Posted on 03/24/2008 11:12:54 AM PDT by Wuli
"Today I endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States. I believe him to be a person of integrity, intelligence and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and to return United States to that company of nations committed to human rights. I do not know if his earlier life experience is sufficient for the challenges of the presidency that lie ahead."
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
Some comments were posted on the issue of Mr Kmiec's slate article at 'Fish in a Barrell': http://willcubbedge.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/catholic-jurist-kmiec-postures-equivocates-for-obama/
There it was noted that Ramesh Ponnuru takes Kmiec to task at The Corner at NRO at: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YzRlNTI3YzRiZGI4ZWNmMjI1ZjYwYmRmYTM2ZjVkMzU=
What is more telling is the response, in the same venue, by one Kathryn Jean Lopez, wherein it becomes hard to tell in the later paragraphs where the Email to her from Mr Kmiec ends and her comments begin (at: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZWE1ZGU0YWVkZmZmZGZiMGVkM2ZjNjE1NDM2MWZjYjY= )
But, regardless, what is offered in defense of Kmiec and 'Catholic' support for Obama, it continues the demise of western culture we have seen in Europe where marxists and Catholics share a socialist economic agenda - an agenda that makes the government the savior, which it can only do by making government the master.
The Kmiec/Lopez support for Obama lifts up these thoughts:
"Frankly, many of us who answered Reagan’s call and came to Washington are tired of having only a theoretical commitment to budgetary restraint, limited government, the importance of ensuring the economic well-being of average families, and the lack of measurable progress on respect for life."
Just what can Kmiec point to as indicating "commitment to budgetary restraint" or "limited government", from Obama? No place. Obviously Kmiec prefers to ignore facts, like the facts displayed in the Obama domestic agenda proposals, now totaling hundreds of billions of ADDITIONAL federal government expenditures - they are ignored not just willingly but approvingly because Kmiec has no problem with the socialist economic largess an Obama presidency would seek to build.
And where in all creation could the universe NOT expect Kmiec to lament, four years hence, "the lack of measurable progress on respect for life" from an Obama administration", which he seems to throw out as a national charge that lies completely at the feet of the Bush administration? Yet, his hope for something greater, in a pro-life sense, from Obama not only lacks factual foundation but has been refuted by Obama in his own positions. Me thinks Kmiec, like many Catholic secular intellectuals has less real, honest concern for "pro-life" issues than they do the "social justice" political issues they share with marxists."
As in "a Republican who is not perceived as advancing the interests that Catholics care deeply about be it the right to life or the broader social teaching of the Church, where, to many secular Catholic intellectuals that "broader social teaching" has precedence and finds it's greatest allies, in politics, among marxists.
"Again, in terms of Catholic teaching, McCain is wrong on immigration, and there’s a good case to be made that it is just wrong by any measure, since his border fence is useless and an economically irrational response to the labor needs in the market. Finally, Senator McCain is way behind the curve on the family wage, energy independence and the environment.
Which provide a mixture of issues:
Apparently Kmiec has only begun to oppose McPain on immigration since McPain has recognized, finnaly, belatedly that the laws on immigration will remain unenforced and unenforceable, no matter what they are, if the sovereignty of those laws are not enforceable AT THE BORDER. Apparently to Kmiec the fact that border fences and walls to impede illegal immigration do in fact impede it (San Diego county) proving more extensive walls will impede it further, or that stricter enforcement against employing illegals does in fact impede it, as in Arizona recently, simply get in the way of a three-way Catholic/hispanic-activist/socialist agenda with each leg of that agenda seeking self-serving advancement of its own interests against the sovereign interests and sovereignty of the United States.
And where but in socialist economic circles is the 'family wage' agenda promoted? No where.
Here's the view of a Catholic supporter of Kmiec:
"For several years now, we have been uneasy about the drift of the Republican Party. Despite our disagreement with his pro-abortion position, we find that all of our Catholic sensibilities pull us toward Obama. I, for one, have had it with the fear-mongering, race-baiting and complete indifference to issues of social justice. We did not support this preventive war and are also not overly fond of waterboarding either. We need a new ethos in this country - one which appeals to our better angels, as it were. An ethos informed by the dictum "we are our brother's keeper," to quote Obama the other night in Wisconsin."
Notice again the priorities - "social justice", and notice also the demise of great moral faith in Europe as Catholics joined ranks with marxists in the last five decades to mount those concerns, and the all intrusive governments to promote them as a result.
Kmeic is no longer Catholic.
I do not understand anyone who professes to be a Christian endorsing any Democrat, much less runing as one the way they do around here.
I infer that he’s not much of a Catholic and not much of a Con Law professor either!!
Oh, he might have seemed to be to friends and colleagues - but I don’t see how anyone who knows Catholic doctrine or who knows the US Constitution could actually endorse Obama (although I admit that McCain is not much of an alternative sometimes).
Is this a hoax?
One question to this law professor....Are you a member of the ABA? That will tell conservatives quite a bit about you and your real views. Conservative lawyers usually do not bother with that leftist liberal gang.
“Kmeic is no longer Catholic”
the Catholic Pope’s powers of excommunication were handed to you?
He is self-excommunicated.
“Is this a hoax?”
no, and having followed many secular Catholic intellectuals, I am not as surprised as are many conservatives
“He is self-excommunicated.”
by whose account? - no public record of it
See post#11
“No, but Kmeic did it to himself by supporting death of the unborn.”
apparently his parish priest, his diocese, the vatican and the catholic institutions he still works for didn’t get the memo
This is just evidence that alot of Catholics have gone off the liberal deepend. Many Catholics I know are pro abortion and pro gay marriage...evidence that “beleiving in God” really doesn’t translate into sound thoughts and actions for this religious sect.
see post #13
“I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides . . .”
How could anyone possibly say that after the revelations of Pastor Bullfrog?
Absolutely laughable.
Wow, I’ve seen his stuff published on the WSJ op/ed page. I guess he’s gone over to the other side.
The concept of self-excommunication for supporting pro-choice candidates is a doctrine of the Church.
It’s hypocritical.
Ping to read later
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