Lyndon B. Johnson, after watching Walter Cronkite conclude a special broadcast which was heavily critical of the Tet offensive, said, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.”
Well, this story isn’t exactly on the same level as that, but President Barack Obama may be losing the Catholic Left, with obvious implications for entrenched faculty on many Catholic college campuses. Michael Sean Winters, a lead writer for the National Catholic Reporter and vocal defender of the University of Notre Dame’s 2009 commencement honors for President Obama, wrote yesterday that he can’t see how he could ever support President Obama again after the administration’s ruling on religious exemptions for the contraceptive mandate.
Winters wrote:
President Barack Obama lost my vote yesterday when he declined to expand the exceedingly narrow conscience exemptions proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The issue of conscience protections is so foundational, I do not see how I ever could, in good conscience, vote for this man again.
One must wonder if President Obama might just be saying that if he’s lost the National Catholic Reporter, he’s lost the liberal Catholic vote. As you might remember, Obama won over the majority of Catholics in 2008, albeit mostly wayward Catholics.
Winters makes it clear he does not come at this issue as “an anti-contraception zealot.” In fact, he says plainly he comes at his decision “as a liberal and a Democrat” who defended the University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor the President.
That’s what makes this criticism sting a little more.
I accuse you, Mr. President, of dishonoring your own vision by this shameful decision.
I accuse you, Mr. President, of failing to live out the respect for diversity that you so properly and beautifully proclaimed as a cardinal virtue at Notre Dame. Or, are we to believe that diversity is only to be lauded when it advances the interests of those with whom we agree? That’s not diversity. That’s misuse of a noble principle for ignoble ends.
I accuse you, Mr. President, of betraying philosophic liberalism, which began, lest we forget, as a defense of the rights of conscience. As Catholics, we need to be honest and admit that, three hundred years ago, the defense of conscience was not high on the agenda of Holy Mother Church. But, we Catholics learned to embrace the idea that the coercion of conscience is a violation of human dignity. This is a lesson, Mr. President, that you and too many of your fellow liberals have apparently unlearned.
I accuse you, Mr. President, who argued that your experience as a constitutional scholar commended you for the high office you hold, of ignoring the Constitution.
Besides thinking Obama is constitutionally and morally wrong on this issue, Winters also complains that this action by Obama is just plain ol’ politically stupid and could imperil his presidency and destroy the progressive movement.
Winters seems to think Obama took this action to appease Planned Parenthood and NARAL. Winters wonders if Obama could have actually thought that these folks were going to vote Republican unless he did this? In short, Winters seems to believe that Obama took this action to gain the votes of those who were already voting for him.
Winters seems to feel spurned by Obama as well, saying:
I accuse you, Mr. President, of treating shamefully those Catholics who went out on a limb to support you. Do tell, Mr. President, how many bullets have the people at Planned Parenthood taken for you? Sr. Carol Keehan, Father Larry Snyder, Father John Jenkins, these people have scars to show for their willingness to work with you, to support you on your tough political fights. Is this the way you treat people who went to the mat for you?
Winters makes it clear he won’t be joining the GOP anytime soon but says he won’t be supporting President Obama either.
…as soon as I learned of this decision, I knew instantly that I also could not, in good conscience, ever vote for Mr. Obama again. I once had great faith in Mr. Obama’s judgment and leadership. I do not retract a single word I have written supporting him on issues like health care reform, or bringing the troops home from Iraq, or taking aggressive steps to halt the recession and turn the economy around. I will continue to advocate for those policies. But, I can never convince myself that a person capable of making such a dreadful decision is worthy of my respect or my vote.
We wonder, what does Notre Dame’s Father Jenkins think of all of this?
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
17 Comments
BHO can keep the Catholic left, except for the fact its members vote.
I am not a Catholic “left”. But president Obama has completly lost me with his opposition and public remarks against religion in our country.
I sincerely hope that Obama’s action utterly destroys the so called “progressive” movement. It is nothing more that socialism/communism under an “enlightened”, read phony name. It’s time to expose it to the disinfectant of sunlight and destroy it for the disease in the body politic that it is.
Unfortunately I sit in the pew every Sunday with people who voted for Obama and are poorly catechized. Until we do something about their ignorance and force them to abstain from communion, things won’t change. In my experience most of them don’t agree with the church on birth control nor do they seek information in order to at least “try” to genuinely understand.
