HispanicVista Columnists

The Pope: God Bless America!
By Raoul Lowery Contreras

Since political demographers started measuring in-depth voting patterns in 1972, they have shown us that white Roman Catholics Americans have voted for the winning presidential candidate every election since.

Concurrently, in each and every election since 1972, the Republican candidate who reached or exceeded 35 percent of the national Hispanic vote has won. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bush I and W. – Republicans all -- have been elected by white Roman Catholics, in tandem with Hispanic voters who are, as we know, mostly Roman Catholic.

These facts have meaning for this year’s election. Can everyone understand why the Bush Administration greeted Pope Benedict the 16^th like it did?

While not the "rock star" John Paul II was on his visits to the USA, Benedict was treated like one and for good reason. Catholic voters can decide this election. How do American Roman Catholic voters feel about this election? Certainly they feel a lot better after watching President and Mrs. Bush and daughter Jenna driving to the airport to greet the Pontiff. Certainly they feel better about themselves when they see the Pontiff declaring for the world to hear –"God Bless America!"

Barack Obama, who may very well be the Democratic nominee, has made few inroads with Catholics. They have dumped him at every opportunity.

We must all recognize that if not for the 90 percent-lock Barack Obama has on black Protestant voters, he would be another Dennis Kucinich. He never would have made it this far into the nomination process. He didn’t reach stage with Roman Catholic voters, however.

There is no indication he will ever get them. Nor will Hillary Clinton if she somehow gets the nomination.

Current polling of white Catholics shows John McCain leading Barack Obama 53 to 42 percent and beating Clinton 54 to 44 percent. Nine of ten American white Catholics are paying very close attention to the presidential campaign.

Assuming that Clinton does not overtake Obama, and as Obama hasn’t even approached closing the deal with Catholics of all sorts or with Mexican Americans, McCain’s chances of winning in November are far brighter than projected by many pundits.

Here’s why – I think -- a majority of white Catholics and better than a third of Hispanics reject Obama:

1. Obama is like a mirage. He speaks well, but offers nothing of real substance. His so-called platform is nothing but a memo by academics that want to tax and spend and be "fair. He can’t even explain how raising the capital gains tax from 15 percent to 25 percent actually does anything but be "fair" despite decades of evidence that when that rate is lowered huge amounts of new tax revenue floods the treasury. He can’t explain his NAFTA position to Southwest Mexican Americans that have always supported it.

2. Obama is a radical. Has Obama changed his outlook since his undergraduate days at Columbia and law school years at Harvard, which he wrote about in great detail in his two books? The "abridged" oral version of his latest book provides all the proof. In his own words, Obama relates his radicalism. As for his racial views we believe rightly or wrongly that the man is a carbon copy of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

3. Obama simply isn’t experienced enough. "Community organizing" or, as most experienced observers call Saul Alinsky-radical organizing, is not enough to qualify someone to be the USA’s CEO. As Senator Clinton says, all he has is a speech in 2002 that no one heard until Obama told us about it.

4. Obama claims to be a Christian. That flies in the face of his 100 percent backing of abortion. Can a real Christian advocate, protect and fund abortion? Can a real Christian associate with racist Pastor Jeremiah Wright for 20 years?

Catholics have been discriminated against for almost four hundred years in the USA at one stage or another and Hispanics since the middle 1800s. Catholics started coming into their own early in the 20^th century; Hispanics ("Priest-ridden," Protestant/Editor Horace Greely called them) in the past two or three decades. We know who is for us and who is against us.

Barack Obama enthralls white secular liberals and black racial Democrats but he doesn’t enthrall white Catholics and Mexican Americans. We, after all, "cling" to our religion.

Obama loyally stands by his spiritual mentor who cries "God damn the USA!" We stand by our spiritual mentor who declares "God Bless America!"

A great political realignment is happening before our eyes and Barack Obama is the catalyst.
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Contreras is Executive Producer and Anchor of "News & Views 61" on San Diego’s Channel 61; his books are at www.amazon.com

Contreras’ books are available at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com