DNC PLATFORM NIXES “GOD”
September 4, 2012
www.catholicleague.org/dnc-platform-nixes-god/
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the news that the word “God” has been excised from the Democratic Party Platform:
Why should anyone be surprised that the mere mention of the word “God” would send shivers down the spine of the Democratic faithful? After all, the same platform says it’s a good idea for two men to get married; the public needs to pay for all abortions; there is no demand that Hamas stop terrorism against Israelis; the public must pay for a healthcare policy it manifestly rejects; the Catholic non-profit community must fork up money to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, etc.
The Obama administration has a “God problem.” On several occasions, President Obama has omitted the words “by their Creator” when citing the Declaration of Independence. He has also erroneously said that the national motto is “E Pluribus Unum”; it is “In God We Trust.” Now the Democratic Platform has deleted the word “God” when discussing our “God-given potential.” In 2008, the Platform spoke to the issue of having a government that “gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.” The italics, which I added, have been deleted from the 2012 Platform.
The Catholic League appreciates honesty and transparency, even when it signifies something pernicious. On this basis, we commend the Democrats for being so straightforward.
ANTI-CATHOLICS STAFF DNC PANEL
September 4, 2012
www.catholicleague.org/anti-catholics-staff-dnc-panel/
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a Democratic National Convention (DNC) event hosted by Catholics for Choice (CFC):
If the Ku Klux Klan were hosting a panel discussion on racial relations at the Republican National Convention, the Republicans would rightly be condemned for doing so. But no price will be paid by the Democrats for allowing the most notoriously anti-Catholic organization in the nation, Catholics for Choice, to host a panel on religious liberty. “Keeping the Faith in the Democratic Party: Protecting Religious Liberty for Everyone” is scheduled to meet between 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. today.
Catholics for Choice (formerly Catholics for a Free Choice) is not simply a pro-abortion group: it is decisively anti-Catholic. Twice condemned by the bishops’ conference, its stated goal, according to its previous head, Frances Kissling, is to “overthrow” the Catholic Church. The current president, Jon O’Brien, has been equally vicious in his statements against Catholicism. He has been preoccupied this year opposing the religious liberty campaign organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Thus the perversity of having him command a panel discussion on religious liberty at the DNC.
In 1995, Marjorie Reiley Maguire, who for years worked closely with the leadership of CFC, branded it “an anti-woman organization” staffed by people who never go to Mass. Lavishly funded by the likes of the Ford Foundation, it would collapse if it had to rely on Catholic contributions—or even non-Catholic individuals—for support.
Speaking at today’s event will be activists from a CFC-organized umbrella group, the Coalition for Liberty & Justice. Several of the groups that comprise this entity have hijacked the Catholic label in service of their anti-Catholic agenda. They include: CORPUS, DignityUSA, New Ways Ministry and the Women’s Ordination Conference. An array of radical left-wing groups with a history of Catholic bashing will also be on hand.
In other words, the DNC’s idea of religious liberty means welcoming anti-Catholic bigots to deliver their message of hate.
DEMS LIE ABOUT EXCISING “GOD”
September 5, 2012
www.catholicleague.org/dems-lie-about-excising-god/
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on how the Democrats are explaining the removal of the term “God-given” from the Democratic Platform:
Last night, CNN’s Piers Morgan asked Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz why the Democrats excised the word “God” from its Platform. She dodged the question by saying, “We have a commitment through all faith traditions that our values are reflected in our policy. And that means that we should look out for the least of these, that we should fight for the middle class, that we should let everybody in America have an opportunity to be successful.”
To his credit, Morgan wasn’t buying it. “This is, somebody has deliberately taken out the word ‘God’ because it was in the last one,” he said. In response, Wasserman Schultz remarkably said, “I can assure you that no one has deliberately taken God out of the Platform.” Morgan pressed her again, “So it was an accident?” She refused to answer.
Yesterday, noting that the Democrats are not exactly religion-friendly, I commended them for their “honesty and transparency” in excising “God” from the Platform. I was too kind—they couldn’t get past the day without lying.