Of course we must pray for their souls because its our job as Christians to make sure they get to heaven.
If anyone out there has a plan that has actually worked in their parish to educate people, I hope they would share it. As a Parish Council member we are looking to introduce a viable and proven plan.
Fr. Jenkins should have listened to his Bishop
Catholics are being encouraged to pray and fast so that the murdering of the unborn by Obama– be ended.
Obama has been the most pro-abortion and socialist president in USA history. Those aware of it did not vote for BO, and those who voted for him must have been in blinders (self imposed).
Catholic LEFT? wow, I didn’t know that was possible!!! So NOW we all know what went wrong with our church! And is CONTINUING to go wrong!
Mr. Winters (et al),
I accuse you of helping elect this man.
I accuse you being deliberately deaf to President Obama’s words and the words if his true believing supporters.
I accuse you of supporting an evil, because you thought you might control it for a good cause (social justice).
Please go reflect on this and pray that the damage you and your confreres have helped inflict on our nation can be fixed.
Oh, and I don’t think for a moment that Obama has lost the catholic left.
Obama has lost the Catholic left but it wasn’t about birth control or abortion which they do not see as defining issues but rather “Personal Conscience”. However, he has lost the Catholic left with his expanded drone wars and troop deployments, assassinations, increased loss of civil liberties, economic mismanagement among other things, i.e. lies, theft and murder, stuff like that.
Mr. Winters you have to be kidding. I can understand the possibility of buyers remorse on the part of some, but your commentary makes very little sense. The whole world knew Obama’s position on infanticide before his election…did you miss that part?
Every quote on the mandate emphasizes “contraception”. The “morning after pill” is a form of abortion. That is the problem. The media is mitigating the real issue. This opens the door to forcing Catholic institutions of offer abortion as a form of birth control. That is the final step. That is why you have to offer a defense now. It is definitely not a contraception issue.
If Obama’s administration can violate the First Amendment by requiring Catholic institutions to include items in their health insurance that goes against their religious beliefs, What will he try and do when he is not facing an election? Heaveb help us.
The Catholic left needs to read my book: RELENTLESS: The Socialist Attack On American Freedom. It’s available at Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com.
Exactly what did these people think they were getting by supporting and voting for Obama? He was outspoken about his stance on abortion and ‘choice’. Did they think that his promise of ‘healthcare for all’ was going to leave out abortion, contraception and sterilization? Did they not read his voting record and statements relating to his votes (or non votes being ‘present’) and find that he failed on issues related to late term abortions where the murder of a baby initially fails and they are breathing, so he thought it okay to just leave the child to die or finish the job? Did they think his promise of open borders allowing illegals to freely enter and gain amnesty was balanced by his intention to allow more children to be killed and even use religious facilities for this? Seems the liberal catholics have found awakened – but is it too late?
The deeper situation here is the bleeding of political malevolence permeating Christian faith and core values. It is dispiriting to see Christians divided in what is described as a “left or right”. To be Christian is to develop a relationship, and know, Jesus. There is no left; no right. I’m a converted Catholic because (at the time) Catholics reverently surpassed my Protestant bretheren in emulating that that belief. Our Father in Heaven does not support. There is no variance…just right.
I totally agree with Robert E. Hugelmeyer concerning the Catholic Universities and the professors but I also blame the parishioners who permit and allow these religious and political socialists to stay in the Church and teach against Catholic truths which support the killing of our most innocent.
Therefore, those Catholic leaders and Christians parishioners as well as other Christian dominations who voted for President Obama must take the blame and correct their sin by voting out this Fabian Socialist and his fellow socialists.
The Illinois Senator Obama was outspoken about his stance on abortion and choice remember, he believes if the abortion doesn’t kill the baby and it is breathing, it is ok to leave the child to die or to finish off the baby; and this was a baby that was aborted in the late term of the abortion procedure. This situation is so anti-Christian it is such a no brainer that no Christians should ever vote for Obama and his ilk nor for professors in a religious school that condone these values.
If Christians will vote for these types of creatures that stand for and promote anti-Christian principles to represent us, when and where will the so called Christians stop voting these monsters into office.
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