As Catholics Could We Be Diligent Watchdogs?

[Ed Normile]

If my hopes come true and Romney is elected can we as catholics be diligent watchdogs and monitor his Presidential decisions, or will we just return to Survivor and The Voice and XBOX 360 leaving the decision process go unchallenged. I see those who call for change, the 3rd party peeps who feel a protest vote or a conscience vote could actually change things, if Romney does win will you be so dis-spirited that you ignore whats going on? If the spirited youth here, and all us old codgers would just pay attention to what is coming up for a vote in congress or in our state legislature, make that info available to our parishes, friends and family, maybe create a simple form letter addressed to our reps and the President the sheer number of respondents would have to sway the vote. I would think as much as congressmen and state reps seem to covet getting old and dying in the office they attained they would be especially interested in the youth here coordinating a mass appeal to vote yes for bill "x" or nay on "y". We could affect and actual voting block, perhaps on moral issues we could ecumenically enlist the evangelicals and all christian denoms. Its in our power and we could make a difference, or will we disappear until 2016 hoping the perfect candidate will come along and save us from our indifference.

As far as Obama goes. if re-elected he will have a mandate to carry on as he pleases and I fear there will be no recovery on any front. As he relayed to Putin he will have " much more flexibility after the election "

ed

[southern california guy]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1352176148' post='2505000']
If my hopes come true and Romney is elected can we as catholics be diligent watchdogs and monitor his Presidential decisions, or will we just return to Survivor and The Voice and XBOX 360 leaving the decision process go unchallenged. I see those who call for change, the 3rd party peeps who feel a protest vote or a conscience vote could actually change things, if Romney does win will you be so dis-spirited that you ignore whats going on? If the spirited youth here, and all us old codgers would just pay attention to what is coming up for a vote in congress or in our state legislature, make that info available to our parishes, friends and family, maybe create a simple form letter addressed to our reps and the President the sheer number of respondents would have to sway the vote. I would think as much as congressmen and state reps seem to covet getting old and dying in the office they attained they would be especially interested in the youth here coordinating a mass appeal to vote yes for bill "x" or nay on "y". We could affect and actual voting block, perhaps on moral issues we could ecumenically enlist the evangelicals and all christian denoms. Its in our power and we could make a difference, or will we disappear until 2016 hoping the perfect candidate will come along and save us from our indifference.

As far as Obama goes. if re-elected he will have a mandate to carry on as he pleases and I fear there will be no recovery on any front. As he relayed to Putin he will have " much more flexibility after the election "

ed
[/quote]


I don't know. I think that if Conservative Republicans were really capable of rallying everybody together than we would have nominated somebody better than Romney.

Ron Paul basically attempted it with his Tea Party movement.

Edited November 6, 2012 by southern california guy

[Lil Red]

actually, i think given what's going on in our current political/economic/cultural climate, i hope to get more involved after the elections take place. Al has kind of inspired me.

[Ed Normile]

[quote name='southern california guy' timestamp='1352178492' post='2505009']
I don't know. I think that if Conservative Republicans were really capable of rallying everybody together than we would have nominated somebody better than Romney.

Ron Paul basically attempted it with his Tea Party movement.
[/quote]

Uhh, the Tea Party movement was a grass roots effort. It was not started by Ron Paul. The Tea Party actually endorsed Herman Cain back in October '11 before he was ruined by baseless allegations.

ed

[Nihil Obstat]

Maybe Catholics should all move to New Hampshire and throw ourselves into the Free State Project. I hear they have had some pretty major successes so far.

[Ed Normile]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1352179014' post='2505013']
actually, i think given what's going on in our current political/economic/cultural climate,[b] i hope to get more involved after the elections take place[/b]. Al has kind of inspired me.
[/quote]


Great, that was what my post was about Diminutive Vermillion !


By teh way, who is " Al"


ed

Edited November 6, 2012 by Ed Normile

[Aloysius]

No matter who is elected we must absolutely continue to pay attention and be involved. I am a member of my local Republican Committee (though I am away at graduate school now), I am helping to charter a Republican Liberty Caucus, and I'm a member of a couple grassroots lobbying groups that organize awareness over pieces of legislation going on in congress to coordinate grassroots responses to them; the numbers for my members of congress are on speed dial (I'll have to put them on skype speed dial while I'm away), I have their email addresses saved, and through some of those groups I am able to authorize them to send faxes on my behalf when they engage in faxing campaigns. Campaign for Liberty is one of the best, most well organized and politically savvy grassroots groups in that regard, they are currently gearing up for a major fight during the Lame Duck session of congress because congress is looking to revive all the pieces of legislation we've helped effectively kill over its session (like the ones against internet freedom, for instance) and we are up to 37 sponsors for audit the fed in the Senate, we should be able to force a vote we think.

I have not found a group as politically savvy as Campaign for Liberty is focused on particularly/primarily pro-life issues, but I do pay attention independently and make my opinions known when I can as well. I wish some of the pro-life groups were more effective machines. If I were in the States I'd be going to the March for Life in January, I've missed the last couple of years so I really wanted to get back to it.

But that's about all you can do, keep up the fight and get as involved as you can. Pay attention, and don't fall into the trap of defending Romney against criticism just because he's a Republican President, hold his feet to the fire, do not hesitate to criticize him widely when he does stuff you don't agree with.

[Aloysius]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1352179498' post='2505015']

Uhh, the Tea Party movement was a grass roots effort. It was not started by Ron Paul. The Tea Party actually endorsed Herman Cain back in October '11 before he was ruined by baseless allegations.

ed
[/quote]
the original tea party movement is often traced to the groundbreaking grassroots money bomb and rally for Ron Paul's 2008 campaign that was held on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party; after that event, the next major foundational event for the tea party movement was Rick Santelli's statement on the floor of the stock exchange. Ultimately many different groups were established in the vein of the "Tea Party" but none of them can be said to be "The Tea Party"; many of them are fronts for the Republican Elite who just wants to tap into the Tea Party as a movement to mobilize votes. It's an eclectic movement, but many of the groups that popped up claiming to be "Tea Party" who ended up endorsing establishment hacks do not really represent the foundational goal of the "Tea Party", which had the idea of fighting both Republicans and Democrats for their failures on budgetary and economic issues.

[Ed Normile]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1352179574' post='2505016']
Maybe Catholics should all move to New Hampshire and throw ourselves into the Free State Project. I hear they have had some pretty major successes so far.
[/quote]

I told you before Nihil, you need to get a good comedy routine or play the guitar well or they will just turn you back at the border.

ed

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1352180151' post='2505025']

I told you before Nihil, you need to get a good comedy routine or play the guitar well or they will just turn you back at the border.

ed
[/quote]
According to your immigration rules, once I have married one of you Yanks it is simply a matter of filling out the correct forms and giving them to the proper [s]freaks[/s] bureaucrats.

[Ed Normile]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1352180343' post='2505029']
According to your immigration rules, once I have married one of you Yanks it is simply a matter of filling out the correct forms and giving them to the proper [s]freaks[/s] bureaucrats.
[/quote]

Nah, we only accept clowns or musicians from Canada.

ed

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1352180721' post='2505033']

Nah, we only accept clowns or musicians from Canada.

ed
[/quote]
Good thing I am both.

After all, only somebody with the immaturity of a clown, and the substance abuse and self-loathing of a musician would even consider living in the US.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1352179611' post='2505017']
Great, that was what my post was about Diminutive Vermillion !


By teh way, who is " Al"


ed
[/quote]

Al, as in Aloysius? you know him, right?