As a child, I can remember some Catholics who might come to Mass once or twice a year, at Christmas and Easter, acknowledge to their friends that they were Catholic, but not good Catholics. That’s a humble recognition of the truth and that person isn’t leading other Catholics astray by saying they are good Catholics even though they don’t attend Mass or don’t believe everything the Catholic Church teaches.
Remember, once a Catholic, always a Catholic. But some Catholics are tepid, cold or excommunicated. But they are still Catholic.
Today, we are facing a presumed President-Elect, Joseph Biden who claims that he is a “good Catholic” or a Catholic in good standing, yet he rejects non-negotiable moral teachings of the Catholic Church. He advocates for laws that allow unborn children to be murdered prior to birth and all the way up to birth and in some cases after birth, all of which are infanticide. He advocates for euthanasia and assisted suicide for the vulnerable and laws to protect that choice. He advocates for gender ideologies and the redefinition of the institution of marriage. He has presided in a legal way at a civil union ceremony of two men, euphemistically called marriage, when he was Vice President.
The presumed President Elect is not a good Catholic. In fact many are advocating that he be refused the reception of Holy Communion when he attends Mass. Just as Catholics once prayed for the conversion of Russia, we must now pray for the “reconversion” of Joe Biden. He is not a good Catholic any claims by him notwithstanding. He cannot be allowed to create more moral division in the Catholic Church, a further loss of a true Catholic identity or to divide and conquer the Catholic Church for his political gain.
71 comments:
The faux catholics posting here no doubt remember that China Joe performed a "gay wedding" ceremony for which he should have been promptly excommunicated. He also promises to restore taxpayer funding for abortion. But faux catholics have no problem voting for him
Are you opposed to the Church’s teaching that “once a Catholic always a Catholic”? If so, you must describe yourself as a faux Catholic too in all fairness. Use the proper terms, lapsed, tepid, bad or if it applies, excommunicated. That way you won’t be labeled a faux Catholic too.
Father there is nothing to add to what you have written. Perfect description.
"THE PRESUMED PRESIDENT ELECT JOE BIDEN." Shouldn't that be "THE ASSUMED PRESIDENT ELECT JOE BIDEN?" Also, one thing Church should not underestimate is that Joe and his cohorts of proclaimed Catholics is their mission to redefine Catholicism. Those liberal catholic politicians have redefined marriage,redefined life (with abortion and euthanasia), and redefined gender. Now they are going to redefine Catholicism, and it seems they have a pontificate willing to work with them. The writing is on the wall.
Father McDonald:
Granted all you say about Joe Biden in this post, in the interests of being fair and balanced I am now looking forward to seeing your post about how the presumed/assumed re-elected President Trump is not a good Christian, is leading Christians astray by rejecting non-negotiable Christian teachings, and thus no role model for any Christian (Catholics included), period, despite his Christian pretensions and overwhelming support among Republicans who also claim to be Christian (Catholics included)!
Yes, it is spiritual warfare but is Joe Biden the only antagonist seeking to divide and conquer the Church for his political gain in that warfare?
A2, President Trump is not a Catholic and thus not to be viewed as a roll model for Catholics. He’s not a Church goer either. He is not under the authority of any local bishop. President elect Biden is and makes Catholicism a centerpiece of his faith and thus becomes a pseudo teacher of the Catholic Faith precisely because of the high offices he has and will hold. The Trump argument in this regard is a straw man. Trump is not Catholic. Whatever favor he showed to Catholics was a blessing although for political purposes.
Role model
Father McDonald, if you are responding to me (Anonymous at 10:27 am) I never addressed the statement once a Catholic always a Catholic I simply stated that Biden should have been excommunicated for performing a gay marriage. Pertinet af rem
The "Trump is not a Catholic" or "Trump is not under the authority of a bishop" line is completely meaningless.
There is not one set of mores or values for Catholics and another for non-Catholic Christians which Trump claims to be.
We can't say of someone, "Because Mr. Smith is not a Catholic, he cannot be a role model for Catholics." There are many, many non-Catholics who, because they live lives that reflect the values of the Gospel, are very fine role models for Catholics.
Father McDonald:
Thank you for your reply. Of course, I understand the distinction between Joe Biden as a Catholic under the authority of his Bishop and Donald Trump as a non-Catholic who is not under such authority. My point focuses on their apparent broader similarity as Christians. See, e,g., the article by McKay Coppins, “Trump Secretly Mocks His Christian Supporters” in the September 29, 2020 issue of The Atlantic:
“The Faustian nature of the religious right’s bargain with Trump has not always been quite so apparent to rank-and-file believers. According to the Pew Research Center, white evangelicals are more than twice as likely as the average American to say that the president is a religious man. Some conservative pastors have described him as a “baby Christian,” and insist that he’s accepted Jesus Christ as his savior.”
See https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-secretly-mocks-his-christian-supporters/616522/
Shouldn’t we be concerned with more than just Catholics being led astray by Trump? Moreover, judging from some of the posters here, shouldn’t we also be concerned with some Catholics being led astray? Is it really, then, such a straw man?
Furthermore, perhaps some readers will not fully understand your reasons for focusing on and criticizing Biden while apparently being far less interested in, and critical of, Trump. It is, as you say, spiritual warfare and the wiles of the Enemy are many, no?
A @ 3:39 the term "faux Catholic" is not a proper descriptive as one a Catholic always a Catholic. Proper descriptives would be mortal sinner Catholic, bad Catholic, etc. No lay person has a right to excommunicate another Catholic just as a lay Catholic can't celebrate the Mass. Excommunication (public) rests with bishops alone. If you are a Catholic or a priest or a bishop, you aren't fake unless your baptism or ordination was invalid.
