I Don't Think Pope Francis Would Trigger Northern Ireland-Type Tensions In The US, But...
I wonder if he has a true conception of the true depth that the worship of capitalism for its own sake is embedded in the hearts and minds of America's evangelical conservatives? Or of its conservatives, period?
The monied and corporate class were a canny bunch when they married themselves to the evangelical movement to gain the political clout needed to appeal to a wider group of voters. They slowly fed a constituency of voters on the idea that wealth and gaining it were blessed and the poor, far from victims of circumstance, were shiftless and worthy of their status. Hellfire preachers that had once thundered their sermons from tents that they folded and moved from town to town now built expensive mega churches and flew themselves around the country to preach on private corporate jets. They built homes for themselves in monied subdivisions and said they were blessed by God with prosperity and if their flock gave them more money, they would be wealthy one day too. The flock ate it up. Blessed are the wealthy. Cursed are the unions that work to elevate the common man to a living wage and benefits. Damned are those who seek to punish the bankers and regulate their God-given right to fleece Americans, even the flock themselves. Cursed are they who seek to increase taxes on those who are worth billions. Don't they know that God blessed them with those billions?
Now, we have Pope Francis and his apostolic exhortation, telling the world that modern capitalism is akin to the worship of the golden calf. He's specifically targeted conservative policies that have benefited the wealthy at the expense of the common man such as trickle down economics. He's spoken harshly against capitalism and the markets that have enriched the few to the detriment of the many. He may as well have walked up and spit on Ronald Reagan's grave.
For a long time, the Republican Protestant right has treaded lightly around Catholics. Conservative Catholics have joined them in their causes against women's reproductive choices and anti-LGBT rights and the two have formed allegiances of convenience to further their agendas. It's worked splendidly and Catholic candidates like Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have won admirers among the evangelical base, who hardly looked past their denomination for admiring their hate-filled incendiary rhetoric.
But, one thing the GOP always kept their finger on; the pulse of the Catholic vote. Almost a quarter of the US is Catholic. It is a very vital voting bloc. They can't afford to offend it. Obama won the Catholic vote 50% to 48% in the last election. He should be everything Catholics hate with his championing of contraception, abortion and gay rights, counted among the Church's greatest sins. Yet, he won their vote. And it kills them.
Now, this new Pope comes around, casting aspersions on their beloved golden calf. Because, face it, for conservatives, capitalism is their god. They had the choice of serving God and mammon and they told God to take a hike. They have a picture of a capitalist Jesus that walks down Wall St. in a Seville Row suit, kicking over the cup of the blind beggar that's asking for money and telling him to get a job. Republicans know that if they start dissing the new pope, they'll raise hackles in the Catholic community. I remember when Pope Benedict XVI came out with his 3rd encyclical "Caritas in Veritate." Fox News had a few outraged cycles of "Is the Pope a socialist?" before they prudently withdrew the piece and canceled the interviews. They must have gotten a flood of angry calls from their Catholic viewers or maybe just one from a shrewd higher up that knew the political risks GOP News shouldn't take.
My family is Catholic, with myself being the only atheist holdout. And with the exception of one teabagger sister, we're all liberal. I've been watching my sister's reaction to Pope Francis' free market bashing with interest. She has often parroted Fox Spews talking points and we even got into an argument once about taxation of the wealthy. She admires him greatly and I've seen her quiet and reflective lately when we talk about the Pope, which my family does often. He's a rock star to them. I'm watching carefully. Whether we realize it or not, I firmly believe that this is a watershed moment in political history in the U.S., instigated by a religious figure across the world, who is the leader of a faith that 1.2 billion people follow, a seventh of the world's population. Take heed. He's being listened to. By people who cheer and celebrate his message; and by people in power who hate and fear it and will prepare for contingencies if people try to act on the message.
= new reply since forum marked as read
