Vote!

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I did… before I left for Rome.

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74 Comments

Catholic Tech Geek says:

6 November 2012 at 8:40 AM

I already voted as well. Since I am a college student living outside of my designated voting area, I voted via absentee ballot.
wmeyer says:

6 November 2012 at 8:41 AM

My wife and I voted on 27 October. There was a lineup of perhaps 60 people, but it moved well, and we were done within about 10 minutes. Here in GA, I am pleased to report that photo IDs were checked.
wanda says:

6 November 2012 at 8:48 AM

Thanks be to God that this day has come at last. Will be going shortly to vote for Romeny/Ryan. The 3 or so days that early voting was under way – the lines were out the door. There had to be an average of 100 people each time we checked.

May God guide the people of this nation as they make this critical choice.
acardnal says:

6 November 2012 at 9:05 AM

Fr. Z, will you be conducting a poll on your blog today?
Dad of Six says:

6 November 2012 at 9:19 AM

Voted absentee last week – check. Family said lots of extra prayers – check. Family has fasted the last nine days – check. Two more Pro Life voters in the family registered and voting in their first Presidential Election – check.

Saint Bridget, pray for us!
Ralph says:

6 November 2012 at 9:26 AM

Voted.

I was the second ballet placed into the “counting machine” at 6:30 this morning.

The poll worker said they have already had quite a few mail in ballots dropped off.

Let’s hope for a good turn out of informed voters.
Darren says:

6 November 2012 at 9:38 AM

Voted at ~6:15 AM this morning…

Interestingly, as I look at my calendar, today is the Feast of St. Leonard of Limoges… patron of captives. St. Leonard, pray for America, held captive by liberal oppression… that the vote goes well and we are once again a nation of freedom and liberty!
Marie Teresa says:

6 November 2012 at 9:46 AM

will vote after work …

in the meantime, I’m fasting and praying!!
SegoLily says:

6 November 2012 at 9:49 AM

Hello Fellow Readers of this Wonderful Blog: Here’s a concrete thing to do on Election Day–Implore the Intercession of Cora Evans, Servant of God! She was born a Mormon and died a Catholic mystic. She developed a new way to thing about Jesus in the Mystical Humanity of Christ. Her cause for sainthood proceeds apace.

Election Day Prayer to Cora Evans, Servant of God:

Cora Evans, Servant of God, pray for your brother in cradle faith, Mitt Romney, that as the next President, he overcome the power of evil spread by Barack Obama and his minions.

Cora Evans, Servant of God, pray for Paul Ryan, that his Catholic faith infuse his every action as Vice President.

Cora Evans, Servant of God, pray for the American Electorate.

Cora Evans, Servant of God, pray for all Mormons

Cora Evans, Servant of God, implore our King to look with mercy on America today and may all of us embrace Him and His will with loving fervor. Amen.
SKAY says:

6 November 2012 at 9:52 AM

We will be leaving to vote soon.

“Black Panthers are back at the 14th Ward in Philadelphia. Local TV stations are aware, the Black Panthers are at the same polling location as 2008. ”

In the picture they are dressed in their black “uniforms”
Is this electioneering?.
ckdexterhaven says:

6 November 2012 at 9:58 AM

Went to our church’s Perpetual Adoration Chapel last night, it was packed. Went back this morning and prayed some more, then I voted. Will be praying the rest of the day. My son goes to a small Catholic High Schiol, he said a lot of kids prayed the rosary in the chapel yesterday, and plan on doing the same today.
acardnal says:

6 November 2012 at 10:01 AM

Some evil can only be cast out by prayer and fasting and . . . voting!
mamajen says:

6 November 2012 at 10:26 AM

Despite living in a solidly blue state, I relish the chance to vote. I will be bringing my 4-year-old with me in a little while, and this will be his second presidential election.

Have to admit that despite all the positive signs I’m seeing and all the prayers I’ve been praying, I’ve never been so nervous about an election. I woke up with a headache. Obama’s plans for this country will directly impact my family and the way of life we have worked hard to create for ourselves, and we’re not the only ones. He must be stopped. I keep repeating “Jesus, I trust in You.”
pberginjr says:

6 November 2012 at 10:33 AM

Fr. Z,
Despite the suggestion of other posters, please DO NOT put up a poll asking how we voted. We don’t need to give the left any confirmation about the statistics/demographics (i.e. how we vote) of your readers!
iPadre says:

6 November 2012 at 10:43 AM

One of the first, and the machine that we place our ballots in was already broken. We had to place them in a slot below the mechanized intake.
wmeyer says:

6 November 2012 at 10:45 AM

I’ve never been so nervous about an election. I woke up with a headache.