A @ 3:53, also a Jew or atheist or whatever could be a role model for a Catholic, but none of them are under the authority of a bishop, none of them and this includes Donald Trump. Nice try at trying to change the topic. Mr. Biden is a Catholic and is subject to the bishop in which diocese he resides or visits. The Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston has already supported a priest in his diocese for not giving Holy Communion to Vice President Biden. Other bishops are on board with this.
Trump is not in communion with the Catholic Church. Biden is.
A2 @ 3:58, This post is not on the morality of voting either for Trump or Biden. A Catholic could in good conscience vote for Trump if they do so because of the promises he has made about religious liberty, naming pro-life supreme court justices, etc. They can vote for him if they expect immigration to be legal not illegal. They can vote for him if they accept as the Church has accepted, the death penalty for just cause regardless of popes who suggest that this too is immoral. No change has been made by popes who make known a personal opinion and haven't dogmatically changed an exception and this includes the just war theory.
Biden, though, is a Catholic and supports gravely evil, intrinsically evil, positions as it regards abortion, euthanasia and the corruption of the nature of marriage, even secular marriage.
He must be held accountable by local bishops when he attends Mass and he must be called out if he thinks his political positions in this regard are acceptable for a Catholic.
As well, a Catholic could vote for Biden for the other things he stands for which are consistent with the Catholic Faith and aren't intrinsically evil. I would hope that any Catholic who voted for Biden would call him out on abortion, euthanasia, gender ideology and tampering with the definition of marriage, be it secular or religious. They should pray that he public repents. That is not too much to ask.
Fr. McDonald - Are you also telling the Catholics in your congregation that they should be praying for Trump to publicly repent from his mortal sins? Give that a whirl in Bryan County if you have the nerve.
I did not understand the post to be on the morality of voting for a particular candidate (at least not directly) but on the risks of being led astray by "role models" as you put it. Can there be any doubt that many, many people in this country, including many, many professing Christians (including Catholics) see Donald Trump as a role model? My point, then, is that it is important to point out the spiritual dangers this presents—dangers that, I submit, are as great as, and perhaps even greater than, seeing Joe Biden as some kind of role model. And as such, it would seem appropriate to issue a similar warning regarding Trump--a warning that seems especially urgent given the cult-like nature of Trumpism. I regard "Trump worship" as a terrible spiritual danger for reasons I should not need to spell out (let’s just say he seems to fit a well-known Scriptural archetype).
Father McDonald,
A catholic who is voting for Biden, knowing his position on abortion and gay marriage, is complicit in fostering those extrinsic evils. The Dem Party markets itself on those intrinsic evils. The bishop of Tyler Texas is spot on so you are part of the problem not the solution. I thought better of you. You are now in the Kavanaugh camp
I can pray that Biden publicly repents of those things but must I not also then pray that Trump publicly repents as well—of his innumerable lies, of his dishonesty in other respects, of his wanton cruelty, of his apparent indifference to people dying of Covid-19, of his gigantic ego, overweening pride, and unbounded lusts for money, status, and power (all disguising a terrible insecurity), of his faithlessness to his wives and his “friends,” and on and on?
A @ 5:50, TRUMP is not Catholic. His own Church can call him to repentance.
But Trump presents himself as a Christian, or at least many, many professing Christians regard him as such, and he is happy to permit and encourage that perception (remember him holding the Bible in front of St. John’s Church?).
To say it again, the many, many professing Christians include many Catholics—that is why we should be concerned that Trump also publicly repent.
Welcome to my camp, Allan. I hope you brought your sleeping bag, your ground cloth, and you dinner kit! Revile is at 5:30 a.m.
The conversion of Russia to what?
AS for being "presumed" or "assumed", I think we are beyond those words as Trump's legal challenges fail one after one. Can anyone think of a single state---just one---whose presidential voting preference was overturned by a court? I can't. Georgia has been declared for Biden by 12,670 votes---a win proclaimed by the Georgia Secretary of State, who happens to be a Republican. And Brian Kemp, the governor, also is a Republican, and he has signed off on the certification, which has subject him and the secretary of state to harsh criticism, like "traitor" or "RINO" (Republican in Name only). Both Georgia's senators, feeding red meat to their bases as they desperatedly try to win the January 5 runoffs, have called for the secretary of state to resign. Heck, we may as well be going back to the "3 Governors Controversy" of 1946!
Going back to Biden, well, at least I take comfort that he did not get unanimous or near-unanimous support from C.atholics, compared with JFK who got maybe 80 percent of Catholics back in 1960. One poll I saw revealed the Catholic vote split about 50-50, with white Catholics going heavily for Trump (close to 60-40) but Hispanics going about 2-1 for Biden. At least Biden was denied a big victory, a la Nixon 1972 and Reagan 1984. And he will be facing a narrowly-divided House and at best a 50-50 Senate.
Anonymous 2 and “Father” Kavanaugh, unless they are as intellectually dishonest as they appear to be, cannot dispute that President Trump has supported Catholic teaching on Abortion and religious freedom than either Obama or Biden. But they are intellectually dishonest. When President Trump supports intrinsic evil please let us know
Sophia here: It is way too late at night for me to be weighing in but my blood is boiling at how tenaciously the people who insist on voting for the candidates in the "Party of Death" will twist themselves into pretzels in an attempt to justify their complicity with this death cult!
No amount of calling evil good and good evil can exonerate you from what you have done and continue to do and have even led others into doing by your despicable example. You are clearly consumed by unjustifiable animus toward President Trump. This baffling at best but appears pathological. I recognize that your feelings are overwhelming but occasionally you should shut off your feelings and engage your intellect. Examine all the good that he has accomplished in such a brief period of time while simultaneously battling all the devious wicked efforts that were made to destroy his reputation, his family, his appointees, and to even remove him from office. And even we suppose for a minute, that as Fr. McDonald thinks (because of course dear Father you don't know for a fact) Mr. Trump did some of what he did only for political reasons, it would not change the objective moral goodness of the deeds- only bad means are immoral no matter how good the ends!
