Catholics for Bush

IF the Democratic party still believed in the power of prayer, it would be appealing to a merciful God to be delivered from committed Catholic laymen like Boston’s former Democratic mayor Ray Flynn. This year Catholic voters led the national shift to President George Bush. While besting his 2000 showing among all voters by 3 points, he boosted his share of Catholic voters by 5 points. The state that posted the largest increase in Catholic support for Bush was Ray Flynn’s Massachusetts, where it was up by a stunning 17 points over 2000. George Bush’s support from Protestants in the commonwealth was down by 6 points. This year, Massachusetts Catholics, 43 percent of the electorate, gave George Bush 49 percent of their vote to their local former altar boy’s 51 percent. The first Catholic presidential nominee since 1960 has another former altar boy to thank for imposing this political penance.

John Kerry’s liberal allies pin all responsibility for Bush’s victory on evangelical Christians, and raise a hysterical alarm with their ridiculous predictions about the coming theocracy. But faithful Catholics were no less important in the Republican victory than Evangelicals; and Democrats should worry that an increase in Catholic defections from the Democratic flock may condemn the party to political oblivion.

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Kate O'Beirne

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Presidential Election

Republican Party

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Massachusetts

IF the Democratic party still believed in the power of prayer, it would be appealing to a merciful God to be delivered from committed Catholic laymen like Boston’s former Democratic mayor Ray Flynn. This year Catholic voters led the national shift to President George Bush. While besting his 2000 showing among all voters by 3 points, he boosted his share of Catholic voters by 5 points. The state that posted the largest increase in Catholic support for Bush was Ray Flynn’s Massachusetts, where it was up by a stunning 17 points over 2000. George Bush’s support from Protestants in the commonwealth was down by 6 points. This year, Massachusetts Catholics, 43 percent of the electorate, gave George Bush 49 percent of their vote to their local former altar boy’s 51 percent. The first Catholic presidential nominee since 1960 has another former altar boy to thank for imposing this political penance.

John Kerry’s liberal allies pin all responsibility for Bush’s victory on evangelical Christians, and raise a hysterical alarm with their ridiculous predictions about the coming theocracy. But faithful Catholics were no less important in the Republican victory than Evangelicals; and Democrats should worry that an increase in Catholic defections from the Democratic flock may condemn the party to political oblivion.