Steve Waldman and Deal Hudson are having a debate about why Clinton is winning the Catholic vote and Obama is not–an interesting development given that the two candidates share most social justice views that might appeal to Catholics, as well as being pro-choice and pro-gay rights and such.
Steve argues that “in the Democratic primaries, the Catholic vote has nothing to do with Catholicism,” while Deal argues that Clinton has already branded herself positively in the eyes of Catholic voters, while Obama has not been able to translate “his social justice package into a family issue, as the Clintons have done so successfully”–and may never do so.
Why is this so for Catholics? It’s not necessarily because Catholics have been trending Republican, although they have become the archetypal ‘swing” vote in recent cycles, one that, like the Holy Spirit, will blow where it will, with unpredictable results. The real reason, I think, is that Catholic voters are political orphans because neither party represents Catholic teachings or Catholic culture or Catholic interests to any consistent degree. Despite the claims of some that the bishops promote a single-issue agenda (that’d be abortion, for those who have been asleep at the switch), the hierarchy’s guide on informing Catholic voters (titled “Faithful Citizenship”) is in fact–if you are a partisan looking for support–the worst voter guide ever written. (Or the safest, in terms of IRS statutes.) The Christian Coalition would have it mulched.
Even the bishops note that the guide’s explanation of Catholic political concerns makes it extremely difficult for a voter to know how to choose. Yes, Catholic voters have much more permissive views than the hierarchy of civil unions for gays and abortion rights and the like. But while abortion is a predominant concern for the bishops, the political reality is that most Catholics feel that even the GOP’s “culture of life” sloganeering (a rip-off from John Paul who, were he alive, should consider a plagiarism lawsuit) is empty rhetoric.
So Catholic voters just don’t have a political affiliation that matches up well with their church’s teachings (though partisans on both sides will dispute that) and in the end they go to the dance with the candidate who makes them the sweetest-sounding promises.