Many persons here who continue to attempt to make the poison that a Biden/Kamala/Democrat administration would represent palatable by sweetening it by repeating over and over the narrative pushed by the Democrat Party directly, by it's propaganda arm , the media and by it's militant arm, the Marxist groups Antifa and BLM- "Trump is bad, he's a racist, he's xenophobic he wants the poor to starve to death, he doesn't deserve to be President..." can change the fact that it's lethal! It's an abomination that there was a concerted effort beginning even before President Trump took office to brainwash the population from the youngest to the eldest to reject and despise him. There was /is no basis for this-to dislike him, yes, I can understand that but not this steady drumbeat of acrimony. In fact there is more than ample evidence for why we, as a nation should-at a minimum -be extremely grateful to him. More of us would be if we were allowed access to all the facts not just to his irritating behaviors, to substance rather than to a steady diet of mere incidentals.
What I have been witnessing here-and not just tonight- are prime examples of what is embodied in the concept "vincible ignorance". several of you are deliberately refusing to take your blinders off. The term "Whitened sepulchers" also comes to mind. Those of you who voted for this extreme pro-death team knowing this fact about them are morally complicit!
And for the record, not all of even the positive stuff promised by the Biden/Kamala team combined, can negate even one of the intrinsic evils they have planned to unleash on this nation. There is not just a quantitative difference, but a QUALITATIVE difference between those two categories!
One of the most pernicious, erroneous ideas being pushed in the society is that all truth is relative- there is no objective Truth so we can each have our own truth. And the very fact that some of you continue to insist that it's quite ok to vote for the current Democrats and specifically these two, is incontrovertible proof that you subscribe to this silly, illogical but very dangerous notion.
To paraphrase the words of a great Saint to an obdurate penitent, "I shall weep over you, but I must wash my hands of you"!
What you have done you have done, but do not like "transgender" persons insist that the rest of us acknowledge and affirm that what you would like to be you are-in reality, you are just plain wrong.
Anonymous at 9:32 p.m.:
No-one is disputing that. Now, the real question is: Are_you_intellectually honest or courageous enough to admit the spiritual dangers unquestioning support of Trump represents, despite those things? Indeed, are you intellectually honest or courageous enough to admit that those very things may be a tactic calculated to seduce people into other evils, including other intrinsic evils, or if not a calculated tactic, that they might at least have this effect? Finally, are you intellectually honest or courageous enough to admit that, when discussing role models, both Joe Biden_and_Donald Trump have serious shortcomings and that we can and should do better? Or are you one of those people who has so thoroughly been seduced by Trump that you can no longer think clearly about such matters?
Anonymous at 7:16PM Said:
A catholic who is voting for Biden, knowing his position on abortion and gay marriage, is complicit in fostering those extrinsic evils. The Dem Party markets itself on those intrinsic evils.
Could not agree more!
"When President Trump supports intrinsic evil please let us know"
Ask Ivana and Marla.
Anonymous K at 5:31 AM,
Grow up, such a childish, non-response.
Anonymous 2,
Tell us about the new foreign wars President Trump has started during his 4 years in office. How many young men and women have died because of them. Oh you can't. As a matter of fact, he stopped several unfortunate "foreign adventures" and appears to have brought a measure of peace to the Mideast that the "experts" could not. But your hero Obama started some wars and even bragged about how good he was at killing via drones. This is not the faculty lounge. This is the real world.
Liturgy is the highest form of catechesis.
The Omission that Haunts the Church — 1 Corinthians 11:27-29
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2016/04/the-omission-that-haunts-church-1.html#.X7pwQ2VKhhE
I'm gonna take a guess that Biden and his 'catholic' supporters are Novus Ordo.
"Grow up, such a childish, non-response."
So now you think adultery isn't an intrinsic evil?
Interesting . . . and telling.
No, this is not the faculty lounge. But the Trump Campaign Legal Team has made it into a dripping, freakish circus....
Your man is toast.
Perhaps Anonymous 2 can help me with this. In the USA religion and politics are supposed to be separate, to the extent that an astronaut (I can't remember who it was now) was criticized for referring to God in a broadcast from space. Yet reading the comments on this site I see religion and politics conflated to an extent which would not happen in England where the Protestant religion is 'by law established'.
I am aware that religion is more important socially in America than in many other countries, but the situation strikes me as anomalous.
John, this article (http://www.bu.edu/articles/2015/american-cant-separate-religion-politics/) is a pretty good primer on religion and politics in the USA. Now, you can go into GREAT depth studying and analyzing the phenomenon.
Just this afternoon I listened to a very good interview with Jeff Sharlet who was explaining why he thinks a significant portion of the Evangelical Christian crowd here supports Donald Trump. His answer: gnosticism. "The Ancient Heresy That Helps Us Understand QAnon" is the title of the interview segment. Precis: "As prosperity thinking loses its edge for Trump, another strain of fringe Christianity — dating back nearly two millennia — is flourishing. Jeff Sharlet says an ancient heresy, Gnosticism, can help us understand the unifying force of pseudo-intellectualism on the right. Sharlet explains how a gnostic emphasis on "hidden" truths has animated QAnon conspiracies and Trump’s base."
John Nolan:
The Baptists are rather good on this topic. In addition to the article linked by Father Kavanaugh, I think you will find the following explanation helpful, especially the discussion of Myth #5:
https://bjconline.org/top-5-myths-of-separation-of-church-and-state/
Here is the nub of that explanation:
“To say God has been banished from the public square is also a huge misconception. The institutional separation of church and state does not mean the segregation of religion from politics or God from government or strip the right of people of faith to speak forcefully in the public square. It only means government cannot pass laws that have the primary purpose or effect that advances religion.”
