THE BIG CON - 2

THE BIG CON – 2
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.com – Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Continued from Catholic World Report – Aug,-Sept. 09 p. 27-29

Far from being non-partisan during the 2008 presidential campaign, most of his (Korzen) published pieces were critical of Republican candidate John McCain. With incendiary titles like “John McCain: Just How Pro-Life?” and “McCain Embraces Pastor Who Called Catholicism a Cult,” Korzen made no secret of his political leanings.

Like Salt, Korzen has been a strong supporter of Kathleen Sebelius and organized support for her nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services by garnering signatures in an online petition entitled “Catholics for Sebelius.”

Experts in “messaging,” Catholics United and Catholics for the Common
Good have achieved tremendous success in convincing Catholic voters to focus on “social justice” issues like poverty as the way to reduce abortion rates without restricting abortion rights. Refusing to hold politicians like President Obama and Kathleen Sebelius accountable for their votes in favor of partial birth abortions and taxpayer funded abortion here and abroad, and against parental notification requirements, these progressive organizations maintain a consistent message of the “common good,” which they identify with electing Democrats.

Rather than focusing on the “divisive” issues surrounding abortion (like abortion restrictions), Catholics, they say, should elect candidates who would address the “root causes” of abortion. These groups worked to popularize the notion among Catholics that if poverty were alleviated through increased welfare spending and income distribution rates would naturally decline without restricting access to abortion.

The Catholic United website reveals that the organization began its advocacy work in the spring of 2004, when “a group of Catholic activists and friends formed the Catholic Voting Project to promote US Catholic bishops’ 2003 document Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility.” Claiming that the mission of the Catholic Voting Project was to encourage a public dialogue about faith and politics that went beyond the tired rhetoric of partisan interests by allowing Catholics to learn how their political views matched those of the US Catholic bishops and the two major presidential candidates,” the Voting Project was criticized by orthodox Catholics like Karl Keating as a “front” for Senator Kerry.

After Kerry’s 2004 defeat and loss of the Catholic vote, the members of the Catholic Voting Project decided to improve its message by disbanding and re-incorporating as Catholics United.

On its website, Catholic United describes itself as a 501c(4) non-profit organizations – eligible to accept donations. But because it is a 501c(4) entity and thus able to engage in lobbying efforts, donations cannot be claimed against income tax. From a fundraising point of view it is difficult to raise money for a 50lc(4) group because individual donors cannot deduct the contributions from their taxable income. But Catholics United is free to spend as much money as they have available to lobby on legislation – doing the “edgy” work that Chris Korzen describes…

George H. Kubeck, to be continued