ODDS & ENDS.Wooling the Catholic vote Deep in the dugout of the George W. Bush White House--between rewriting campaign promises on environmental policies and ensuring that the fantastically wealthy get their just share of income tax cuts--the "Catholic vote" gets a fair amount of attention these days. It's nice to be noticed. Pollster poll·ster n. One that takes public-opinion surveys. Also called polltaker. Word History: The suffix -ster is nowadays most familiar in words like pollster, jokester, huckster, Steve Wagner For the ice hockey player, see: Steven Wagner Steven ("Steve") Wagner (born November 5, 1967 in Philadelphia) is a former field hockey goalkeeper from the United States, who finished twelfth with the men's national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, notes that more and more "religiously active" Catholics--meaning those who regularly attend Mass--vote Republican. The traditional Catholic allegiance to the Democratic Party, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Wagner, is on the wane and has been for quite some time. As the current occupant of the White House sets his sights on the possibility of a second term, he particularly covets the Catholic vote as key to extending his stay at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. joining the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street," it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches and civilian protests. beyond his father's single-term leasehold on the place. The Washington Post reports that this second President Bush has met privately with his D.C. neighbor, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Justin Rigali of St. Louis, and Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh. Their meetings with this previous major league baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. owner-turned-president aren't just whiffle whif·fle v. whif·fled, whif·fling, whif·fles v.intr. 1. To move or think erratically; vacillate. 2. ball, however. Nor are the weekly conference calls of Bush's staff with Catholic advisors idle chatter in the bull pen. And the Republican National Committee's formation of a Catholic Task Force is more than a seventh-inning stretch. Certain presidential rhetoric is one more pitch to the Catholic vote in order to make the Bush presidency a doubleheader. "The culture of life is a welcoming culture, never excluding, never dividing, never despairing, and always affirming the goodness of life in all its seasons. In the culture of life we must make room for the stranger. We must comfort the sick. We must care for the aged. We must welcome the immigrant. We must teach our children to be gentle with one another. We must defend in love the innocent child waiting to be born." These words sure sound like JP II, but they're not. They're GB II--from a March 22, 2001 Bush speech. But there are at least two strikes against the Bush game plan for the Catholic vote. First, U.S. Catholicism is a vibrantly diverse group of communities that does not goose-step with uniformity. What attracts one group of Catholics repels another. Even though the Vatican increasingly uses hardball tactics against variant Catholics, the hoped-for results have not materialized. The other strike against the Republican game plan for the Catholic vote is some presidential stats. Bush's nice words to woo the Catholic vote look like a foul ball next to his actual support of capital punishment capital punishment, imposition of a penalty of death by the state. History Capital punishment was widely applied in ancient times; it can be found (c.1750 B.C.) in the Code of Hammurabi. , restrictive policies on immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. , and diminished prescription care to the elderly. Will Bush and his team get all American Catholics to think alike? If they were to succeed, they would accomplish what the present pope and hierarchy have failed to do. If they were to succeed, I suspect the pope would want to dig a tunnel from St. Peter's Basilica to the White House to find out just how to go about this. This would be a papal field of dreams, for sure. Speaking as one member of the "Catholic vote," it's nice to be noticed. It's not nice to be used. PETER GILMOUR (Pgilmou@wpo.it.luc.edu) teaches at the Institute of Pastoral Studies of Loyola University Chicago Beginnings and expansions Founded in 1870 as the St Ignatius College on Chicago's West Side. In 1908 the School of Law was established as the first of the professional programs. . |
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