This is so delicious. It seems like it only a few weeks ago when Catholic voters were going to hand the election to Romney cuz the Kenyan anti-colonial socialist was going to side with sluts instead of the good misogynists of Moreltown, Stateasota. I guess everyone’s dumping on Mittens:
WaPo— President Obama’s support among Catholic voters has surged since June, according to a new poll, despite a summer that included the Catholic bishops’ religious freedom campaign and the naming of Rep. Paul Ryan, a Catholic, as the GOP’s vice-presidential candidate.
On June 17, Obama held a slight edge over Mitt Romney among Catholics (49-47 percent), according to the Pew Research Center. Since then, Obama has surged ahead, and now leads 54-39 percent, according to a Pew poll conducted on Sept. 16.
Among all registered voters, Obama leads Romney 51-42 percent, according to Pew.
Every single Catholic I know (which includes the majority of my extended family) pays not a whit of attention to what the bishops have to say. To most of them, the Catholic hierarchy consists solely of the priest at the local church. I don’t think the bishops have all that much sway over the rank and file.
That’s good news considering this story I read earlier. Basically it’s “Vote for Obama: go to hell. But I’m not telling you how to vote or anything.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/27/catholic-bishop-voting-for-obama-jeopardizes-the-eternal-salvation-of-your-own-soul/
Just a guess, but I’m wondering if this is the blue collar Catholic vote swinging to Obama for economic reasons.
Most U.S. Catholics are far more liberal than Bishops, Cardinals, etc.
I was going to say that most U.S. Catholics are 100 times more liberal than that church’s hierarchy, but 100 times zero is still zero.
@troll
Now all that needs to happen is that those catholics that pay not a whit of attention stop giving those bishops financial and moral support.
@steve oberski
A good many might well be surprised they do. I used to know catholics that would cuss the (across the state, largely unnoticed, forgotten, and ignored except for bishop visits) diocese up and down and wish illness and bad fortune on the bishop, but give freely for the church roof and the little old harmless local priest, with not a clue of the pyramid scheme nature of church donations. There’s an impressive (terrifying?) level of self deception that goes on with many catholics…
I also think the simplistic left/right dichotomy doesn’t work well for describing Catholics.
As well as the difference between lay Catholics and the clergy, even the position of the church hierarchy is a bit more complicated. While traditionally firmed in the ‘right’ camp on women and sexuality, Catholics are normally on the ‘left’ in regards to social justice, welfare and labor.
Right-wing Catholics (like the hilarious Michael Voris) are all but apoplectic that many of their coreligionists are supporting the “pro-death, anti-religion” president. However, the more apocalyptic they get in their denunciations, the more ridiculous and less persuasive they look. It’s rather amusing, really.
I think it’s spelled “Moraltown”… Real ‘Mericans would sooner eat an arugula salad then those fancy schmancy mushrooms. And if you must eat one of those commie pinko furren mushrooms, whether they be morels, shitakes, or the dreaded truffles, it is advisable to refer to them as “Freedom ‘Shrooms.”
But it is “Moraltown”! It just came out “Moreltown” because that’s how real ‘Mericans spell! (Real ‘Mericans have never even heard of morels of the edible kind.)
Now, now. Real ‘Mericans often go morel hunting, having their favorite spots (which often involve other real ‘Mericans threatening to shoot them for trespassing).
As for Catholic families, I’ve noticed that they’re usually smaller these days. Paul Ryan has three kids, not the 8 or 10+ of the Catholic families in my neighborhood when I was growing up. Makes me wonder