WASHINGTON — During his victory speech after being elected to a second term Nov. 6, President Barack Obama said that Americans are united in their values as a nation.
“Despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future,” he said Nov. 6.
“We want our children to live in an America not burdened by debt, weakened by inequality ... that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world.”
A country “built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being,” the president added. “We believe in generous, compassionate, tolerant America.”
Obama’s victory in the battleground state of Ohio put him over the 270 electoral-vote mark needed to win the election.
Despite winning the Electoral College, he failed to win a strict majority of votes, being elected with only 49.4% of the popular vote.
President Obama swept the swing states, winning Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney and his Catholic running mate Paul Ryan won the swing state of North Carolina.
As of late Nov. 6, the Florida vote was leaning towards the president, but remained too close to call.
The status quo in Washington was maintained, with Democrats controlling the White House and Senate and the Republicans holding the House of Representatives.
In his concession speech Tuesday night, Romney encouraged fellow Republicans to join him in praying for President Obama “and for this great nation.”
“We look for our pastors, priests, rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family,” he said.
“We look to our parents, for, in the final analysis, everything depends on the success of our homes. … I believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to a new greatness.”
Numerous bishops had urged their faithful to vote with informed Catholic consciences in the weeks leading up to the election.
The Catholic vote was divided much as was the rest of the nation’s voters, leaning slightly in favor of Obama. A final Gallup poll, reflecting tracking from Nov. 1 to 4, showed Catholics favoring Obama by 52%-45%.
“The Catholic vote, like any number of votes, does have the potential to make an impact,” said Gregory Smith, a senior researcher who specializes in Catholic politics at the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life.
While they do not vote as a unified group, Catholics are significant in elections because of their large numbers, making up approximately one in four U.S. voters, he said.
Smith said it is difficult to pinpoint what effect the contraception mandate and religious-freedom issues were having on the Catholic vote this year.
The Obama administration's Department of Health and Human Services mandate requires that virtually all employers, even religious ones, provide employees with health insurance that covers contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, despite any moral or religious objections.
Under the mandate, Catholic organizations, such as schools and hospitals, are included, with only churches as exempt from the new rule.
The HHS mandate has already been challenged, with more than 34 lawsuits and over 100 plaintiffs.
The Obama administration has proposed an accommodation for religious employers, but the details are not yet clear. It has opposed congressional efforts to provide a broad religious exemption to the mandate.
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America you once again have been deceived by the serpent with the golden tongue, you had your ears ticked by the deceitful oracle of the antichrist who sits in the whitehouse, and you will receive the same justice of Gods hand, that same hand that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,that same hand will destroy you America
The mainstream media has been much more successful in communicating its message to Catholics than the bishops have.
Obama 58,720,700 > Romney 56,145,950
Not final, but Obama won the popular vote as well.
We will really be in for the persecution of the Church now. Not only has Obama got in, but most states have voted for same-sex marriage. If it goes to the Supreme Court, don’t bet on the Justices voting against it. Because Catholics haven’t been listening to their leaders they can expect to be paying for abortions, seeing this nation change to a “gimme” country and then wailing that the government is controlling too many things! I am disappointed but feel sure that it is God’s will. We may expect more hard times coming, more storms in punishment and innocent people suffering. We must now pray for the priests, clergy and for sinners via the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, and also for Obama’s conversion. Remember there were many sinners much worse than Obama, and I still think that prayers are the only answer. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
So, what’s the difference between Catholics and Episcopalians exactly? You all seem to vote exactly alike…especially when it comes to Abortion and Gay marriage!
YOU’RE RIGHT, ROSEMARIE, ONLY PRAYER, ONLY PRAYING WITH HUMILITY AND PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING.
LORD, FORGIVE US. LORD, HAVE MERCY.
To Rosemarie Kury
I don’t believe that it is God’s will that we have a nation, especially that Catholics vote as they did for Barack Obama unless it was to punish us as a nation for turning away from Him. Remember, God gave man a free will. Whenever mankind used his free will to turn away from the Lord mankind experienced God’s wrath. The OT is replete with stories where this took place. We take hope in the fact that God does change people and that He can make all things good but in His time.I believe God is calling us to prayer and sacrifice and that we must remain faithful to this calling if we will ever see American come back to Christ.
This was the year we tested the primacy of ‘Democrat Catholics’ versus ‘Catholic Democrats’ within the ranks of the church. Well, now we know.
rosemarie kury
“….they can expect to be paying for abortions, seeing this nation change to a “gimme” country and then wailing that the government is controlling too many things…”
Have you just stopped to think why Catholics voted for Obama? Up to now no President has stopped unborn babies from being killed in their mother’s womb. Their inaction is tantamount to consent to this heinous crime of killing the unborn.
