Monday, March 14, 2016

Tomorrow's Primaries: What Should Catholics Do?


Here is a very special message from catholicvote.org:

Tomorrow could change everything. 

Or maybe not. 

Five states and one territory will vote tomorrow. Here is our quick take on the state of the race: 

Ted Cruz // Cruz is gaining momentum by the day and has the best chance of any candidate to stop Trump. Polls suggest he should perform well in North Carolina and Missouri tomorrow, and likely win a significant number of delegates in Illinois. NOTE: If you are a CV member living in Missouri, Illinois, or North Carolina, we urge you to cast your vote for Cruz. 

John Kasich // Ohio or bust. That’s where things stand for the longshot campaign of Ohio governor John Kasich. He has repeatedly said he will exit the race if he loses his home state. The latest polling shows him with a slight lead over Trump. If Kasich wins Ohio tomorrow, he will deny Trump a key state that could extend the race into the convention in July -- though Kasich’s chances to ultimately clinch the nomination are slim to none, barring a convention coronation. NOTE: if you are a CV member living in Ohio, we urge you to cast your vote for John Kasich. 

Marco Rubio // Like John Kasich, Marco Rubio must win Florida tomorrow. Polling among early voters shows Rubio with a lead, yet trailing by a wide margin among voters heading to the polls tomorrow. Marco needs a miracle to stay alive. NOTE: if you are CV member living in Florida, we urge you to vote for Marco Rubio. 

Donald Trump // Latest polling shows Hillary Clinton would trounce Trump in a general election campaign matchup. Trump has alienated massive portions of the Republican party and continues to be the most unpopular presidential frontrunner in decades. We have deep concerns about Donald Trump and have no confidence he can win in November. NOTE: if you are a CV member in any state with an upcoming primary, we urge you to vote for an alternative to Donald Trump. 

Hillary Clinton / Bernie Sanders // Both candidates represent an existential threat to everything we hold sacred. Both have pledged to expand Obamacare, destroy charities like the Little Sisters of the Poor, fund abortion with taxpayer dollars, and pack the Supreme Court with radical justices that would destroy our constitutional system of government. 

Trump vs. Hillary? // So what about Trump vs. Hillary? Who should Catholics support? First, the obvious -- we will never support Hillary Clinton. Ever. No Catholic can vote for Hillary Clinton under any circumstances (see above as a start). Secondly, why dwell on hypotheticals when we should be focused on stopping Trump with a candidate who we can be proud of, and a candidate who can actually win in November? Catholic voters are not lackeys for the GOP. We will not automatically support the GOP nominee no matter what. Does this mean we would support Hillary Clinton? Of course not. Not in a million years. 

If a candidate wants to win our support, he must do the things necessary to earn our respect and votes. Furthermore, pledging to support a theoretical nominee now forfeits any leverage we might have in the future, and presumes we are a rubber stamp for the GOP. We have always been, and always will be, Catholics first. And we are darn proud to say so. 

Not Trump // We need a trustworthy candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton in November. We have little proof that Trump will keep his promises or that he even believes what he is saying. He has divided the GOP and the conservative movement, and all the polling shows him getting trounced by Hillary in November. 

That means we need to find a better alternative to Trump now. 

Some final thoughts… 

Even if Trump were to win Florida and/or Ohio tomorrow, his path to the nomination is not guaranteed. The race will likely narrow (Kasich/Rubio exit) forcing a one-on-one matchup with Ted Cruz where some polls suggest Trump would lose. The media will pretend the race is over. But Trump still needs to get to the magic number of 1237 delegates. 

Feeling anxious? Uncertain what to do? 

This Saturday we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family and protector of the Church on earth. St. Joseph is renowned for his intercession of those in need. 

Why not pray the final 5 days of the Novena to St. Joseph for our country and this election? 


St. Joseph, pray for us. 



Brian

1 comment:

wendybar said...

Ted Cruz is the answer!! He has been lied about unmercifully, especially by Trump