The Al Smith Dinner Returns

In 2004, the Al Smith Dinner did not invite the presidential candidates because one of them was a pro-choice Catholic. But, this year, the tradition returned: white tie and tails, the Cardinal-Archbishop of New York presiding, and both presidential candidates yucking it up. Best lines of the night were John McCain's joking that “I can’t shake the feeling that some people here are pulling for me. I am delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary” and Barack Obama's attempt to correct the record: "Contrary to rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jor-El to save the Planet Earth."

Make Election Day A Holiday!

The Commonwealth of Virginia has seen its voter registration rolls increase by ten percent this year, the largest single-year increase in memory. And, a new report worries that the state may not be ready to handle all these newcomers on election. Recent reports about fraudulent registrations only make the picture more confusing and alarming.

It is difficult to be too histrionic about the importance of getting elections right: They are the basis of our entire democracy. So, worry about having enough voting machines, voter fraud, and the like are important worries. At a time when all levels of government are tightening their belts, it is important not to skimp on the budget for a sufficient number of voting machines and staff to process the expected large turnout.

There is one reform that we should enact that costs nothing. Election Day should be a federal holiday. If people working two jobs see a two hour wait at the polls, they are not going to be able to vote. Students with a full course load and a part-time job don’t have time wait in the long lines we witnessed in college towns like Columbus, Ohio last year. Making the day a holiday would make it easier for these historically under-represented voters to exercise their most basic right of citizenship.

In the small town where I grew up, voter fraud was never much of a problem. Everyone knew everyone else although in my case that was doubly true because my mother was the registrar of voters and, before her, my grandmother was the registrar of voters. But, in large, expanding precincts, it is difficult to know who might be trying to commit voter fraud. Whoever is elected on November 4, should make sure that some money is set aside to help protect the integrity of the franchise.

Elections matter and as we saw in Florida in 2000, we need to plan ahead because every vote really does count.

Michael Sean Winters

Another Winner!

This submission came in past the midnight deadline but it was so good, we had to publish. It comes from Harry Johnson who is a student at Boston College and you can find it immediately below.

Abortion, Obama & The Debate

In between economic promises to Joe Plumber (or was it Joe Six-Pack?) at last night's presidential debate, Barack Obama uttered words that, four years ago, would have never left the lips of Sen. John Kerry. While defending the constitutionality of Roe, the junior Senator from Illinois pledged to reduce abortions through sex education, increased access to adoption, and improved health care. He did not repeat the language that has plagued Democrats since the days of JFK, namely, that his personal opposition to abortion should have no bearing on the right to privacy.
What perked my ears, however, was Obama's assertion of the sacredness of sexuality. Sen. Obama's statement of this very Catholic truth stood out even more given the rather lackadaisical answer of Sen. McCain. McCain did little to address the moral aspect of abortion, saying that he opposed Roe v. Wade (a decision made when Obama wasn't even in college) and that Abortion should be decided by the states. Apart from repeated statements essentially saying, "Vote for me, I'm pro-life," McCain failed to make any coherent moral argument against abortion. It also didn't help that the Arizona senator scoffed at the notion of women's health. While it may be true that this phrase is often over-applied, it will not play well to mock the idea of protecting a woman's health. Indeed, as soon as McCain sneered at the phrase, the lines on CNN measuring undecided voters trended steeply downward. In contrast, Obama's claim about the sacredness of sexuality sent the meters through the roof. It was a well-crafted answer (likely created with the assistance of professor Doug Kmiec), and it was music to the ears of this young liberal Catholic.
I had the honor of serving as co-president of my public university's Catholic ministry last year. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and affirmed my hope in the future of this church. In between a multitude of Sunday masses, meatless dinners, and movie nights, I'd like to think that that I developed a sense of appreciation for my friends' moral and political beliefs. It's safe to say that, while the Catholic students at my school consider abortion to be an urgent moral issue, it is by no means the sole issue on which they will base their vote next month. They will look at the whole spectrum of the candidates' positions, including abortion, the environment, foreign policy, and the economy (stupid).
Obama's answer to the abortion question will in all likelihood not sway those who will base their vote primarily on the issue of abortion. However, I believe his answer will qualm the fears of many voters who would like to vote for the Land of Lincolner in spite of his views on abortion. Especially in the midst of the current financial crisis, it's safe to say that most Catholics will be voting with their pocketbooks and look for the candidate who offers the best hope for recovery in this time of turmoil. Nonetheless, Barack Obama's nuanced answer on abortion should provide hope to Catholic Democrats seeking a candidate with more nuanced views on abortion than in previous election cycles.

Harry Johnson

We Have A Winner!

The winner of the America Election Blog Contest for college students is Alex Pazuchanics, from George Washington University. His first blog post is below. Congratulations Alex!

