For whatever reason, politicians give undue power to the protectors of child sex abusers. The picture is beginning to emerge of just how much the Catholic Bishops shaped the health insurance reform debate:
They don't spend a dime on what is legally defined as lobbying, but lawmakers and insiders recognize that the bishops' voices matter — and they move votes. Representatives for the bishops were in Pelosi's Capitol suite negotiating with top officials for three hours last Friday evening as they reached final terms of the agreement. That was just hours after Pelosi, a Catholic abortion rights supporter, took the call from McCarrick.How many members of Congress challenged the Bishops back? How many asked them about all the lawsuits and the bankruptcies? This part of the analysis is precious:
Boston's Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley personally appealed to President Barack Obama about the issue near the church altar at the late August funeral for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. Bishops quietly called their congressmen and senators to weigh in.
"The Catholic Church used their power — their clout, if you will — to influence this issue. They had to. It's a basic teaching of the religion," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., a leading abortion foe and architect of the health measure's restrictions.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the church's Washington-based advocacy organization, which is staffed by more than 350 lay people, derives its power in large part from the sheer number of Catholics in this country — 68 million — but also from the special moral and religious standing of its members."Special moral and religious standing" of the bishops? Unbelievable. Anyone who thinks that should check out this website.
Most of those 68 million Catholics in the country don't pay a bit of attention to what the Bishops tell them. It's pathetic that so many Democratic lawmakers do.
