DALLAS - With Delaware Senator Joe Biden on the ticket, will Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama make inroads with wavering Catholics in the race for the White House?
In an election year that has seen both Obama’s campaign and that of his Republican rival John McCain try to woo voters of various faiths it is sure to be a question that pundits will ask in coming days.
Obama on Saturday chose Biden, 65, as his vice presidential running mate, ending days of frenzied speculation.
Biden, originally from the battleground state of Pennsylvania, will bring not only foreign policy expertise to the ticket — he chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — but strong working-class roots and his Catholic faith.
Catholics had strongly supported Hillary Clinton in her failed bid for the Democratic nomination and a number of polls have shown a fairly close race among Catholics with Obama leading nationally by a small margin.
Conservative Catholics tend to line up with evangelicals on issues like abortion but there are also many liberal Catholics in America who like the Democratic Party on economic issues.
Almost one-quarter of U.S. adults are Catholic but their electoral clout is somewhat diluted by their distribution.
According to a June report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington, nearly four in 10 U.S. Catholics reside in New York, California and Texas, none of which are closely contested. The first two are solidly Democratic and Texas is Republican.
The report said states “where the Catholic vote could make a real difference are Florida, Ohio and Louisiana.”
Pennsylvania is widely seen as another battleground for the Catholic vote.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
(Photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed. Biden at a Democratic Party Debate in December)
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How sad that a Catholic could write: The abortion issue as well as the “when life begins issue” is a private matter and should not be discussed in public.
Consider: Either a fetus is a human being at conception or it is not. Either a partial-birth abortion of a mature fetus is the killing of a baby, or it is not.
- Posted by JoanneThese are pretty important issues, and discussing them is as important as any debate over off-shore drilling.
‘Good’ catholics have been ‘practicing’ birth control for decades and divorcing for almost as long….Note that we see very few families with multipal children…And all you have to do is ‘pay’ the proper Bishop to get dispensation…Biden will help with those catholics that are living in reality and the rest will keep their heads in the sand.
- Posted by DocbI am Catholic and Pro Life. Biden is not a good Catholic. For Obama to use it in his introduction is wrong.
- Posted by PattiAlthought the abortion rates have declined somewhat under Bush we need to be more viligant now as much as ever.
The Catholic Church has remained the same as when Jesus said “Upon this rock, I build my church” while others have veered way off the path.
To SteveMD2 to say that under President Bush, Jesus would weep I would not presume to know this, I do know that Bush has never denied his faith in Christ.,
The Catholic church, of what I once was a part has a horrible history, from the crusades that murdered 10s of millions of Muslims, the witch trials, the inquisition, the hatred of the Jews that mostly was spawned from the church, to the hiding for decades of the rape of our children by their perverts. They have forfeited any right to speak out from the top level on most matters of substance, and particularly politics and morality. And they have gone backwards, not forwards on most social issues. And most of what we hear about them and family values, are just rehashed political words, which were used to try to deny women the vote, try to keep our armed forces segregated, and prevent legalization of inter-racial marriage for decades.
How they could possibly join with Bush is amazing. The Pope should not have come to see Bush, but should have publically humiliated him. Bush has presided not only over the Iraq debacle, but with his and his party is worshiping the golden idol of the God of Greed. They are destroying the middle class with their wild west capitalism, and Bush shows his contempt for life, e.g. with the number of executions in his state leading the nation. And McCain, who owns 8 or 10 houses - he doesn’t even know how many, should be compared with all those people whose homes have “for sale - foreclosure” signs.
The church should stand for the common man, not the super-wealthy, not for a war based on lies. While many local parishes do good charitable work, the top - the hierarchy has almost totally fallen into the trap of the old nursery rhyme about the “the king was in his counting house, counting all his money (and power re the church)….” A lesson about Greed which the church even talking to People like Bush and McCain, must cause Jesus to weep.
And if there ever was a way to put racism behind us, to begin to reclaim true, not republican perverted moral values, it will be to elect Sen. Obama as President.
- Posted by SteveMD2My three uncles were priests. I was raised Catholic and educated thusly through Jesuit University. so what? It’s what you do now and going forward, not where you’ve been. If you can’t vote for someone because of abortion, then you must also not vote for someone because of economic policy towards the poor, towards the oppressed around the world (bought anything from China lately?), in not letting divisive issues obstruct or narrow your thinking about others. Would you entirely abandon the Church because it’s leaders turned a blind eye to the molestation problem even after it was well recognized? That is certainly one of the most horrible sins, to transgress against innocent children. Moral theology is so dense because we live in a world that is not black and white, try as you might to make it.
- Posted by p burkeAs a Catholic, abortion is an important issue but to be honest it will be the subject of endless debate.
This war, however, was wrong from Day One and Biden voted in FAVOR of authorizing Pres. Bush to use military force against Iraq.
This is the single biggest foreign policy error in modern times and Biden supported it–therefore I don’t support Biden.
- Posted by Michael RussoCatholic voters must vote in support of pro-life. If Obama and Biden are not pro-life (which they are not).. then they do not receive the Catholic vote… simply put… it is what it is.