No president in recent memory has thought of or helped these babies who were not aborted, once born into the world, and grows up to be children, young adults, adults, middle aged and senior citizens. These human beings have a right to universal health care. If sickness strikes, they die and their families are ruined. I have seen this first hand.
Universal health care is not a charity but a responsibility of every citizen towards each other.
Abortions will be done if we like it or not. Those of us who are so anti abortion and I am too, must care about the living. Pro lifers, and I too am one, forget that that life continues once the person is born.
President Obama wants universal health care for all. That is why Catholics voted for him.
Have you just stopped to think why Catholics voted for Obama?
Up to now no President has stopped unborn babies from being killed in their mother’s womb. Their inaction is tantamount to consent to this heinous crime of killing the unborn.
No president in recent memory has thought of or helped these babies who were not aborted, once born into the world, and grows up to be children, young adults, adults, middle aged and senior citizens.
These human beings have a right to universal health care. If they are not wealthy or even middle class, let alone the poor, when sickness strikes, they die and their families are ruined. I have seen this first hand.
In a civilized and wealthy country such as the United States, universal health care should not be a charity. Governments are elected to serve her people and they have a responsibility to care for every citizen especially when they are sick and most vulnerable. The government has a duty to protect the sick and their families from the wealthy so called professionals who seize the opportunity to swindle them with exorbitant medical fees.
Abortions will be done if we like it or not and we must work to eradicate it. However, those of us who are so anti abortion and I am too, must care about the living. Pro lifers, and I too am one, must never forget that life continues once the person is born.
I am sure that with universal healthcare, there will be fewer abortions where mothers will not be afraid to have their babies knowing that if sickness strikes, they will always have the assurance of medical treatment for themselves and their families.
President Obama wants universal health care for all. That is why Catholics, I am sure reluctantly voted for him.
We must pray and beg God to enlighten and guide President Obama.
rosemarie kury - “….they can expect to be paying for abortions, seeing this nation change to a “gimme” country and then wailing that the government is controlling too many things…”
Have you just stopped to think why Catholics voted for Obama? Up to now no President has stopped unborn babies from being killed in their mother’s womb. Their inaction is tantamount to consent to this heinous crime of killing the unborn.
No president in recent memory has thought of or helped these babies who were not aborted, once born into the world, and grows up to be children, young adults, adults, middle aged and senior citizens. These human beings have a right to universal health care. If sickness strikes, they die and their families are ruined. I have seen this first hand.
Universal health care is not a charity but a responsibility of every citizen towards each other.
Abortions will be done if we like it or not. Those of us who are so anti abortion and I am too, must care about the living. Pro lifers, and I too am one, forget that that life continues once the person is born.
President Obama wants universal health care for all. That is why Catholics voted for him.
Have you just stopped to think why Catholics voted for Obama?
Up to now no President has stopped unborn babies from being killed in their mother’s womb. Their inaction is tantamount to consent to this heinous crime of killing the unborn.
No president in recent memory has thought of or helped these babies who were not aborted, once born into the world, and grows up to be children, young adults, adults, middle aged and senior citizens.
These human beings have a right to universal health care. If they are not wealthy or even middle class, let alone the poor, when sickness strikes, they die and their families are ruined. I have seen this first hand.
In a civilized and wealthy country such as the United States, universal health care should not be a charity. Governments are elected to serve her people and they have a responsibility to care for every citizen especially when they are sick and most vulnerable. The government has a duty to protect the sick and their families from the wealthy so called professionals who seize the opportunity to swindle the sick with exorbitant medical fees. These respectable thieves thrive on the misfortune and misery of their fellow citizens.
Abortions will be done if we like it or not and we must work to eradicate it. However, those of us who are so anti abortion and I am too, must care about the living. Pro lifers, and I too am one, must never forget that life continues once the person is born.
I am sure that with universal healthcare, there will be fewer abortions where mothers will not be afraid to have their babies knowing that if sickness strikes, they will always have the assurance of medical treatment for themselves and their families.
President Obama wants universal health care for all. That is why Catholics, I am sure reluctantly voted for him.
We must pray and beg God to enlighten and guide President Obama.
rosemary kury - “…seeing this nation change to a “gimme” country”
How in God’s Holy Name can the uneducated, barely educated, the unemployed, underemployed, exploited, sick, poor, forgotten, those on the fringes of society take care of themselves and their families without some form of genuine care, assistance and be given a chance at a better life?
