::Friday, March 26, 2004::
THE CATHOLIC VOTE
..This is a textbook case regarding the difficulties of being a Catholic running for office. John Kerry is faced with the dillema of losing the Catholic Church's vote because of his support for abortion and a woman's right to choose. Catholics have long been considered as swing voters because of their propensity to parse the issues and switch party loyalty depending on what candidates bring to the table. President Bush's clear and decisive defense of conservative moral issues is having better success courting the Catholic vote because of increasing perception that the political establishment and the legal system are averse to religious issues. This election will galvanize the Catholic Church to align itself with Protestant fundamentalists in the hope of re-electing the President because of his conservative leanings. Senator Kerry can only wish that JFK's position of separating his religion from his politics will work for him although it is highly unlikely for that to happen this time. Never before in the history of America have religious issues been at the forefront of presidential politics - from stem cell research, to faith-based initiatives and the explosive gay marriage issue . The senator can almost forget about the Protestant religious-right. He is praying that American Catholics are not as beholden to the Vatican's positions as the rest of the Catholic world is and will vote according to economic issues and national security rather than the cultural wars.
