that the party of big business is using the life issue to get votes. But that is what is going on. To bad the Democrats are fundamentally so opposed to life issues that they have forced this issue.So, I will vote for the pro-life candidate. If both major parties present a pro-death candidate, I will vote for a third party.I have not decided whom to vote for in the Republican primary. None excite me. I suspect Huckabee is who I will vote for. I am not looking for the most "conservative." In fact, other than life issues, I prefer a more moderate/compassionate position on economic issues. Unrestrained and unmoderated capitalism is unjust. As the Church teaches, the excesses of that system should be moderated and the impact, especially on the poor should be lessened.
10. Paul, just this guy, says:

    December 4, 2007 at 1:56 pm

    So here's a related question. Although we may disagree on which Republican to support (it looks like Huckabee and Paul lead the charge), we can all agree that we want to keep the Democrats out of the White House.That would be preferable, but it's not my highest priority. I will vote pro-life.In the primary, my choice is Duncan Hunter; if he's not still in the race come the Illinois primary (in early Feb.), I'll be looking at Ron Paul, possibly Thompson or Huckabee.But I will not vote for just any Republican in the general election, just to keep the Democrats out.Having said that, here's something else to consider. Should we vote for the very best Republican candidate, regardless of his chances to win? Or should we try to find a "decent" candidate who has the best chance to win in the real election?In a primary, I strongly believe we must vote our hopes, not our fears.But if the GOP nominates a pro-abort, it will have lost its last pretense of being a pro-life party, and I'll no more support the GOP than I do the Democrats.
11. Dessi says:

    December 4, 2007 at 3:36 pm

    Paul,You're right, I suppose it's too broad to say that "any" Republican is better than "any" Democrat. One step at a time, I guess. Let's get through the primaries first. Like I said, I'm leaning toward Huckabee so far. But Paul looks okay as well. And I am willing to learn more about Hunter before I rule him out. I think those three are my only options at this point. I do like Keyes, but as you said, he has very little chance.
12. Chris Lewis says:

    December 7, 2007 at 2:08 pm

    I'm still working through whether I will support Huck or Hunter in the primary. both are right on an issue that hasn't been touched so far – the FairTax! That menas the abolition of the IRS. That plus their stands on life make them very attractive.