Obama Campaign Working Hard for Catholic Vote
April 22, 2008
The Clinton campaign has done very well with the Catholic vote so far in this election but the Obama campaign is not giving up. Not by a long shot. Actually, they have made major efforts to bring Catholics on board not just in Pennsylvania but all over the country.
The Brody File has been alerted to some of the Obama campaign’s outreach efforts. For example, the campaign took their National Catholic Outreach Coordinator and put that person in Pennsylvania to work with faith team leaders. In addition, the campaign has held listening sessions, roundtable discussions, town halls, house parties, forums, rallies and prayer sessions around the state.
It also appears that the Facebook site called “Catholics for Obama United” is pretty popular. The campaign says it took them just two weeks to get more members than John McCain…and he had a two month head start. The campaign also put together a National Catholic Advisory Council which has some heavy hitters on board including pro-lifers Senator Bob Casey and Former Congressman Tim Roemer.
Will Obama win the Catholic vote tonight? Umm, that’s a long shot. But the campaign is making strides. Cathleen Kaveny is on Obama’s Catholic Adivosry Council and says the following:
“Senator Clinton is already well-known to voters. But as voters have come to know Senator Obama, he has been slowly but steadily gaining ground among Catholics, as they come to see who he is and what he stands for. Many Catholics are responding to his vision of the common good and his values on issues such as ending the unjust war in Iraq, providing decent jobs, ensuring affordable healthcare for all, and working for comprehensive immigration reform. Many have also been inspired by his life choices, especially his decision early on to work as a community organizer with parishes in the South Side of Chicago.”
A Quinnipiac University poll from mid-March showed Clinton leading Obama 3-1 when it comes to the Catholic vote. Can Obama eat into that lead? The Obama campaign is trying to tamper down expectations by saying that you can’t look at the Catholic vote as one big voting block. That’s true. Either way, the Obama campaign feels very confident that when they get to the general election, they will be able to compete vigorously for the Catholic vote in key swing states versus John McCain.
More on how Clinton and Obama would fare with Catholics against John McCain here.
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