Kengor_Catholic_Jimmy Carter_090512
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at Catholic Vote.
In my previous commentary, I noted the blind political devotion of Bill and Hillary Clinton, hopelessly devoted to Barack Obama above all else. These onetime stalwarts of religious freedom—not to mention supporters of the Defense of Marriage Act—are stumping for Barack Obama’s reelection. They do so without a discernible peep of protest to Obama’s policies, particularly his HHS mandate forcing all believers to comply with his abortion fiat.
The Clintons, sadly, are not alone. Millions of old Catholic Democrats—many of them conservative, ironically, but blindly devoted to party—will be blissfully pulling the lever for Obama in November, and for gay marriage and for mandatory abortion funding. Obama is a Democrat, after all.
Well, add another marquee Democrat to the list of blind faithful—a notably religious one: former President Jimmy Carter.
Carter has said many times that he can’t see where God or Scripture ever justifies abortion. And the Georgian Baptist certainly never stumped for gay marriage.
And yet, there was Jimmy Carter, at the Democratic convention, stumping for Barack Obama. Carter was the rare pro-life Democrat even permitted to address the convention—a convention that not only endorsed taxpayer funding of abortion, but even excluded God from the platform.
Has Jimmy Carter said anything to Barack Obama about any of this? Has he protested these positions at all?
Or, in the end, is Jimmy Carter just like the Clintons and the others; that is, blindly loyal to whatever his party’s leader dictates? In the end, does Jimmy Carter likewise put party first, above principle, country, and perhaps even God and Scripture? And if President Carter doesn’t want us to have that conclusion, well, maybe he should do something about it.
Unfortunately, Jimmy Carter is yet another among the Democratic Party’s blind faithful—like countless millions of old Catholic Democrats. For them, it’s party and Barack Obama first, above all else.
Gay marriage? Forced funding of abortion? God stricken from the party platform? Sure, no problem—as long as the president is a Democrat.
For Catholic Exchange dot com and Ave Maria Radio, I’m Paul Kengor.