Also, as you can doubtless tell from this Blog, if we could get the abortion issue out of politics, then of necessity the conversation on this Blog and elsewhere would be very different, and I suspect in many ways more honest. Please correct me if I am wrong but my sense is that in the United Kingdom, except for Northern Ireland, abortion is not the hot button issue it is in the United States.
I should explain that getting abortion out of politics does not mean it should be ignored but that it should be addressed and combatted in other, and I believe more effective, ways. But if it has to remain a political issue, then my hope is that we can find better and more honest ways of addressing and combatting it than we do in the current toxic political environment. But I’m not holding my breath in a country where everything is politicized—even mask wearing, for goodness sake.
Sophia and Anonymous TJM at 8:29 a.m.:
No-one is denying that President Trump has had some significant accomplishments, just as President Obama had some significant accomplishments. But I don’t understand why you are wanting to relitigate the election. The point Father McDonald and I were addressing—at least the point I thought we were addressing—is not directly about the election at all but about the moral hazards of taking certain political leaders as role models.
Some here may find this strange but certain moments can be defining moments in our lives. The Trump defining moment for me was when he mocked a disabled reporter at one of his rallies during the 2016 campaign. From that moment on there was no way I could support him because the moment spoke volumes to me—anyone who would do such a thing is capable of all kinds of monstrosities. Call me judgmental if you like, but what that moment said to me has been repeatedly confirmed ever since. It might have been different had Trump demonstrated some remorse, but I suspect that remorse is a word that does not figure in his lexicon.
To Anonymous 2:
I am really confused when you say:
I should explain that getting abortion out of politics does not mean it should be ignored but that it should be addressed and combatted in other, and I believe more effective, ways.
What more effective way is there than to NOT vote for the Abortion Monger ticket? Abortion has been made an issue by the politicians themselves. I'm not going to wait until the election is over to make my voice heard. Just listen to Kamala Harris shilling for votes on the abortion issue. If that isn't making abortion political, and does not make you want to have your voice heard, even if it is with just a vote to begin with.....I am scratching my head.
Perhaps I am just not understanding what you mean by getting abortion out of politics?
I have a number of views concerning certain issues which would be characterized as conservative. As the term is applied today I would be considered to be as such. But I don't subscribe to QAnon at all. Pretty much everyone I know is conservative and among none of them has this conspiracy group come up in conversation at all. It is a fringe group within conservatism with views that are far-fetched, but whose believers are, as far as I know, harmless.
Interesting and telling that this group with its dubious and strange ideas is brought up but nothing said about the violent Antifa and Marxist BLM who are dangerous and are doing real harm. QAnon will fade away but the miasmatic philosophies and techniques of these two groups have been around for over century now and show no signs of receding back toward the darkness from where they came.
As far as the statement below:
" Sharlet explains how a gnostic emphasis on "hidden" truths has animated QAnon conspiracies and Trump’s base."
That is totally out of line. QAnon and its promoters fit this assertion, but barring convincing evidence to the contrary, not that many of the 70 million plus who voted for the President.
If anyone here would take the time to read up on Mr. Sharlet one could understandably come to the conclusion that he might not be the most objective of observers.
As regards Religion in America, I believe de Tocqueville's observations still hold true (or would, if the same proportion of people in our day were as convicted of their religion as those back then)
I think the USCCB was a little more forceful this election cycle in the emphasis in their voting guidelines on the uber importance of the life issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research etc.over other important but lesser issues. Not enough,it seems, given how a large number of Catholics voted, but the message was there even if its transmission was lacking.To be fair, white Catholics voted by a pretty good margin for Mr. Trump and certainly enough hispanic/latino Catholics in Texas and Florida to make a difference in those states so all was not completely lost.
Anonymous 2
For the life of me I cannot understand how you do not recognize the distinction between Mr Biden, a "practicing" Catholic who holds a number of views in regard to fundamentals such as abortion which are in opposition to Church teaching, and Mr. Trump, who at best is a non-practicing Christian.
As Catholics we need to focus on the importance of those of our faith, especially those in prominent positions, giving good example as to what we believe.
We are faced with the the possibility (certainty?) that the media will portray Mr Biden as a faithful Catholic which will make those similar to Mr. Biden more comfortable in their own weak faith, and give scandal to those in other faith denominations that we can pick and choose what we believe.
Not good.
When Pro Life President Trump was elected I knew it would expose liberal 'catholics' as they place more importance on their leftist ideology than on the teachings of Jesus. We get a Pro Life President and, of course, the bishops promote the 'seamless garment' nonsense which itself is political manipulation. Now the culture of death is looking to take over and the bishops say tsk tsk Biden but secretly are glad that a pro abortion/homosexual marriage administration is back in power because hey open borders.
Talk about conspiracy theories....the russian hoax perpetrated by the left was all about an attack on a Pro Life president and liberal 'catholics' went right along with it.
Anonymous at 5:59 p.m.:
Let me clarify: We need to get abortion out of politics the way it is addressed in politics today, namely with a focus on criminalizing it. The problem cannot be solved that way. If a State criminalizes abortion, we will not end abortions. We may not even reduce the number of abortions, even if every State of the Union criminalizes abortion.
The only effective way to end abortion is to change hearts and minds so that it is no longer even thinkable as an option, whether it is legally available or not. We cannot do this through force and coercion. And to point out the obvious, the issues in abortion are sui generis and biologically unique because we are talking about a developing human life in its early states—indeed in the earliest weeks a life not even recognizable visually as a human being—and, moreover, about a life that is developing completely inside another person.