As if we needed more proof, on Monday the DNC’s Faith Council met for a morning session. Though thousands were already in Charlotte, a grand total of 150 showed up at the event. Did they discuss faith-based solutions to social problems, or the role of religion in public life? No. According to christianpost.com blogger Paul Stanley, they were fixated on such issues as voter suppression and affordable healthcare.
Had the Democratic faithful, disproportionately comprised of atheists and agnostics, known that the Faith Council wasn’t going to talk about God, they could have packed the house.
Democrats Add God Back to Platform After Booing Three Times
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 9/5/12
www.lifenews.com/2012/09/05/democrats-reverse-stance-put-god-back-in-platform-amid-massive-boos/
After massive public backlash, Democrats have put God back in their platform, but it took three votes on the floor of the Democratic convention to do so. Delegates booed and shouted down the idea as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles is seen clearly confused about how to handle the vote when so many Democrats refused to support the idea.
VILLARAIGOSA: I…I guess…
WOMAN: You gotta [unclear] and then let them do what they’re gonna do.
VILLARAIGOSA: I’ll do that one more time. All those delegates in favor say ‘aye.’ All those delegates opposed say ‘no.’ In the opinion of the chair, two-thirds have voted in the affirmative, the motion is adopted, and the platform has been amended as shown on the screen.
CNN has more on what happened:
The change was proposed by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland immediately after the convention was gaveled into order on Wednesday.
“I am here to attest and affirm that our faith and belief in God is central to the American story and informs the values we’ve expressed in our party’s platform,” Strickland, who chaired the party’s platform committee, read. “In addition, President Obama recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and our party’s platform should as well.”
Following the vote, Debbie Wasserman Schultz tweeted and claimed, “The platform is being amended to maintain consistency with the personal views expressed by the prez…”
AP indicates President Barack Obama personally intervened to change the Democrat platform language on including God.
But less than 24 hours ago, White House spokesman Ben LaBolt, according to reporter David Freddoso, said, “The platform represents the inclusiveness of the party…and represents the president’s positions and vision.”
Before the debacle, Mitt Romney said the removal of any reference to God in the initial 2012 version of the platform “suggests a party which is increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of American people. I think this party is veering further and further away to an extreme wing that Americans don’t recognize it.”
Yesterday, Democrats approved a platform removing any mention of God from their party platform, dropping language from the 2008 version that at least had a passing reference to the Creator whom the founders of the nation explained grants the rights we enjoy.
Eagle-eyed reporter David Brody of CBN News discovered the omission.
“Guess what? God’s name has been removed from the Democratic National Committee platform,” he wrote. “The Brody File has calls into DNC to explain why God’s name has been dropped from the platform. Some critics will suggest that when you have planks in your platform that support abortion rights and gay marriage then it’s no wonder that God’s name would be dropped as well.”
This is the paragraph that was in the 2008 platform:
“We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.”
Now the words “God-given” have been removed. The paragraph has been restructured to say this:
“We gather to reclaim the basic bargain that built the largest middle class and the most prosperous nation on Earth – the simple principle that in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and each one of us should be able to go as far as our talent and drive take us.”
Thomas Peters of CatholicVote also noticed Brody’s report on the change and responded:
“Yet another step in the secularizing evolution of modern progressivism,” he said. “You can see the draft of the 2012 DNC platform here and, sure enough, there is no mention of “God” anywhere in it. The 2012 GOP platform, meanwhile, mentions “God” 12 times, including in this Preamble (penned by Catholic Chairman Gov. Bob McDonnell):
“…Reaffirm that our rights come from God, are protected by government, and that the only just government is one that truly governs with the consent of the governed…”
“…May God continue to shed his grace on the United States of America.”
[The party/cult of Moloch (child sacrifice); see Leviticus 18:21; 2 Chr. 28:3, 33:6; Jer. 7:31, 19:2–6]
Democrats Turn Off Independent Voters With Abortion Worship
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 9/5/12
www.lifenews.com/2012/09/05/democrats-turn-off-independent-voters-with-abortion-worship/
Following day one of the Democratic National Convention, the consensus on the part of most political observers is that Democrats are risking alienating themselves and hurting President Barack Obama’s re-election chances because of their focus on abortion.