We are our brothers keeper
As Catholics this is what we are asked to do. We are not Protestants.
THE CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead
THE SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY
Admonish the sinner
Instruct the ignorant
(This and the next work are extremely pertinent categories today, when so many people are confused by what the Church teaches on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, etc.)
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead
Sorry, I hit too many keys accidently. so the repeat.
I do believe that as a result of the current political state we as Americans are in, it will require MORE from us to be considered Catholic! More prayer, more grace and more evangelization needed. I pray to be worthy and I pray for my fellow man.
Some people are poor due to their poor choices - alcoholism, drug abuse, premarital sex,. My parents were very poor but they encouraged my siblings and I to be responsible, to get educated so we could get a good job, not to have premarital sex and get pregnant. Back in my day, it was ashame to get pregnant without being married. Now it’s the new norm because today’s parents are weak as is the Church. No one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings with the Truth (even the Church). Yes, God expects us to do works of mercy but with our money and talents not the government’s.
I’m sorry, but this is the fault of the American Church’s leaders. Fifty years of poor catechesis lead to masses upon masses of lukewarm Catholics who didn’t know right from wrong. They were unprepared and susceptible to being deceived into the contemporary mindset that love is letting people do whatever they feel like at the moment.
Yes, the Bishops did a nice job recently of speaking out against the HHS mandate, but did they not know that because of the crisis of the past fifty years they were simply preaching to the choir? When were their voices actually getting heard by those who needed to hear them? They missed an opportunity to do what they needed to do from both a pastoral and strategic perspective.
They needed to turn their words into action.
Over the past few years, they should have been excommunicating the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Katherine Sebalius, Mario Cuomo, Gray Davis, Rudy Giuliani, John Kerry, virtually every politician named Kennedy and every other Pro-choice and Pro Gay “Marriage” politician. They would have been correct in doing so. Instead, they allowed scandal to persist publically and the effects of such were to rot away the consciences and souls of many Americans.
Doing their jobs and excommunicating these unrepentant public desecrators, aside from it’s primary intended function of trying to save them and others, additionally would have would have stirred the pot in the political debates of our country, getting the issue in the news and out to the masses. Of course it would have been reported with a negative spin but the message itself would have gotten through to more listeners than if nothing was done at all (as was the case.) Pulpits would have had the opportunity to preach about what happens to those who arrogantly deny, flaunt and ridicule the Church’s teaching. A line would have been drawn and it would have been a straight one.
As part of the flock, I want, no, I demand to be protected by my shepherds. I don’t want them to simply chastise the wolves. My children and friends are part of the flock and I can only do so much myself. At very minimum, I want those wolves scared away from the flock.
I understand that each of these politicians’ souls is precious and we want to do everything in our power to save them. However, and this is a huge however, NOT at the risk of endangering thousands and millions of other souls, which is EXACTLY what they did when they allowed this mixed message to continue. I have dozens of family, friends and acquaintances, Catholic one and all, who think it is acceptable to be a lukewarm, abortion, contraception and gay “marriage” supporting Catholic because in part due to the poor example displayed by those supposed Catholics in public life whom the Church continues to indulge.
All of these people’s souls are endangered as a result of not seeing any repercussions for going against what the Church teaches. When told what the Church actually teaches they don’t even believe that it is really the Church’s true position because they have been so confused by this mixed message. So please don’t tell me the soul of Joe Biden is more important than thousands of other souls combined. It is not. It is equal to each one of them individually - no more, no less. When his public inclusion as part of the Church threatens the souls of many others, the salvation of the others must then take priority.
Unfortunately, whether intended or not, the bishops have given priority to the souls of these few while risking the many. They have a terribly hard job, but they most certainly failed. At this point, what is done is done. Moving forward, I now pray for the Bishops and that they do everything in their individual and collective power to correct it.
TG on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2012 1:30 PM (EST):
Some people are poor due to their poor choices -…. No one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings with the Truth … God expects us to do works of mercy but with our money and talents not the government’s.
“Some people,” NOT ALL PEOPLE… THIS IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL PEOPLE.
From your comments one sees your selective interpretation of Catholicism and the corporal works of mercy.
Lord, have mercy on anyone who had to depend on your money and talents to receive any work of mercy.
It is because of people like you that the government must use money collected from citizens which is called taxes, to fund especially universal health care and education.