How do we change hearts and minds? There is only one way, and that is through love. So, if we want to keep abortion in politics, we must make it a politics of love, not a politics of force and coercion. A good start would be to stop demonizing and to re-humanize each other, and to participate in grassroots political conversation that is empathetic and compassionate, in which stories are shared, mutual understanding furthered, and critical facts communicated. Indeed, that is not a bad recipe for pretty much any “political” issue.
I haven’t seen it yet, but I am very encouraged by Benjamin Watson’s documentary film on abortion and am looking forward to seeing it in the next few weeks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHVgAxCLaxM
Has anyone seen it yet? I hope it lives up to expectations and can serve as a vehicle for promoting respectful and productive grassroots community discussions.
Anonymous at 6:39 p.m.:
Of course, I recognize the distinction. I just don’t think that is the end of the matter under discussion. Please read my earlier posts in this thread. It’s not a binary choice. We can and must do better. Although I don’t agree with all of his positions, the closest on the current political scene to my own is John Kasich, former Governor of Ohio. Had he been the Republican candidate in 2016, I would have voted for him.
Anonymous 2:
Thank you. Wonderful clarification which has left me with new things to think and pray about.
A2@5:59 wrote: Let me clarify: We need to get abortion out of politics the way it is addressed in politics today, namely with a focus on criminalizing it. The problem cannot be solved that way. If a State criminalizes abortion, we will not end abortions. We may not even reduce the number of abortions, even if every State of the Union criminalizes abortion.
A 2 I think there is a horrible double standard about criminalizing some heinous crimes and not others. Do you believe it should not be a crime for a parent or relative to sexually abuse a child in the family? Should children never be taken from a home where there is parental neglect or abuse of any kind?
I think the punishment needs to fit the crime and more importantly does who provide illegal abortions arrested and sent to prison. It is absurd not to criminalize abortion in some fashion.
Anonymous 2,
Obama had “significant accomplishments?” Name one other than enriching himself and moving to the Hamptons. He received a Nobel Peace Prize for nothing that should have been revoked. President Trump has started no new foreign wars and appears to have created a structure for the Mideast something that the so-called experts could never achieve. Let your little Obama top that!
Obama's accomplishments
signed the Affordable Care Act (2010). It will cover 32 million uninsured Americans beginning in 2014 and mandates a suite of experimental measures to cut health care cost growth, the number one cause of America’s long-term fiscal problems.
2. Passed the Stimulus: Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression. Weeks after stimulus went into effect, unemployment claims began to subside. Twelve months later, the private sector began producing more jobs than it was losing, and it has continued to do so for twenty-three straight months, creating a total of nearly 3.7 million new private-sector jobs.
3. Passed Wall Street Reform: Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession. The new law tightens capital requirements on large banks and other financial institutions, requires derivatives to be sold on clearinghouses and exchanges, mandates that large banks provide “living wills” to avoid chaotic bankruptcies, limits their ability to trade with customers’ money for their own profit, and creates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (now headed by Richard Cordray) to crack down on abusive lending products and companies.
4. Ended the War in Iraq: Ordered all U.S. military forces out of the country. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.
5. Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan: From a peak of 101,000 troops in June 2011, U.S. forces are now down to 91,000, with 23,000 slated to leave by the end of summer 2012. According to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the combat mission there will be over by next year.
6. Eliminated Osama bin laden: In 2011, ordered special forces raid of secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which the terrorist leader was killed and a trove of al-Qaeda documents was discovered.
7. Turned Around U.S. Auto Industry: In 2009, injected $62 billion in federal money (on top of $13.4 billion in loans from the Bush administration) into ailing GM and Chrysler in return for equity stakes and agreements for massive restructuring. Since bottoming out in 2009, the auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. In 2011, the Big Three automakers all gained market share for the first time in two decades. The government expects to lose $16 billion of its investment, less if the price of the GM stock it still owns increases.
8. Recapitalized Banks: In the midst of financial crisis, approved controversial Treasury Department plan to lure private capital into the country’s largest banks via “stress tests” of their balance sheets and a public-private fund to buy their “toxic” assets. Got banks back on their feet at essentially zero cost to the government.
9. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: Ended 1990s-era restriction and formalized new policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time.
10. Toppled Moammar Gaddafi: In March 2011, joined a coalition of European and Arab governments in military action, including air power and naval blockade, against Gaddafi regime to defend Libyan civilians and support rebel troops. Gaddafi’s forty-two-year rule ended when the dictator was overthrown and killed by rebels on October 20, 2011. No American lives were lost.
11. Told Mubarak to Go: On February 1, 2011, publicly called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to accept reform or step down, thus weakening the dictator’s position and putting America on the right side of the Arab Spring. Mubarak ended thirty-year rule when overthrown on February 11.
12. Reversed Bush Torture Policies: Two days after taking office, nullified Bush-era rulings that had allowed detainees in U.S. custody to undergo certain “enhanced” interrogation techniques considered inhumane under the Geneva Conventions. Also released the secret Bush legal rulings supporting the use of these techniques.
13. Improved America’s Image Abroad: With new policies, diplomacy, and rhetoric, reversed a sharp decline in world opinion toward the U.S. (and the corresponding loss of “soft power”) during the Bush years. From 2008 to 2011, favorable opinion toward the United States rose in ten of fifteen countries surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, with an average increase of 26 percent.
14. Kicked Banks Out of Federal Student Loan Program, Expanded Pell Grant Spending: As part of the 2010 health care reform bill, signed measure ending the wasteful decades-old practice of subsidizing banks to provide college loans. Starting July 2010 all students began getting their federal student loans directly from the federal government. Treasury will save $67 billion over ten years, $36 billion of which will go to expanding Pell Grants to lower-income students.
15. Created Race to the Top: With funds from stimulus, started $4.35 billion program of competitive grants to encourage and reward states for education reform.
