Since losing them two-to-one to Hillary Clinton in Ohio last month, Barack Obama has tried his hardest to win over Catholics. To wit:
1. Obama recently became the first presidential candidate to hire a fulltime Catholic outreach director.
2. Ten days ago, Obama launched a Catholic National Advisory Council, comprising of dozens of senators, congressmen, and activists.
3. Obama has crisscrossed Pennsylvania with Senator Bob Casey, Jr., the state’s highest-ranking Catholic officeholder.
4. Obama’s campaign has helped organize Catholics to do public service coinciding with the Pope’s visit to the United States.
But a new McClatchy/MSNBC/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette poll suggests that Obama doesn’t have much to show for his efforts. Among Catholics, Clinton leads 63-percent to 30-percent. McCain, meanwhile, leads nationally among Catholics, despite his controversial John Haggee endorsement and his anemic religious outreach, according to another recent poll. Can Obama’s Catholic problem be his biggest stumbling block come November?
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posted April 21, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Senator Obama seems only to have begun his Catholic outreach. Once the dust has settled from the primary season, I would bet that many Catholics will flock to Obama for the same reasons I support him: his message of hope, service, and solidarity. Of course, this assumes he will win the nomination, but most of the tea leaves suggest that will indeed be the case.
The abortion issue, as usual, will be divisive and integral in how Catholics line up, but the stakes in this election are so great for the broader social agenda in the US that many catholics may vote on social and economic justice issues, not to mention their own pocketbook, than a cultural wedge issue like abortion.
posted April 21, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Lest we forget: a Quinnipiac University poll in mid-March was showing Senator Clinton with 70-24% lead among PA voters identifying themselves as Catholic. Just as they’ve done with other communities, I think the Obama campaign is building a movement from the ground up, which takes time – months, not weeks. They’re not taking short cuts or merely appealing to wedge issues, which I really appreciate.
We also ought to remember that Catholics a diverse group and people aren’t defined by a single identity. We are young and old, wealthy and working class, black and white and Latino. In our analysis, we ought to consider how those identities intersect.
posted April 22, 2008 at 1:49 am
I agree that Catholics are not all old women. they are diverse in thinking and voting. Obama is the best candidate. The old guards with their tricks will not work. Obama’08
posted April 22, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Roman Catholics who embrace and support Individuals or group which oppose church teaching are de facto excommunicates as are catholic Politicos who do the same. They are barred from the sacramental life of the Church and are in grave danger of damnation.
The above appilies to clergy, religious, laity, and even the pope.
Of course most Catholics who hold and believe The Holy catholic faith would never vote for marxist like Billary or Ali Baba as they are not only enemies of The Consitution but of the Christian faith.
on the other hand most American catholic are very ignorant and uneducated about thier faith and most don’t really think as one should that it is the True church, the only church. But i do and I am not ashamed of the Truth.