Roman Catholics used to vote heavily Democratic because the party stood/stands for issues that are morally relevent to them. The NT instructs it readers to work for social justice. The teachings of Jesus were one of the main factors that made me a liberal. That has not changed for me.

The RC church now is fairly spit in their vote because, like many of the other large christian religions, they have been targetted by the rw to push a rw message from the inside. This didn't begin to happen in 2000, this push began years ago in a similar timeline as the rw invasion of the radio with rw hate-talkers. The chrisian coalition and other faux christian groups were organized by politicos to infiltrate mainstream christian churches and turn them into political organizations.

I cannot disagree strongly enough to the targetting of religious groups. It demeans both the Constitution and the church. The Democratic platform is (or has been & should continue to be) built around concepts of social justice. When government & society works well for the little guy, it works well for everybody. When we promote strong environmental protections, then we are honoring those who will come after us by leaving them a safe place to live. If someone proclaims themselves to be a christian and yet do not value these things enough to vote Democratic, then there are other issues besides their "christianity" that pushes them to vote repub.

I think the answer is rather than "target" the religious vote by eroding our values and beliefs, do a better job, like Al Gore does with global warming, of explaining why our platform is the only "moral" choice. The rw targetted churches BECAUSE DEMS HAVE THE MORAL AUTHORITY on issues. The rw is the party who's agenda (greed & power)is based upon exploitation of the average person to accumulate great wealth so that it will be used to continue to exploit more and more people. They depend on smoke and mirrors to confuse the issues, and they ended up with a message that we are godless and they are morally superior. Insane, eh?

The answer is to return to our values and strengthen our message. Civil rights is a moral issue (this includes a woman's right to choose and gay rights). Unions and fair wages, benifits, & working conditions are moral issues. Regulating big business so that they do not damage the environment nor endanger their workers, and pay their fair share are moral issues. Envirnmental protections is a moral issue. Honoring our veterans by ensuring that all of the services that they deserve are fully funded is a moral issue. Saving public education and strengthening it so that ALL children can recieve a good education is a moral issue. Universal health care is a moral issue. A foreign policy that relies on diplomacy not dropping bombs on people is a moral issue. A social safety net is a moral issue. A strong national security that takes logical steps to protect us without stripping away civil liberties is a moral issue. RESPECTING OUR CONSTITUTION, BILL OF RIGHTS, AND THE RULE OF LAW IS A MORAL ISSUE.