Tag Archives: politics

Stuck in the Middle With You

14 Replies

One of my frequent commenters, Steve, has often lamented that conservative Christians have had to vote for right-wing candidates in order to advance their pro-life agenda. He'd like to see a Christian Left that embraced protecting the sanctity of life as a progressive ideal. I can't blame him. I'd like to someday see a candidate like Dorothy Day, St. Francis of Assissi, or Mother Teresa. I disagree with much of the Republican platform, but I may find myself increasingly resorting to voting for Republicans to fight the Culture of Death. That doesn't make me comfortable or confident. If only the Democrats can see their failure to connect with America this election as an opportunity to win back moral conservatives who the've marginalized and driven away. I won't hold my breath.

Rightward Shift May Squeeze Centrists
By Charles Babington and Juliet Eilperin

"Tuesday's Republican sweep of the South will reshape the next Senate, replacing moderate Democrats sometimes willing to cross party lines with ardent GOP conservatives who will press their leaders for a more right-leaning agenda, according to analysts."

Time to Deliver

Leave a reply

Part of what got Bush elected was his pro-life stance. Now he has to deliver something to those who elected him and, more broadly, all those who hope to end abortion and prevent ESCR and cloning. Will he? Can he?

Pro-life leader questions Bush’s commitment to ending abortions
Pro-life group urges Bush to take immediate action against abortion
Senator Tells President Bush Not to Appoint Pro-Life Judges to Supreme Court
Key Senator Denies Warning Bush on Abortion Issue

There’s Just Something About Him

1 Reply

I decided long before the election that I would not support the two-party system with my vote. At first, though, I was still open to the possibility. Before the Democratic primaries, I was shouting “Anyone but Bush in ’04” with other disgruntled citizens. Then I saw what the Democratic Party had to offer and I was beyond disappointed. Kerry got the nomination and for a while I thought, “If this man weren’t a poor excuse for a Catholic – perhaps an Anglican (I expect them to have muddled beliefs) – I might respect him enough to vote for him, if just to oust Bush.

As the campaign season progressed, however, Kerry and his rabid supporters made me dislike him more and more. He kept talking about grand plans he had, but never discussed their substance. He also stands polar opposite to me on abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and homosexual marriage. The last I can bend on, but the others are non-negotiable.

Continue reading →

Did Young People Let Kerry Down?

17 Replies

As I've been watching the endless recycling of stale news as I await either a definitive count or a concession by Kerry, I've heard a lot about how disappointing the young voter turnout supposedly was. Apparently, approximately the same percentage of the vote, about 17%, was under 25. Kerry supporters are shaking their heads and wondering how they failed to get young people involved and motivated. They thought that a high turnout of young people would hand Kerry the presidency on a silver platter. What happened?

Well, I think the Kerry campaign did get young people to vote in impressive numbers, however, the Bush campaign managed to get other disaffected citizens to vote, such as Evangelical Christians. My guess is that voter turnout was up across the board and as a result, high youth turnout was obscured. I think a lot of people underestimated the number of older citizens who did not vote in 2000 but were motivated to vote this year. I'll be very interested to see the demographic breakdowns once the dust settles. I think we'll find that while focusing on getting young people to "rock the vote", the Democratic Party lost touch with the rest of the country. Furthermore, a lot of the young people Kerry inspired to vote may have voted against him. Maybe we'll find that young people aren't so overwhelmingly liberal as we thought.