The reality is that Catholicism translates politically into support for liberal views at least as much as it does for conservative views.
The good news, for Republicans, if not necessarily for Catholics, is that Democrats haven't developed the argument. Greenwald is saying now what Markos Moulitsas Zuniga was saying before the 2004 election and that turned out to be wishful thinking. Greenwald asserts that
Large majorities of Catholics support abortion rights generally, stem cell research, and oppose further tax cuts.
citing a poll commissioned by Catholics for a Free Choice. That June 2004 poll had Catholics evenly divided between President Bush and Senator Kerry.
There are also dormant and lurking religious tensions between evangelicals and Catholics which Bush opponents allow to remain hidden and unexamined, while Republicans exploit every cultural and religious division they can find.
I appreciate the heads-up on his pre-emptive tu quoque defense of a strategy of exploiting religious tensions.
There is no virtue in continuing to win policy debates while losing elections due to a ceding of these submerged and ugly battlefields.
Watch for the WWWK bracelets: What's Wrong With Kansas.
Greenwald started out his post saying liberal views were "at least as" consistent with Catholicism as conservative views. He may have set a record for cocoon-spinning.
Not only does adherence to Catholicism not compel a vote for Republicans; if anything, it can be argued much more persuasively that Catholicism precludes such a vote.
The bad news for Republicans isn't likely to be in these arguments. It is that success in turning Catholics from Democratic voters to swing voters means that if there is a trend against Republicans, then Catholics are likely to swing with it.
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