- Posted by jcMost (65%) embryos created during natural sex do not implant in the uterus (50%) or else fail to develop further once implanted (15%). If you believe that life begins at conception, then it would seem that nature kills a lot of babies. This (very long, sorry) link will take you to the scientific reference.
http://books.google.com/books?id=dx1Kz-e zUjsC&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=what+percent age+of+fertilized+eggs+implant+in+the+ut erine+wall%3F&source=web&ots=jrRkdkjsSt& sig=NNPw6QS0H-Rekjes3PtEdCRFk4A&hl=en&sa =X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
Meanwhile, niether Jesus nor the Bible makes any mention of abortion. By contrast, Jesus’ opposition to fornication could be reasonably interpreted as opposition to any child being born unwanted. Until abortion opponents pony up with massive efforts to support adoption of babies from poverty-stricken homes (particularly black and brown babies), and until abortion opponents pony up to end the social conditions that force young mothers to live in poverty, they have no moral standing before God.
- Posted by Father MikeHow can Biden be catholic and come to the HBO show with Bill Maher use strong language to ridicule those who believe in creationism or intelligent design. “I refuse to believe the majority of people believe this malarkey”! I was raised catholic and the rule No. 1 of this religion is to believe that the first chapter of Genesis is accurate! This man is either a chamaleon or an atheist, but he’s no chatholic
- Posted by AGT-RThe taking of a human life via abortion is not consistent with Catholic teachings. As a Catholic I cannot support anyone who believes that people have a right to kill the innocent unborn. The taking of a human life under all circumstances except in denfense of your own life is wrong.
- Posted by Dennis LaGruaI really wish I could vote for Obama/Biden, as I think that Obama brings to the table many qualities that have been sorely lacking in the presidency of late. However, I simply cannot bring myself to do so because of his radical abortion stance. To me, a well-educated Catholic woman, there is something appalling and unsettling about any politician or political party that holds the destruction of unborn children as an unwavering and non-negotiable tenet of their platform.
Biden has, through his constant support of abortion, forfeited the right to be considered a practicing Catholic. Catholicism is not a social club, or something that one inherits from one’s parents (like blue eyes) but a faith whose basic beliefs (among them the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception) one must adhere to. I have nothing but disdain for hypocrites like Biden.
- Posted by Mobilemom52I’m a Catholic born and raised. I attended a Catholic Elementary School; Catholic High School and Jesuit University. I’m an Independent. I was leaning toward Obama until I heard the news about Biden. I have never liked Biden and never will. His so called foreign relations skills are over=blown and I, for one, do not want him negotiating with Russia, China, Muslim Countries or, frankl;y, anyone else.
The only reason that he accepted the offer by Obama is because he can’t make it to the Oval Office the old fashioned way. His failed campaigns for President should be a Red Flag for everyone.
Attacks against Omaba in the Primaries and his new found respect for Obama shows that the man lacks integrity. I’m tired of disingenuous, oppotunistic political hacks controlling the Executive Branch of this Nation.
This is one Catholic that will NOT be voting for ObamaBiden.
- Posted by angelocolangeloThe abortion issue is, unfortunately, a “wedge issue used to get otherwise faithful Christians to vote for war mongers and poverty profiteers similar to the “tax collectors” depicted in the Bible. I am painfully aware of how many back alley abortions there were when abortion was illegal. Abortion rates have not declined in spite of all the republicans elected to office. Barack Obama has pledged to make policy to dramatically reduce the number of abotions in America, and he has my vote.
- Posted by Father MikeI’m Catholic, and I wish those Catholics who spend their waking hours publicly discussing their views on abortion and when life begins would, instead, spend their waking hours trying to help the sick and the poor. The abortion issue as well as the “when life begins issue” is a private matter and should not be discussed in public. And it should never be politicized!
Let’s keep religion out of politics; otherwise, religion risks being forever linked to politics and that would make it harder for those like me to enjoy the purity religion, any religion, for rebuilding and rebalancing the spirit!
- Posted by Francis HartmanRoflmao
He helps Obama with everyones vote.
Obama / Biden 08
McDoodoo is too late!!!
- Posted by Bob W.This will not boost the catholic vote at all. Those so-called “catholics” already supporting Obama will stay there, while those opposed will not jump on the Obama bandwagon for the simple fact that he and Biden represent a very strong pro-abotion team.
Furthermore, I think it is slightly ironic that while typing this comment I needed to spell out “life” as the anti-spam word. “Life” is something neither of these democrats support.
- Posted by AndrewYour article states “The report said states “where the Catholic vote could make a real difference are Florida, Ohio and Louisiana.” Here is one Louisianan, a Catholic, not supporting either Barack Obama or Joe Biden, his running mate, for the presidency or vice-presidency.
- Posted by CKCatholics who proclaim to be pro-abortion & pro divorce
- Posted by Yaegerare not Catholics in good standing. Many of those so called Catholics defy the Church by receiving Holy Communion. Many of them are politicians who are really thumbing their noses at the teachings of the Church. Those types of so called Catholics will vote for Obama/Biden. True Catholics will not.
Biden is pro-abortion & pro divorce as are Ted Kennedy, Bob Kerry, Nancy Peolsi. Shame on all of them.
Catholics and pro-choice are not supportive to each other and definitely will “NOT bring in any propagandas for CHANGES”. By selecting Biden will push our country backward for decades! This is its old blood, there will be no guaranty for changes!!!
- Posted by John PhamJoe Biden has excommunicated himself by virtue of his pro-abortion stance. Any Catholic voting for him will have done the same. Therefore by definition, there will be exactly zero Catholics voting for Biden.
- Posted by Paul