Catholic League Attacks Dem Convention, Casey Speaking Slot

The Democrats are keeping the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights busy. First the group released this attack on the Demcorats' attempts to incorporate faith into the Democratic convention:

"The Democrats are in a jam. Long the party of choice for atheists, they have profoundly alienated people of faith from joining their ranks, so much so that they have lost the last two elections because of these so-called values voters. But now that they are reaching out to the faithful, however clumsily, they have angered the atheists. "No one is in a jam more than Leah Daughtry, the religious point-person for the Democrats and CEO of the Convention. She has been boasting a lot lately about her effort to have the first Democratic convention start with a religious service, but not only is her boast unwarranted, it has drawn fire from atheists. "To begin with, the Democratic Convention is not starting with a religious service: it is being held on August 24, the day before the convention begins. It is still not clear whether clergy will be allowed to wear religious garb, but the venue has been decided. According to the New York Times, 'the service [will] be held in a theater, in neutral, secular space, so as not to offend anyone.' Among those who are already offended by the watered-down event is the Secular Coalition of America. "The Coalition says the meeting 'excludes nontheistic Democrats' and is 'divisive rather than unifying.' Accordingly, they have asked Daughtry for an invitation to be there, adding, naturally, that 'this whole situation could be avoided if no interfaith gathering existed in the first place.' Daughtry, sporting her inclusive stripes, questioned, 'Atheists speaking at an interfaith service...does that work? I don't quite know. But they're part of the Party, you treat them with respect.' She still hasn't answered.

So how did the Catholic league react to the word that abortion critic Bob Casey Jr. had landed a speaking slot at the Democratic Convention, 16 years after his pro-life father was denied a speaking role at the 1992 convention? By attacking Casey as a pro-choicer in disguise:

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

"If a Democrat voted with the National Rifle Association two out of every three times, no one in his right mind would call that person an advocate of gun control. Yet Bob Casey, Jr., who has a NARAL voting record of 65 percent (click here)--meaning that he votes with the radical pro-abortion group two out of every three times--is somehow considered pro-life. Casey can mouth the virtues of pro-life all he wants, but at the end of the day what matters is his voting record...

"The Democrats--with the help of their friends in the media--will now use the Pennsylvania pro-abortion senator to sell the message that they have gotten beyond their anti-Catholic reputation. That reputation, which was played out in 1992 by delegates who wore anti-papal buttons at the convention, still sticks. If they are serious about reaching out to Catholics and jettisoning their anti-Catholic baggage once and for all, they can allow a prominent Catholic to speak in Denver who is truly pro-life. That should be an easy choice to make given the small pool of eligible candidates."

God-o-Meter notes that the National Right to Life Committee gives Casey a 57-percent rating on its issues, higher than any other Democratic senator and on part with or higher than a handful of Republicans. Is he 100-percent pro-life? No. He's got a complex position on abortion. So do most Catholics:

White Catholics also have inconsistent attitudes on life issues. Roughly four-in-ten take a pro-life stance on abortion (43%) and in opposing physicians being permitted to help dying patients to end their lives (42%).