Anonymous K,
LOL - the "Affordable" Care Act has been a disaster for most taxpaying Americans, tripling their premiums AND deductibles, more evidence that you do not live in the real world.
Obama's "recovery" was the most anemic since the Great Depression, creating mainly part-time jobs (because of the "Affordable Care Act." Obama lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs and said they were "never" coming back, but through the reductions in regulations and taxes, President Trump brought over 500,000 of them back until the China Flu hit.
Obama unleased great instability in the Mideast through his Libya caper. This act also unleashed millions of unwashed Muslims on Europe and the US. His "diplomacy" also lead to ISIS being a real threat. Since President Trump took office, ISIS has basically been wiped out.
Obama attacked the Little Sisters of the Poor and religious freedom, but you obviously do not care about that since we know who you vote for.
I could go on and rebut each and every one of your points, but a hardened, leftwing ideologue is not open to facts nor reason.
Anonymous @ 10:17
A similar list could be made of Pres. Trump's accomplishments and he had only four
years (as opposed to former Pres. Obama's eight).
15. Created Race to the Top: With funds from stimulus, started $4.35 billion program of competitive grants to encourage and reward states for education reform.
16. Boosted Fuel Efficiency Standards: Released new fuel efficiency standards in 2011 that will nearly double the fuel economy for cars and trucks by 2025.
17. Coordinated International Response to Financial Crisis: To keep world economy out of recession in 2009 and 2010, helped secure from G-20 nations more than $500 billion for the IMF to provide lines of credit and other support to emerging market countries, which kept them liquid and avoided crises with their currencies.
18. Passed Mini Stimuli: To help families hurt by the recession and spur the economy as stimulus spending declined, signed series of measures (July 22, 2010; December 17, 2010; December 23, 2011) to extend unemployment insurance and cut payroll taxes.
19. Began Asia “Pivot”: In 2011, reoriented American military and diplomatic priorities and focus from the Middle East and Europe to the Asian-Pacific region. Executed multipronged strategy of positively engaging China while reasserting U.S. leadership in the region by increasing American military presence and crafting new commercial, diplomatic, and military alliances with neighboring countries made uncomfortable by recent Chinese behavior.
20. Increased Support for Veterans: With so many soldiers coming home from Iraq and Iran with serious physical and mental health problems, yet facing long waits for services, increased 2010 Department of Veterans Affairs budget by 16 percent and 2011 budget by 10 percent. Also signed new GI bill offering $78 billion in tuition assistance over a decade, and provided multiple tax credits to encourage businesses to hire veterans.
21. Tightened Sanctions on Iran: In effort to deter Iran’s nuclear program, signed Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (2010) to punish firms and individuals who aid Iran’s petroleum sector. In late 2011 and early 2012, coordinated with other major Western powers to impose sanctions aimed at Iran’s banks and with Japan, South Korea, and China to shift their oil purchases away from Iran.
22. Created Conditions to Begin Closing Dirtiest Power Plants: New EPA restrictions on mercury and toxic pollution, issued in December 2011, likely to lead to the closing of between sixty-eight and 231 of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Estimated cost to utilities: at least $11 billion by 2016. Estimated health benefits: $59 billion to $140 billion. Will also significantly reduce carbon emissions and, with other regulations, comprises what’s been called Obama’s “stealth climate policy.”
23. Passed Credit Card Reforms: Signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act (2009), which prohibits credit card companies from raising rates without advance notification, mandates a grace period on interest rate increases, and strictly limits overdraft and other fees.
24. Eliminated Catch-22 in Pay Equality Laws: Signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, giving women who are paid less than men for the same work the right to sue their employers after they find out about the discrimination, even if that discrimination happened years ago. Under previous law, as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the statute of limitations on such suits ran out 180 days after the alleged discrimination occurred, even if the victims never knew about it.
25. Protected Two Liberal Seats on the U.S. Supreme Court: Nominated and obtained confirmation for Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and third woman to serve, in 2009; and Elena Kagan, the fourth woman to serve, in 2010. They replaced David Souter and John Paul Stevens, respectively.
26. Improved Food Safety System: In 2011, signed FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which boosts the Food and Drug Administration’s budget by $1.4 billion and expands its regulatory responsibilities to include increasing number of food inspections, issuing direct food recalls, and reviewing the current food safety practices of countries importing products into America.
27. Achieved New START Treaty: Signed with Russia (2010) and won ratification in Congress (2011) of treaty that limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads (down from 2,200) and 700 launchers (down from more than 1,400), and reestablished and strengthened a monitoring and transparency program that had lapsed in 2009, through which each country can monitor the other.
28. Expanded National Service: Signed Serve America Act in 2009, which authorized a tripling of the size of AmeriCorps. Program grew 13 percent to 85,000 members across the country by 2012, when new House GOP majority refused to appropriate more funds for further expansion.
29. Expanded Wilderness and Watershed Protection: Signed Omnibus Public Lands Management Act (2009), which designated more than 2 million acres as wilderness, created thousands of miles of recreational and historic trails, and protected more than 1,000 miles of rivers.
30. Gave the FDA Power to Regulate Tobacco: Signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (2009). Nine years in the making and long resisted by the tobacco industry, the law mandates that tobacco manufacturers disclose all ingredients, obtain FDA approval for new tobacco products, and expand the size and prominence of cigarette warning labels, and bans the sale of misleadingly labeled “light” cigarette brands and tobacco sponsorship of entertainment events.
Anonymous2
I wonder about your response, "Of course, I recognize the distinction." to the Anonymous comment of 6:39 p.m.
It may be that you do, but here is my thought on this:
Let's say that a person of prominence, whether in the sciences, law, or some other field turns out to be dishonest, incompetent, or corrupt. Which of these would that affect more: the teachers in the college or university that person graduated from, or teachers in that person's field of study from other institutions of higher learning? In the same way, a Catholic, especially one in position of authority and influence who opposes the teachings of his or her own Faith, in giving bad example to the members of our Faith, whether practicing members or not, and even to those outside the Church as well, does more damage because such a person inflicts grave harm to the Body of Christ.
