A Sunny Side to the Obama Mandate?

Here’s another superb audio commentary by Dr. Paul Kengor on the Obama mandate:

There may be a sunny side to the Obama mandate on contraception and abortion drugs. Consider:

When President Obama’s decree first came down, you probably thought to yourself: Ah, no worry. Democrats are liberals, and liberals could never support such a blatant violation of conscience and religious freedom. And Democrats who are Catholics would never advocate this.

Quite the contrary: Catholic Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Kathleen Sebelius unwaveringly defend President Obama’s actions in the most aggressive ways. One Democrat, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, called Republican opponents “demons.”

In the face of this, one is tempted to anger and despair.

But I offer a glimmer of hope. There is good news here: This “Obama mandate,” and the horrific statements from Democrats advancing Obama’s position, exposes them and their party to the larger population, including to your Catholic grandmother who votes Democrat merely because that’s what she has always done. Alas, this is not your grandparents’ Democratic Party. JFK and Harry Truman would not recognize this Democratic Party.

And so, there may be a saving grace at work here: This political/ideological madness on display, compliments of partisan Democrats, should have a powerful effect in permanently driving people away from a party that has embraced the Death Culture and does not deserve the votes of committed Catholics.

Many younger Catholics realize this. I was recently shown some eye-opening data on voter registration among priests in their 20s and 30s. They are Republicans by huge margins. The data also shows that older priests are registered Democrats, but haven’t been voting Democrat. They’ve been torched on life issues.

Now, I know I’ll be accused of carrying water for the Republican Party. However, I’m first and foremost an orthodox Roman Catholic. And Catholic Republicans should never blindly sacrifice their faith to their party in the way Catholic Democrats have dutifully done for decades.

But I definitely know I can’t be a Democrat. And many Catholics are right now learning the same—thanks to President Obama’s mandate and his devout defenders.

For Catholic Exchange and Ave Maria Radio, I’m Paul Kengor.