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It was Teddy Roosevelt who said, “The most successful politician is he who says what everybody is thinking most often and in the loudest voice.” It was certainly true at the California Republican Party Convention in Sacramento where I was privileged to give the Invocation before the Saturday luncheon where Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada) addressed the delegates. I also celebrated a Mass Saturday afternoon for the Catholic delegates and gave the Invocation at the Sunday Morning Prayer Breakfast, where Dr. Laura Schlessinger was the key note speaker. Given Teddy Roosevelt’s observation, Senator John Ensign, Dr. Laura and Party Chair Shawn Steel, are prime examples. |
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Read
Fr. Landi's story of conversion-- |
Brooks Firestone, in his second try to unseat Shawn Steel, was saying what many were thinking, but didn’t have the pulse of what most were thinking. He lost the election, but not by much and it cost him a bundle to do so.
The “gap” issues underlining Firestone’s attempt to unseat Steel have to do with principles, not clothing. They are aptly called the “gap” issues—Gays, Abortion and Guns. The issue most debated and of concern to Catholic Republicans is the abortion issue. Steel would keep Pro-life in the platform, Firestone would like it removed.
Firestone’s contention, “It is time for a change.” The snickers retaliated with, “It is time to have a ‘goodyear’ with Steel, rather than a blowout with Firestone.” There were snickers for San Francisco Republicans, too. Observed a Southern Cal delegate, “They support Firestone for political expediency. I guess that’s an ideological improvement. They supported Democrat Willie Brown in the last election for a few scraps from his table.” Yes, there was plenty of backbiting at the Convention, too.
The Republican Party’s registration has declined and they have lost the support of swing voters. According to Firestone that fact along with having “experienced three disastrous election cycles... the time for excuses is over and the time for change has arrived.”
Sergio Picchio, president of the California Republican Assembly, the oldest grassroots volunteer organization within the California Republican Party, didn’t agree. “The question that we must ask ourselves as conservative activists are straightforward. Will we continue to be the Party that demands principles from our platform, our leaders and our candidates?”
One Catholic delegate remarked to me, “Firestone is the darling of those who would change the Party so that we can walk and talk just like the Democrats. His (Firestone’s) record while in the Assembly is an embarrassment to our Party. He voted with the Democrats not to ban Partial Birth Abortion in California.” (Assembly vote of May 31, 1996 on AB 2984, which would have prohibited Partial-birth abortions except where the life of the mother is endangered.) Partial-birth abortion is the procedure in which the abortionist kills the baby in the birth canal by puncturing its skull, inserting a catheter, and sucking out its brains. AB 2984 needed 41 votes to pass—34 Republicans voted “Yes”, 5 voted “No”, and 2 didn’t vote. No Democrats voted for it. Had all Republicans voted for it, it would have passed. So much for Republican politicians carrying their Party Standard.
Senator Ray Haynes
believes in the Republican philosophy and would not change it for political expediency. Writing in the Conservative Voice, he gives us an insider’s view, “The fact is most people agree with our positions on family, free enterprise, property and freedom. The problem is they don’t like us. Most of us are not real likeable people. We fight with each other all the time. We air our dirty laundry in the newspapers. We Republicans, as a group, tend to be a lazy, spineless, fearful, backbiting crew. Just what is likeable about those traits? We don’t need to change our positions to become strong in California, we just have to change our attitude.”What’s a Catholic to do?
We are forced as taxpayers to subsidize California’s lucrative abortion trade and to become accomplices in killing unborn children by funding some 120,000 Medi-Cal abortions yearly. We are not forced to subsidize any political party or individual who supports abortion. In matters of principle, we must stand like the rock upon which our Church is built. We can make a difference. We are the swing vote!
Read other articles of
Spiritual Enlightenment in the April 2001 edition of The Charismatics
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