What does an incumbent elected by a landslide (331-206 electoral votes if Fla. goes his way) get to do for a second term? Anything he wants, especially with John Boehner at the helm for the Republicans in the House of Representatives. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Boehner did an about-face and declared that Obamacare […]
Timing is everything in politics. For four years, I angered conservatives by insisting Barack Obama would get reelected. I figured that an electorate willing to elect a man with ideas and a record that far to the left in 2008 would do so again. I began changing my view, however, after the first presidential debate. […]
Promises bishops will continue to work to defend life, marriage, religious freedom Urges President to work for most vulnerable, including unborn, poor, immigrants Asks for restoration of civility to the public order Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, congratulated President Barack Obama, November 7, the day after […]
Someone should take a poll asking Americans how they feel about polling. I’m pretty sure our shared distaste for it is one thing about which nearly all of us would agree. Of all the polling data released in the week leading up to Tuesday’s election, the one that struck me as most revealing came from […]
My parish in northern Virginia has [been engaged in] 55 hours of continuous Eucharistic Adoration and Prayer-including Benediction — “in anticipation of the General Election,” [starting] Sunday, November 4, ending today, Election Day, about the time the polls will close. Catholics never, never endorse any candidate from the pulpit as happens in some Protestant churches. Yet, […]
When Election Day arrives, so do the traps that come with it. In my previous column I examined four of them, and here I present five more. Be sure you avoid these pitfalls, and help others avoid them, too! 5. I’ll show them! — using the election to vent our anger. Sometimes individuals or groups […]
Never before in the history of our country have we faced such a monumental and critical decision as in the 2012 Presidential election. The transformation we face is something that may very well permanently alter the very structure and freedoms our nation has enjoyed for over 200 years to the point where we may never […]
Tired of all the political advertisements? I can profess some sympathy, yet I think we had better stand up, look around, and thank God for them. I mean, what are the alternatives? Would we rather live in a country where they don’t bother with elections? That seems to me to be the only realistic alternative. […]
There is a great deal of debate over the economy in the current Presidential election. Indeed, the Republican ticket has focused the election on economic issues, and particularly on government spending, by adding Paul Ryan as its Vice Presidential candidate. This enables the Democratic Party to take shots at Republican economic ideas, in the hope […]
As the 2012 campaign passes into history, it’s not too soon to note some of the genuine horrors of this increasingly strange way of choosing a president. First, though, let me repeat a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville’s classic Democracy in America that I cited many months ago when the campaign was heating up. The […]
President Obama has said many times that this election represents a choice between two very different visions for America. Do we want to go back to the same policies that got us in so much trouble in the first place or do we want a fresh start for America, a new vision leading to a […]
Every time someone mentions the fact that individuals have been sued or fired because of their beliefs about marriage, those trying to redefine marriage scoff, “Impossible.” Every time we mention the fact that children have been taught about same-sex “marriage” in public schools they’re outraged by the lies and distortions. And when they hear from […]
About the new video from a group that calls itself the Future Children Project, which promotes its pro-Obama message in a song performed by a children’s choir: You people must be joking. Really. This agitprop is so bad I thought it was political satire. It didn’t seem possible that anyone would seriously expect American voters […]
When Election Day arrives, so do the traps that come with it. Be sure you avoid these pitfalls, and help others avoid them, too! 1. I’m a nobody — I only have one vote, and my vote doesn’t count! This trap overlooks the lessons of history that show how elections can be decided by a […]
I don’t watch The View. I tried a few times, many moons ago; but found that even with the presence of conservative Elisabeth Hasslebeck, I couldn’t stomach the show. I’m also a huge fan of Ann Romney. Huge. But even her guest spot on The View couldn’t entice me to tune in. Appearing the same […]
God did not send the Savior to a pacifist society in Nepal, or to some remote place eschewing military preparedness (like an ancient version of today’s Costa Rica). Instead he chose the world’s greatest and most literate empire at “the fullness of time.”[1] The Pax Romana, the Roman Peace, was maintained by training, equipping and […]
All of us are immersed in this politically charged atmosphere. Like lightning hitting dry brush, words can easily set off a firestorm. There are some who love this climate, mostly politicians I imagine, or perhaps those who have something to gain financially or otherwise in the process or outcome. The rest of us begrudgingly tolerate […]
The result of the Presidential Election was hardly a foregone conclusion, for while the “progressive” candidate won again, it was by a reduced margin. And there were moments when even his own most earnest supporters thought he might lose, given the bad shape of the economy. His opponent, a former state governor with a reputation […]
In these final few days of election season, wouldn’t it be a relief to read something informative, constructive, and positive? The political scene this year is filled with negativity and misinformation; yet, we are presented with two very clear choices, at least when it comes to the presidential race. The book Indivisible provides a positive […]
Editors note: This was given as a homily on Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Brighton, MN. The gospel was for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, Mark 10:17-30. Recently I spoke with a senior at a Catholic high school and he was telling me that […]
I only wear mascara for special occasions: Easter, Christmas, Sunday Mass, an evening out with hubby, lunch with friends. It isn’t a daily, automatic thing for me. So when I was getting ready to attend the Paul Ryan rally in our area this past week, I thought it odd that my instinct was to put […]
A generation ago, in the 1970s, the U.S. intelligence community possessed the technology to discern whether or not a U.S. consulate was under attack by terrorists or by rioters run amok. Moreover, no one in the community ever wanted a superior, especially at the highest levels, to point to an article in the Washington Post […]
Unless you’ve been living under the rock for the past month or so, you’ve probably noticed that the campaign season has kicked into overdrive. One of the critical voting blocks being targeted by Democrats are women. The airwaves are clogged and mailboxes stuffed with the message that the crusty old white men who comprise the […]
Soon citizens in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington State will vote on whether to redefine marriage. Perhaps the following article will help deter some voters from playing an accessory role in waging war against “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.” In proportion as people plunge into practices which are, as the Catechism indicates, […]