Thrown Under the Bus: Transit & the Election

Multiple issues should be taken into consideration when preparing to vote, particularly for Catholic Americans. Just because many issues, especially public transportation, do not get much coverage in the press does not mean that it is not a significant issue that requires careful examination.
Many Americans rely on buses, light rail, and subways as their only means of transportation. It is the way they get to their jobs, their houses of worship, and their medical treatments. For these Americans, and for us all, access to transportation is a basic human necessity. If people who rely on mass transit cannot get to jobs, it hinders their ability to provide for themselves and their families.
The fact that the riders of mass transit are disproportionately working class Americans and low-income earners adds another dimension to this crucial issue. Roman Catholics have an obligation to advocate a preferential option for those who are poor. Therefore, supporting public transit as a viable alternative to automobiles promotes a form of economic justice.
To some extent, mass transit is also an issue of environmental stewardship. Making public transit a viable alternative to automobiles means reducing the total number of cars on the road generally, and the intense concentrated emissions produced during rush hour traffic, specifically. Utilizing mass transit, then is an environmentally conscious action.
Finally, mass transportation is a means of building solidarity. Riding it is an action by which people engage their neighborhood and their neighbors. Those who choose to ride the bus are supporting the well-being of those who cannot choose. Mass transit, then, serves as a public space from which a more united population develops.
Neither candidate has been particularly vocal on the issue of mass transit. As a candidate trying to transcend "issue" politics, Barack Obama is hesitant to be publicly vocal about issues affecting urban life, which to many voters still conjure up images of big city bosses and political machines. Still, the Obama campaign has released a white paper on what it plans to do with America's transportation system, which can be found here. The plan is very ambitious, and covers a wide range of transportation-related issues. It's very possible that if Obama gets elected, the current economic crisis would hamper his ability to invest in public transportation. However, infrastructure spending has historically been a feature of countercyclical deficit spending of the type espoused by FDR's brain trust. Thus, a Democratic congress may indeed increase spending on transit projects.
As a matter of comparison, the Brookings Institution released a chart comparing Obama's policies to McCain's in regards to transportation, which can be found here. The McCain campaign has been largely silent on the issue of mass transit, but given McCain's statements about cutting out "pork-barrel" programs (which mass transit is often referred to as by its detractors), it would not be presumptuous to say that McCain would be likely be support of reductions in federal funding for mass transit.
A system of public transportation is a moral issue that should be a voting issue, especially because many income-poor and working class citizens depend on it for their livelihood.
Alex Pazuchanics

Debate Re-Cap: No Change

When it came time to promote new generals, Napoleon would consult with his military aides. They would brief the emperor on the education and experience of those seeking elevation in the ranks. “Yes, yes,” Napoleon would reply, “But is he lucky?”

Barack Obama is lucky. His opponent John McCain gave his best performance in any of their three debates, and it wasn’t even the headline in this morning’s Washington Post. “Stocks Sink as Gloom Seizes Wall St.” read the banner headline at the top of the page. Below it, in letters several font sizes smaller: “A Hard-Hitting Final Round.”

To make matters worse, McCain’s best performance came after most people had already made up their minds, which changes the whole nature of debate-watching. Many formerly undecided voters were not making discriminating judgments about the candidates: They were rooting for their candidate. In the immediate post debate poll conducted by CNN, 58% of viewers said Obama won to a mere 31% who thought McCain had won. CBS polled only uncommitted voters, and they scored the debate for Obama by a margin of 52% to 22% for McCain and 25% scoring it a tie.

Obama was flat for the first thirty minutes of the debate, put on the defensive by McCain on the subject of taxes, an issue with surprising resonance for independent, undecided voters. Their discussion of the economy showed the differences in their plans and the differences in their temperaments, and it should have been an opportunity for Obama to hit a home run. He did not.

McCain chief problem was not his answers but his facial expressions, especially his forced smile. As Eve Fairbanks observed at TNR, his smile “makes him look like a pleased kid who managed to recite the right lines to the teacher, even though he didn't know what they meant – ‘Look, Mom, I did good!’” At other times, he seemed barely able to contain his disgust at being forced to compete with a first-term Senator whom he clearly has come to disdain. That happens in a campaign: Because the contest is a zero-sum game, and the choice is a binary one, it takes a great deal of moral awareness to keep from falling into a Manichean view of your opponent. Your opponent and his or her campaign stand in the way of your candidate’s dreams, for the nation and for themselves. The opponent is easily demonized.

Unless, of course, you are Barack Obama who seems incapable of demonizing anybody. His performance appeared flat to me and many other commentators, but others saw a calm presence in the middle of the twin storms of the last month of the campaign and the first month of an economic crisis. If people were looking for a candidate who would become a reassuring presence in the White House, their choice was easy.

So, the debates are done. The polls are likely to tighten as the undecided voters return to their usual voting patterns. Most of those who voted for Bush in 2004 but are undecided today will end up voting for McCain and Kerry’s supporters who haven’t made up their minds will break for Obama. But, the trend lines in the state polls are all with Obama. The wind is at his back. Napoleon would promote him.

Michael Sean Winters