The Washington Examiner put the problem font and center in a new editorial noting that Democrats are spending considerably more time promoting abortion than focusing on the beleaguered economy.
“If you thought the nation’s 8.3 percent unemployment rate and $1.3 trillion budget deficit were the top two issues of the 2012 election, then congratulations, you share the same priorities as the vast majority of Americans,” it noted. “Also, that means you are probably not one of the Democrats in Charlotte, N.C., who have been drafting the Democratic Party’s 2012 national platform. The platform mentions abortion more times (four) than unemployment (three).”
“For all the attention the Republican Party platform’s abortion plank received last week (the GOP is against it), the liberal mainstream media has completely ignored what the Democratic platform says on the matter,” the Examiner continues. “The Democratic platform endorses “a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay.” That last phrase, “regardless of ability to pay,” was not inserted by accident. This platform calls for taxpayer-funded abortions, a policy that almost three-fourths of Americans oppose. It is a fringe position. So where are all those “mainstream” reporters who made such noise last week?”
“The document that the Democrats released in the dead of Monday night reveals a party devoid of any new economic ideas, in denial about where its current ideas have gotten the country, and desperate to distract voters with culture war issues like abortion on-demand,” the newspaper added.
Conservative writer Matt Lewis, at the Daily Caller, opined that Democrats “risk losing their narrative by turning convention into ‘Abortion-palooza’”
“As a rule, Democrats win when they run as mainstream conservatives — not as radicals,” Lewis observed. “Thus, a born again Christian from Georgia named Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976 — and a “new” Democrat from Arkansas named Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Even Chicago’s Barack Obama — who made sure you knew he wasn’t against all wars (just the bad one) — was able to pull off the maneuver.”
“But if the first night of the Democratic Convention is any clue, the ruse might be up,” Lewis added.
“During the 10pm EST prime time hour, of course, they trotted out the TV-friendly marquee speakers — who furtively stressed conservative values. This is to be expected,” Lewis writes. “But it was clear that during the other hours, the Republican Party was much better at presenting speakers who would appeal to middle America.”
“We’ve seen this show before. When Democrats get power, it isn’t long before the liberals — tired of being dormant — demand attention. At some point, they forget that most Americans aren’t really with them (or maybe they just believe the world has changed?). Regardless, unless they adjust and push the liberal fringe elements from the stage (Bill Clinton had to recalibrate several times during his career), wearing their liberalism on their sleeve has historically spelled electoral doom,” he adds. “One gets the sense that we are nearing that point again.”
“Last week, Stephanie Cutter said the Democratic convention wouldn’t be about “rallying the base.” That prediction looks silly today. It’s unclear to me whether the Obama team cannot — or will not — keep the more unseemly parts of this disparate coalition of grievances off stage. But this could be a real problem if it is a harbinger of things to come,” Lewis concludes.
Both the Examiner and Lewis have a point. An August CNN poll showed a majority of Americans want all or most abortions prohibited — a clear pro-life majority.
The survey asked: “Do you think abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal under only certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?” Some 62 percent want abortions illegal in all cases or legal only in certain instances while just 35% want abortions legal for any reason.
The poll is terrible news for Democrats and Obama. Their position supporting abortion on demand without any limited and financed at taxpayer expense? Just 35 percent of Americans agree with that position — meaning independent and moderate voters will not be attracted to the hard sell on abortion the Democrats are trying to make in their convention.
THE POLITICS OF GOD’S RETURN
September 6, 2012
www.catholicleague.org/the-politics-of-gods-return/
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the decision by the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to put the word “God” back into the Democratic National Platform:
The Democrats intentionally took the word “God” out of the Platform, took heat for doing so, failed to persuade delegates to put it back in, did so anyway by fiat, and then lied about the entire event.