Government’s money is Taxpayers money. As such, it belongs to ALL CITIZENS WHO PAY TAXES. Perhaps your parents never paid taxes nor do you pay taxes, so you don’t understand.
oBAMA IS MENTALLY ILL OR A parniod schizoprenic believe all americans share the same values as him. I don’t share his values about contraceptives, birth control pills, abortion and same sex marriage. He does not speak for me. I am a register democract whom didn’t vote party line. the democrarts don’t represent me in their platform which is evil like the nazi party.
Catholics that voted for Obama are not practicing Catholics since they condoned abortion by voted for him. The number of Catholic faithful is surely smaller than we might imagine. We need to now pray for these individuals who say they ae Catholic but don’t live it.
Our local priest seems to assume that those of us sitting in the pews know catholic teaching. WE DON’T. I never heard a homily about contraception,abortion,same sex attraction ever. Maybe a couple sentences here and there. “Marriage is best understood between one man and one woman” Really? Thats all we get? Speak the truth of JESUS, priests. Social justice and feel good mumbo jumbo is what i hear most of the time.
Thank You Tom Portland ! This morning, post-election…. at the opening of Mass, the lector read a reflection referencing ‘different opinions in this political season’ !? and something about if we are ‘divided in beliefs’ we should be ‘united in Christ’. Amen to being united in Christ, especially while there is this on-going spiritual battle over fundamental, ‘non-negotiable’ Catholic teachings.
Even with the reprehensible Obama administration attack on religious liberty, (monetary fine policies that in less than a year now, would close homeless shelters, schools, hospitals, and other Catholic charities) the Catholic vote did not value the candidate who was also for protecting innocent life? the candidate who believed that marriage is God-ordained? The Catholic voters did not value the candidate who viewed unsustainable spending and crushing debt as a serious, catastrophic problem?
In the ‘Prayer for our Country’ to our Blessed Mother, by the Men of the Sacred Hearts, it reads: ....‘Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilitis that accompany human freedom’
In regard to Universal Healthcare being the reason Catholics voted for President Obama: Healthcare is NOT a function of the Federal Government as our Constitution stands period. Charity is not charity when it is forced. If certain Catholics desire a Universal Healthcare system then they should work on drafting an Amendment which can be ratified by the States; this has not been done - instead our limited Government was trampled upon and now Catholic Health providers, amongst others, will have to choose between providing services or partipating in evil.
It’s Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - yes, all of us should be concerned about the ENTIRE life of the human person, but when we don’t even respect the child in the womb and would rather kill it then there isn’t much to worry about later is there?
Furthermore, this Healthcare act removes the diginity of the human being and reduces him or her to a price tag. Rationing will be coming; and that isn’t charitable, ethical, or moral. Human beings will be reduced even more to that of a commodity - dollars instead of being viewed in the ‘image and likeness of God’
It is not that most Catholics have not heard their bishhop - they simple don’t care, it is all about them, their needs and their “private” beliefs. God has been silent. Catholics like Peloisi, Biden, etc know more than the bishops, are cool, smile widely, walk with assurance, even swagger and those of us who aren’t like them well we’re just fools. They have never experienced God’s wrath not so much as a reprimand so they go happily on their way voting for population control via abortion, selective life based on a child’s ethnic background,health or financial status of the parent this criteria will soon be used for the elderly and the handicapped. The question is Will God Remain Silent?
Celine
Abortion is not negotiable. Prudential judgement of how large the government should be, especially the federal government, is eminently negotiable.
You’re conflating two very different things to justify voting for the unjustifiable.
The GOP is only slightly less morally objectionable than the Dems, so I am in no way advocating for them.
But your argument is specious. Universal healthcare and an overweening welfare state do not reduce abortions at all. The excuse that they are just “going to happen” as an excuse to minimize the importance of pro-life views vis-a-vis social justice issues is consequentialism.
Our first goal is to support pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. EVERYTHING ELSE, from tax policy, through defense, through foreign policy, environmentalism, all else comes after the non-negotiables.
“Decide, then whom you will follow”
- otherwise you are wasting your time and think you can fool God by paying Him lip-service. You cannot serve both God and the world!
“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” PERIOD
You can not believe a thing this muslim says. He lives and told a big one last week. Once again he claimed to be a christian. Wrong!! Christians do not support planned parenthood, abortion, gay/queer marriage. They do not tell christian/catholic organizations that they must provide abortions for employees. Catholics who voted for him should be asked to leave the church! They are not true christians!!!!
Folks, most Catholics are baptized Catholics only and NEVER practice nor value their faith.
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