" ...to whom much is given, of him will much be required."- Luke 12:48
While I differ with some of what you say, I do agree with some of your comments such as: "How do we change hearts and minds? There is only one way, and that is through love." Surely that is the best way.
One way to respond through love is pray that Mr. Biden, in all his decisions, will govern true to the teachings of the Catholic faith. This is how it should be for us in our response to whomever occupies the Oval office.
My question to those critical of Pres. Trump is "Did you pray for him? Really? how much and how often?"
We are obligated as Catholics to pray for those in public office and other positions of authority and responsibility. It is true that we can give elected officials our opinion on issues and we should do this, but this should be supported by prayer. If a person who was not our choice is elected to a position of power, until there is another election, prayer is the most important and effective response we have in our possession. This applies as well to those in positions of authority in our Church, especially so since their rule and governance is not at our discretion nor subject to our choice.
21. Tightened Sanctions on Iran: In effort to deter Iran’s nuclear program, signed Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (2010) to punish firms and individuals who aid Iran’s petroleum sector. In late 2011 and early 2012, coordinated with other major Western powers to impose sanctions aimed at Iran’s banks and with Japan, South Korea, and China to shift their oil purchases away from Iran.
Did they work? Apparently not. And what was that hugh amount of cash that was sent to Iran all about?
Seems like they used it in part for their military misadventures around the Middle East
25. Protected Two Liberal Seats on the U.S. Supreme Court: Nominated and obtained confirmation for Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and third woman to serve, in 2009; and Elena Kagan, the fourth woman to serve, in 2010. They replaced David Souter and John Paul Stevens, respectively.
That was a good thing that Mr. Obama did? Not from the Catholic standpoint.
"Did they work? Apparently not. And what was that huge amount of cash that was sent to Iran all about? Seems like they used it in part for their military misadventures around the Middle East."
Yes, they did. What failed was Republican Bush starting an unnecessary war against Iraq that left Iran the strongest power in the region.
Was the "cash" sent to Iran - or Iraq?
What emboldened Iraq was Trump's withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan. And, it is getting worse: "Despite U.S. Sanctions, Iran Expands Its Nuclear Stockpile. Two years after Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, Tehran has cut in half the time it would need to produce enough weapons-grade fuel for a nuclear bomb."
That's what your "very stable genius" is leaving behind.
What emboldened Iran, not Iraq.
To George at 1:54M:
It is good to hear you again!
Father McDonald:
Thank you for your response. I understand why it may appear absurd—to Catholics and others of like mind—not to criminalize abortion, and I accept in obedience whatever the teaching of the Church may be on this point. But still I ask: Isn’t there a better way—a way that must at the very least complement, if not replace, an approach based on criminalization?
I believe that your response contains a very big clue that is the key to understanding the problem as well as the solution. So, let me ask: Apart from a very small, disturbed minority who are mentally sick or members of a very dysfunctional family of origin, how many people in this country think there should be a_right_to abuse a child? By contrast, why is it that so many people believe there should be a right to choose in the matter of abortion? I know, of course, what the classical natural law answer is—their sense of morality has been corrupted by bad education and bad habits, but it seems inadequate as an explanation because it does not attend to the biological uniqueness of the situation that I described. Throughout history women have attempted to end unwanted pregnancies. And it is not because they were mentally sick or corrupted. This will give a good sense of the matter:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_abortion
So, these are the realities that must be confronted and, I submit, they are better confronted through a loving rather than a coercive approach. Moreover, we have tools available now that were not available in the past because we can now peer into the womb and see the miracle of life that is developing within it. Just being exposed to some basic facts about these biological truths would surely affect many hearts and minds—certainly when coupled with social supports for women facing unwanted pregnancies.
If we continue down the road of coercion, it will only provoke a reaction (witness Poland today, for example) and not result in a lasting solution. Politics is the art of the possible and I am seeking workable approaches that are possible. That is why I am so encouraged by and hopeful about the potential of an approach like Benjamin Watson’s. I have already had preliminary conversation with some students about arranging a showing (followed by discussion) at my university, but I must see the film first to evaluate exactly how suitable it is. From what I know of it already, however, it seems very promising.
George:
Thank you for your response.
Granted for the sake of argument that as Catholics we would in theory be more affected by the example set by Biden, it does not mean we can ignore the example set by Trump, especially if we support him passionately, as many on this Blog do. In fact, I submit that those on this Blog who support Trump so passionately are far more affected by his example than by the example set by Biden whom they oppose so passionately. And therein lies the spiritual danger. It is all well and good to point out how_others_may be led astray by Biden. But it is not healthy to be blind to how we may ourselves be led astray by Trump. Indeed, it smacks of ignoring one’s own shadow self and projecting it onto others.
Regarding your point about prayer, and speaking only for myself, I have been very critical of President Trump but I have included him by name in my personal votive candle prayers every single week since he was elected when I attended Mass in person before the pandemic. Unfortunately, being at medically high risk and also married to someone who is also at medically high risk, I have been unable to attend Mass in person since the pandemic began (having to watch it instead live-streamed online) and have fallen away from that weekly practice. Your question has prompted me to find a substitute until I can return in person. So, thank you for that.
Anonymous at 7:05 a.m.
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Anonymous 2 wrote at 5:58PM
Just being exposed to some basic facts about these biological truths would surely affect many hearts and minds—certainly when coupled with social supports for women facing unwanted pregnancies.
