The Mormon and the Catholic - how much will religion matter to the base?

[Lucy Goosey]

I'm really curious if this will matter - that neither Republican is an evangelical, born-again protestant. Being neither American nor Christian, this topic, the intersection of religion and politics, is one of my favourite things in US politics.

I would love to hear your opinions - DUers are such a well-informed bunch - will this be important, or will it be a non-isue, or somewhere in between?

[pnwmom]

1. Joe Biden is the only actual Catholic in the race. You can't follow the teachings of Ayn Rand

and those of Jesus at the same time. It's logically impossible. (And she would be the first to say so.)

[Voice for Peace]

2. Between the Pope and the Mormons, it ought to be a legitimate issue

but even if it's not legit, and taboo, I hope people keep bringing
it up -- there are many, I think, who will be uncomfortable with
it if it's in their face. They won't defend Mormonism or Catholicism
and just may stay home on voting day.

[WI_DEM]

4. Yeah Al Smith and JFK had to put up with religious bigots, too.

[WI_DEM]

3. the hard right will likes Ryan and will hold their nose to vote for Romney

they hate Obama even more.

[cbayer]

5. They will become convinced that R/R are closer to them religiously than Obama.

The Republican party are geniuses at this sort of thing and will tell them exactly what they want to believe.

And they will believe it.

Anyway, that's what I think will happen.

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. They are counting on the hatred of a Black "Muslim" in the...

White House to override their hatred for Mormons and Catholics.

[Union Scribe]

7. They are bound by their common worship of money

and they bend theology and everything else around the greed that is the central tenet of GOP faith.

[WestSeattle2]

8. I'm sure for a small minority of wingers, a ticket consisting of

a Mormon and a Catholic is a sign the end is near. They will not vote for their ticket, and are no doubt stockpiling cans of pork and beans while practicing "Dueling Banjos".

But I think a large percentage of the base will vote for their ticket. Anything is better than Mr. Obama, in their eyes. Some might even support a Wicca ticket to get rid of our current president!

[Motown_Johnny]

9. The Catholic Bishops have come out against the Ryan Budget, and the "Nuns On The Bus" hate it.

I don't know just how much this will matter to their base but I bet it is part of the conversation from the debates right up through election day.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sally-steenland/religious-leaders-condemn-ryan-romney-budget_b_1773356.html

^snip^

1. Catholic nuns, priests and friars have called the Ryan budget "immoral," a "severe failure," the "height of hypocrisy" and "unpatriotic." Sister Simone Campbell led a 17-city "Nuns on the Bus" tour this summer to visit faith-based social service programs that would be hurt by cuts proposed in the Ryan budget. Last week her organization, NETWORK, and the Franciscan Action Network invited Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to spend a day with them visiting the poor in order to meet the people who'd be affected by their budget cuts.

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2. Catholic bishops have called the Ryan budget "unjustified and wrong" and failing a moral test. In April the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a public letter to the House of Representatives saying that the federal budget must "protect poor, vulnerable people." In their letter the bishops set out three moral criteria to guide budget decisions. (The Ryan budget ignores all three.)

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3. Diverse faith leaders have condemned the Ryan budget as "immoral" and "irresponsible" for cutting safety net programs while protecting the richest from shared sacrifice. A coalition of prominent faith leaders issued a public statement criticizing the budget before it was passed by the House. Here is what they said.

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These faith leaders and others have gotten it right. The Ryan-Romney budget is a moral disaster because it penalizes struggling Americans while letting the rich off the hook. And it is an economic disaster because it slashes needed revenues through unfair tax breaks, thus worsening rather than helping to reduce the deficit.

[gkhouston]

10. For some of the RW evangelicials, it could be a deal-killer.

These are folks who have been taught that unless you belong to their exact flavor of Christianity, you're literally going to Hell. The sort of people for whom it wouldn't make a difference are more likely to not be voting Republican in the first place.