New Hampshire Catholics are being ignored by press, candidates

y Ray Flynn
US President Your Catholic Voice

(Guest commentary published in The Union Leader, New Hampshire's only statewide newspaper)

With the New Hampshire primary just under a month away, I am reminded that one of the many reasons why I think the Granite State is such a special place is that it continues to be an important and historical part of the Presidential nominating process.

This deeply rooted tradition is due in large part to the fact that New Hampshire voters are savvy, well-educated and independent.

At the same time, however, I have started to notice over the years a growing disconnect between the candidates from both parties and a certain voting bloc.

I am talking about Roman Catholics, who make up more than 40 percent of Granite State voters and an even larger constituency in other key election battleground states in the Midwest. Catholics, like all New Hampshire voters, are savvy, well-educated and independent.

I personally enjoy watching all the pollsters, consultants and especially reporters coming from Washington, D.C., and all over the world into New Hampshire. They all have about as much of a chance of predicting the outcome of this primary as I do of picking the daily double at Rockingham Park.

However, as I watch and read about this year's Presidential candidates staking out their positions on everything from the war in Iraq to health care, jobs, education and the economy, I do not see any attention or direct appeal being given to the all-important Catholic voter.

I'm not saying Catholics aren't passionate about these issues or that they necessarily vote as a bloc. What I am saying is that some of the most pressing issues of our time, which are of vital importance to Catholic voters, are being downplayed or ignored.

What are these issues?

I'm talking about the respect for human life, protecting the institution of marriage, parental choice in education, protecting Social Security, the poor, economic justice, human rights, workers' rights, welfare reform and immigration, to name just a few.

These issues are neither Republican nor Democrat. They are issues of importance to millions of Catholics who are faithful, hard working, patriotic -- and who vote.

In addition to the candidates, I have also noticed that the media seems to be silencing the voices of Catholics when covering politics and Presidential campaigns.

For example, I notice particular attention being paid by the media to the South, where there is a large voting bloc of evangelical Christian voters who constitute the "Bible Belt."

There is a lot of focus on this area of the country because what many voters see as standing up for their faith, their families, their country and strong moral values, the press and candidates far too often see as "radical" and "divisive."

If reporters can cover the "Bible Belt," who is talking to Catholic voters in New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and West Virginia? These are states where nominations and elections are often won or lost.

I was encouraged by a Dec. 6 headline over a New York Times story that read "Democrats Try to Regain Ground on Moral Issues," not because I'm a Democrat but because no party should take people of faith lightly.

That includes thousands of Roman Catholics who will vote in the New Hampshire primary Jan. 27, and millions who will go to the polls next November.

It's time to put aside lip service and speak to them.

___________________________

Ray Flynn, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican and former mayor of Boston, is president of Your Catholic Voice, the nation's largest Catholic grassroots advocacy organization, located online at www.yourcatholicvoice.com

Contact

Your Catholic Voice
http://www.yourcatholicvoice.org CA, US
Ambassador
Raymond L. Flynn - US President, 661 869-1000

Email

info@yourcatholicvoice.org

Keywords

Candidates, Press, Catholic, Vote

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