The White House would have us believe that President Obama intervened to save the day, ordering the delegates to rediscover both God and the capital of Israel. But it was too late. Earlier, the Obama campaign told Politico that Obama had personally approved the Platform, choosing to intervene only after the pushback began.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chair, who has been caught in a string of lies this week, said the decision to excise God was “essentially a technical oversight.” David Gergen told CNN viewers the exact same thing. But someone, assumedly with the consent of others, threw God out. Moreover, even if the oversight process failed, it does not explain why the word “God” was initially deemed offensive, thus meriting deletion.
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who is in charge of the Platform committee, explained the revised wording by saying, “I wouldn’t call it an error. It was a clarification.” Michelle Obama called the whole thing “a non-issue; and I think it’s a distraction.” It was nice to know that Obama’s faith-based director—of all people—Rev. Derrick Hawkins, also said the flap about God was “a non-issue.”
Terri Holland, a New Mexico delegate, disagrees with these assessments. She said the changes were made to “kow-tow to the religious right.” This is revealing: speaking about God in the Platform is not the kind of thing that thoughtful Democrats want to be associated with. Evidently, one has to be a right-wing loon to reference our “God-given potential.” Her honesty is very much appreciated.
Did Democrats really boo God? Not quite. It’s worse than that.
By Phil Lawler | September 06, 2012
www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=402
Thousands of bloggers are reporting this morning that delegates at the Democratic convention in Charlotte booed when God was reintroduced into their party’s platform. That’s not entirely accurate. But the true story does not reflect any better on the Democratic Party.
This Breitbart report has the story right, I think. The boos from the floor were aimed at Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was running the convention at the time, and asked for three separate voice votes on the amendment that restored a mention of God. On the 3rd vote, Villaigosa ruled that the “Ayes” had won—by a two-thirds majority.
That ruling from the chair was an obvious abuse of power. It was impossible to say, simply from the volume of voices, whether the “Ayes” outnumbered the “Nays.” To assert that the “Ayes” predominated by a 2-to-1 margin was simply absurd. Quite understandably, many delegates objected to the ruling. So their boos were aimed at Villaraigosa, not at God.
But it’s not quite that simple. This vote didn’t occur in a vacuum. In drafting the original platform, Democratic leaders had removed references to God (and to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel). They didn’t merely forget to mention God; in updating previous party platforms, they made a conscious decision to remove Him. When that decision was brought to the attention of ordinary American voters, outside the orbit of the Democratic Party apparatchiks, it was unpopular. It didn’t play in Peoria. Belatedly, the Democratic leaders realized that they should put God back in the picture. So an amendment to the platform was place on the convention’s agenda.
And here’s where things get interesting: That amendment was controversial! Quite a few delegates opposed the mention of God. Some, no doubt, were primarily concerned about the mention of Jerusalem. Party leaders might have simplified matters by introducing two separate amendments: one to restore a mention of God, the other to name Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But that tactic would not have suited the purposes of the party strategists. They didn’t want an open debate on God (or on Jersualem) during the convention. They didn’t want to give American voters the opportunity to see just how radical the Democratic party has become. They wanted the amendment approved quickly.
Villaraigosa did his part, pronouncing the amendments victorious at a time when any sentient observer realized that their passage was in doubt. He might have called for a ballot vote, but that could have proved embarrassing. The Breitbart account captures the moment:
And Villaraigosa was lying, in any case–there is no way that the voice vote had passed. Opponents stood up and protested, waving and shouting. The fix was in. The Democratic leadership had to ram a mention of God and a mention of Jerusalem through, violating their own rules, to avoid the fallout within their own ranks.
Today we don’t know whether or not a majority of participants at the Democratic convention actually objected to mentioning God in the party’s platform. The party leadership didn’t want us to know.
Thunderbolts?
By Phil Lawler | September 05, 2012
www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=401
Does anyone else find it significant that after approving a political platform that pushed for free abortion on demand and same-sex marriage, and removed any mention of God (I know, I know; they have restored Him–reluctantly), the leaders of the Democratic party announced that they would be moving the Charlotte convention indoors because of a threat of thunderstorms?
If ever an American political party has run the risk of being hit by lightning bolts, this is it.