Trump won. Cruz lost. Kasich is bowing out tonight.
Donald Trump is now the likely Republican nominee.
So what should Catholic voters do?
The counsel of our Church in this situation provides three choices for November: 1) don’t vote, 2) write-in/vote for a third party candidate, or 3) vote for the candidate likely to do the least harm.
Not voting is not an option. We need to be in the fight.
Catholics of good will disagree about Trump. On the one hand he has pledged to nominate a qualified replacement for the Scalia vacancy. He has pledged to replace Obamacare and restore American jobs. Some even believe his brash style will help break the stranglehold of the “Establishment” on Washington D.C.
We continue to have our doubts. Until recently Trump was publicly pro-abortion and a major financier of the enemies of the Church. His character and moral judgement remain suspect. He denigrates and ridicules his opponents, and has no foundational principles from which he proposes to govern. In our opinion, Donald Trump is a big roll of the dice that could backfire, and potentially have disastrous consequences on the House, the Senate, and on our politics more generally.
Then there is Hillary Clinton. Feeling the pressure from her left-wing base, Hillary will be hostile to nearly everything we believe in — from the sanctity of life to religious liberty. She is certain to tip the Supreme Court decidedly to the left. The American family will have no bigger enemy than a President Hillary Clinton and the wreckage she will impose on us from Washington D.C. Hillary Clinton must be opposed by every conscientious Catholic voter.
Well that was depressing. So what then?
Here is where CatholicVote.org (CV) stands today:
Here’s why: If you care about repealing Obamacare, protecting religious liberty, defunding Planned Parenthood, and creating real economic reform for families — it all begins in Congress. Meanwhile the confirmation of new justices on the Supreme Court all go through the Senate, which today hangs by a thread.
The House and Senate will either be an insulating firewall against the excesses of a Hillary or Trump presidency… or the House and Senate could be a key part in helping Trump achieve some important victories. If you are a Trump supporter — your worst nightmare is two words: Speaker Pelosi.
That’s why we need everyone to stay in the fight. Your votes truly still matter.
Before this roller coaster election year, our mission was to be a faithful voice for the laity in the Church. Our role is to help organize and mobilize Catholic voters for political change at the ballot box, in the halls of Congress, and in the courts. Our guiding focus is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church. The Church is true, good and beautiful — and America needs the witness of her believers in public life now more than ever.
That remains our calling today.
It may be helpful to remember that while many things are in disarray, many good things are thriving. The Catholic Church continues to be a source of goodness and truth that shines for the world. The Church never loses long term.
Every challenge is a new adventure. Out of chaos often comes some clarity.
If you love your country, fight for it.