"Can you be a Catholic and a Democrat?"

I plucked the title for this post, verbatim from Kristin's Ramblings, (see "Some Interesting Links" in the sidebar on the right) a fellow blogger's site. I happened onto the page while engaging in "random-blog-cruising" using the "Next Blog" link (which by the way desperately needs language filtering). The subtitle of Kristin's blog is the following:

"A Catholic young adult living her life in the real world. Pro-life, spiritual, and personal reflections straight from the heart!"

Whenever I encounter the words Catholic, Democrat and pro-life in the same paragraph, I know I've stumbled onto a spirited, if not angry abortion/right-to-life debate, so I instinctively tuned in. We've all heard the arguments before so I'll cut to the chase. The entry in question is dated May 01, 2007, should you care to check it out for yourself.

Patrick, another blogger and apparent Catholic, (pjfurlong[at]blogspot[dot]com), chimed in with this comment in response to Kristin's remarks:

"I found a quote by a Catholic hero of mine, regarding the very issue of voting and abortion, and I thought it would be relevant to share with you...

Cardinal Joseph Bernadine of Chicago, an opponent of abortion, cautioned Catholics against turning abortion into a single voting issue: "Our moral, political and economic responsibilities do not stop at the moment of birth.”Those who defend the right to life of the weakest among us must be equally visible in support of the quality of life of the powerless among us: the old and the young, the hungry and the homeless, the undocumented immigrant and the unemployed worker. ... Consistency means we can't have it both ways."

And so, in the spirit of that urging by Cardinal Bernadine, I support Barack Obama with the belief that the value and dignity of human life DOES NOT END at conception, and I believe when I look at the issues holistically, Barack Obama is the best man for the job. And so, in regards to health care, the issues in war torn areas like the Middle East, the Congo, and Sudan, as well as a host of other issues like gun control, taxes, social security, the environment, civil rights and immigration, Barack Obama is the man that is most in line with my ideals, with my morality.

I hope that helps you understand why I support the man. I assume we will disagree still, but for me, I just can't vote or not vote for a candidate on one single issue..."

I was particularly intrigued by Patrick's comments. They seem so contradictory, considering the source, yet they are so insightful. Kudos to Patrick! I'm reminded of the dilemma many right-wing conservatives are struggling with at this moment. The Limbaughs, Coulters, and Hannitys of this country have asked a similar question:

"Can you be a Conservative Republican and support John McCain?"

Lately it seems that they are beginning to see the ridiculousness of their positions on that issue. Not that it will matter in the end, since as I've stated in an earlier post, Senator Barack Obama, a Democrat, will be the next President of the United States.