Wednesday, October 20, 2004
IS A THANK-YOU NOTE IN ORDER?
Bumbling Bishops
Steven Waldman of Beliefnet wonders whether the conservative bishops conserving communion hosts are actually helping Sen. John F. Kerry. Waldman writes in "Please, Don't Throw Me Into the Friar Patch":
Why on earth would being attacked by a Catholic bishop help Kerry among Catholics?
For one thing, many Catholics may not have realized the candidate was Catholic. Now they do.
Second, it gave him the chance to connect his Catholic faith to something positive, thereby making them feel good about the candidate and about themselves. [...]
Third, and most important, it subtly positioned Kerry as the champion of the "bad" Catholics. The Bush campaign and conservative Catholics have pointed out, accurately, that Kerry's positions are at odds with the official positions of the church.
They view that as a slam-dunk argument that Kerry's is a person of weak faith. That may or may not be true but it also happens to position Kerry as in alignment with the majority of rank and file Catholics who are pro-choice and pro-birth control.
On an emotional level, these "cafeteria Catholics" have been derided by their conservative brethren as bad Catholics, too. They resent it when they're considered insufficiently pious so they have a vicarious thrill when Kerry stands up for their position.
It will come as no surprise that I agree, though I still resent the bishops' highly partisan tone, and Waldman goes a step or two farther than I would recommend:
Personally, I think Kerry would do himself a favor by going right into Bishop [Charles J.] Chaput's hometown [the Archdiocese of Denver] and getting himself denied Communion.
That would be a demonstrable step by the church to show Kerry to be a lousy Catholic. And it should help Kerry win the Catholic vote.
There's no need for such a confrontation; I think a majority of Catholic voters, even if slim, will fall in line with Sen. Kerry in the end.
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JAMES MARTIN CAPOZZOLA
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James Martin (Jim) Capozzola launched The Rittenhouse Review in April 2002, TRR: The Lighter Side of Rittenhouse, HorowitzWatch, and Smarter Andrew Sullivan in July 2002, and Bulldogs for Kerry-Edwards in October 2004. He is also a contributing member of President Boxer.
He received the 2002 Koufax Award for Best Post> for "Al Gore and the Alpha Girls" (published November 25, 2002). Capozzola's record in the Koufax Awards includes two additional nominations for 2002 (Best Blog and Best Writing), three nominations for 2003 (Best Blog, Best Series, and Best Writing), and two finalist nominations in 2004 (Best Blog and Best Writing).
Capozzola’s experience beyond the blogosphere includes a lengthy career in financial journalism, securities analysis, and investment research, and in freelance writing, editing, ghost-writing, and writing instruction.
He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University at Albany and a master's in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.
Capozzola lives in Philadelphia with his bulldog, Mildred.
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