This brings up something I just discussed with a very "cynical" lapsed Catholic friend of mine. I told her I could not support Biden or Harris because of their stand on abortion....and I could see her trying to control her temper as she told me the Catholic Church has NO social supports for women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. Basically she was saying put your money where your mouth is....and I had to stop and think about the last time I had heard about any resources for women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. The fact of the matter is I haven't, and that is of some concern to me. I believe my friend is right. If we are going to pray in front of abortion mills and council women not to kill their babies, we have to afford them practical help in the process. They have to know they are supported.
Father Allan, are their any such services in Savannah that you know of?
Anonymous 2
I am grateful to you and Fr Kavanaugh for the relevant links. Although abortion is by a considerable margin the largest single cause of death in Great Britain, it is not a hot-button issue. Srictly speaking abortions can only be carried out on medical grounds so it is not a matter of 'choice'. The fact that a coach and horses has been driven through the 1967 legislation to allow abortion on demand (which Parliament was assured would not happen) is beside the point.
Of the two main political parties Labour is more committed ideologically to abortion; if you look at the division lists over the past 50 years most of those who favour more restrictions are Conservative MPs. Yet the modern Conservative Party is not socially conservative - David Cameron pushed through same-sex 'marriage' despite the fact that most of his MPs were against it and it was not in the Party's manifesto.
"...and I could see her trying to control her temper as she told me the Catholic Church has NO social supports for women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. Basically she was saying put your money where your mouth is....and I had to stop and think about the last time I had heard about any resources for women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy".
I'm not sure that what your lapsed Catholic friend said about the Catholic Church having NO social supports for for women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy is true. I know that here in Georgia, there are quite a number of places around the state offering Pro-Life pregnancy services.Are any of them in any way affiliated with the Catholic Church? I can't tell you that any of them are, but from what I've learned in checking some of these out is that there is involvement by members of different denominations including Catholics.
From the Life Resources of Georgia website:
There are over 80 life-affirming Pregnancy Help Organizations in Georgia. We meet each one where they are and encourage growth in excellence and impact.
The Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting Grant Program provides funding to Pregnancy Help Organizations in Georgia who offer “positive alternatives” to abortion by providing support for pregnancy and parenting for up to one year following birth.
A statement from the website of one of these organizations reads:
"In addition to preparing for the birth and raising of their child, we will help women in all aspects of their lives. They will receive training in life skills that will help them long after they have left Caring Solutions. We will provide assistance in planning their education and career paths. They will also learn how to create resumés, apply for jobs, and prepare for job interviews."
" we are talking about a developing human life in its early states—indeed in the earliest weeks a life not even recognizable visually as a human being—and, moreover, about a life that is developing completely inside another person."
Which was the case with Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Virgin.
Thankyou anonymous at 9:06PM. I need to do some serious research in my state.....I would put my support behind any organizations that have your listed resources:
In addition to preparing for the birth and raising of their child, we will help women in all aspects of their lives. They will receive training in life skills that will help them long after they have left Caring Solutions. We will provide assistance in planning their education and career paths. They will also learn how to create resumés, apply for jobs, and prepare for job interviews."
This is exactly what we should be providing.......
Racism, indifference to the poor, abuse of immigrants -- because I am a knowledgeable Catholic, I understand that these, too, are intrinsic evils, the ones that conservative Catholics don't like to talk about.
With respect Coach K.......I have never seen the Catholic Church be "indifferent" to the poor. My experience has always been the opposite. Here in Manhattan Saint Francis Church has always been there for the Poor......when I was living in Savannah I volunteered at The Social Apostolate, and brought meals to The Catholic Worker House. I don't doubt the list is longer than I could ever name. I think that is one area where the Church has done its fair share to make a difference.
Anonymous at 12:37 a.m.:
Agreed, of course. But the challenge is not to persuade the already converted. The challenge is to persuade those who are not.
Anonymous at 8:04 a.m.:
I believe your lapsed Catholic friend was mistaken if she thinks the Catholic Church provides no social supports for women facing unwanted pregnancies. In Macon, for example, we have Family Advancement Ministries:
http://www.familyadvancementministries.org/history.html
Although such organizations do wonderful work, I wonder whether your friend was thinking about the way many politicians use abortion as a wedge issue but are unwilling to provide adequate governmental supports for women facing unwanted pregnancies to supplement works of charity by these nonprofits.
Anonymous 10:45 PM
I didn't say that the Church as an institution was indifferent to the poor -- I am well acquainted with its works and some of the good institutions mentioned above. (I know from experience that they are staffed & supported largely but not entirely by the "liberal" Catholics that people here love to hate on.)
I am talking about Republican-leaning Catholics who argue we must be one-issue voters and ignore everything else going on in the world.
Over 50 years, the GOP has never delivered on abortion, but has delivered on its promises to shred the social safety net, tear down institutions that help us all and make America a less-welcoming, more racially polarized place. Well done, conservative Catholics!
That said, Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Coach K.
I have checked out and supported the type of organizations mentioned in the comment @ 9:06. I can tell you from my experience that they are dominated by conservative Christian and yes,-Republican leaning- from numerous denominations including Catholic, as is the Pro-Life movement in general. They do good work.
The GOP has never delivered on abortion? My,my,what a unjust generalization.
The The Positive Alternatives for Pregnancy and Parenting Grant Program -which provides funding to Pregnancy Help Organizations-is a program passed by the Republican controlled Georgia legislature and signed into law by the Republican governor. It provides funding through grants to Pro-life pregnancy centers. A pittance when compared with the huge sum Planned Parenthood receives from the Federal government, but better the nothing.
Tear down institutions that help us all? Seems like there are those on the left that want to do this. Antifa and BLM are just the tip of the spear, the advance guard so to speak, who engage in physically attacking some of our institutions and symbolic statues and monuments and whose actions and rhetoric contribute to racial polarization.
By the way, surveys have shown that conservative Catholics are very generous when it comes to charitable giving.
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