I’m with you. I can’t recall ever being this stressed about the outcome. Listening to many of the conservative pundits, I am appalled when I hear them speak of gearing up for the next election. It’s the sort of outlook which ignores altogether that we do not have endless chances to turn away from the cliff. There comes a point–and we may already be there–when those collecting government checks outnumber those of us providing the money. And that’s TEOTWAWKI.
poohbear says:

6 November 2012 at 10:58 AM

Going out soon to vote, then to adoration for a while.

For those seeing questionable things going on at the polls, check out your state government website and look for election enforcement office, There should be a phone number to call to report problems. If all else fails, call the police.
OrthodoxChick says:

6 November 2012 at 11:31 AM

I’m with mamajen and wmeyer. I might go completely bananas if this election is too close to call and we won’t know the winner for weeks. Please, Lord, please let it be a landslide.
bookworm says:

6 November 2012 at 11:49 AM

I came down with some weird bug late Sunday night (salmonella, perhaps?) and haven’t been able to eat anything solid since then, so I guess I did some involuntary fasting :-) I voted this morning and was in and out in 5 minutes with no waiting. However, when I attempted to vote early last Friday there was a long line (at least 30 people) waiting to get in so I gave up and decided to wait until Election Day.
AnAmericanMother says:

6 November 2012 at 11:57 AM

The lines for early voting (6 locations countywide) were over two hours long, so we opted to vote this morning, since our precinct is a small one.
I have voted in this precinct since 1994, and I have NEVER seen lines this long! The parking lot was full, and cars were parked down the street for 2 blocks and up every side street. The line went down the stairs from the polling place (two landings), and under the building, where it snaked back and forth 4 times (about 60-75 feet on each loop). Took about an hour and a half to get to the head of the line, voting went smoothly. The pollwatchers and precinct captain looked a bit harassed . . . one of the machines was down, although they got it up and working again while we were waiting for our Ecards. We assured them we didn’t mind waiting and thanked them for their service.
And it was pouring rain . . . and rather chilly (mid-40s) . . . and everyone shared umbrellas and passed clipboards with the registration forms down the line, and smiled, and chatted, and did a little praying on the side.
My Jesus, mercy!
Giuseppe says:

6 November 2012 at 12:02 PM

I live in a solidly blue state, too. Voted this morning – took an hour. Lines out the door (longer than 2008). And I brought a pound of cookies for the election workers (God love them, it must be maddening being there for 14 hours dealing with the likes of me.)
chantgirl says:

6 November 2012 at 12:09 PM

Hubby and I voted this morning. Honestly, being an informed voter in Missouri is difficult as it is nearly impossible to find good info on all of the judges on the ballot. Our judges can wield a tremendous amount of power, but there is almost no public info available on their views. Missouri Right to Life also had no endorsements on their website. I went begging my pro-life friends for info and finally someone who was a lawyer had some helpful advice. I would imagine that most voters were pretty in the dark about our judges if I wanted to find out about them and had so much trouble.
Elodie says:

6 November 2012 at 12:10 PM

Just voted here in Ohio. No problems with the touch-screen. The print-out of touch-screen results was accurate.

I’ve never before been nervous when voting!

Still praying. Praying that informed voters will come out to the polls. Praying that there will not be enough fraud for BHO to steal the election. Praying for leaders who respect both moral law and the US Constitution!
chantgirl says:

6 November 2012 at 12:12 PM

I should clarify- Missouri Right to Life had plenty of endorsements, just none for judges.
Dad of Six says:

6 November 2012 at 12:13 PM

An American Mother- if not too personal, what state do you live in?
happyhockeymom says:

6 November 2012 at 12:29 PM

I voted this morning. It took an hour, with lines out the door.

YOu should have seen the poll watchers/challengers watching everyone! I found it disconcerting, to say the least.

When I was done, I went outside to find a man handing out Democratic propaganda and challenged him. He told me it was his right to be there if he was 100 feet away from the polling place, only to have another voter (and she was for Obama to boot!) tell me they had just taken the Republican man’s stuff, and threw it all away and mad him leave for doing the same thing!

I sent a friend who knows the ins & outs of the election law and the process to go put a stop to that! No allowing different rules for one party as opposed to the other!

I am praying so hard. I think this election will be very close and there will be cries of fraud and court challenges like we have never seen before. Matter of fact, I have heard the rumor – from a family member – that there are supposed to be things in place to stage riots if it looks like Obama is losing so that martial law can be proclaimed. Scary sttuff.
Geoffrey says:

6 November 2012 at 12:48 PM

I am a Catholic monarchist domiciled in California and I voted… early by mail. My conscience compels me to vote only when there is an issue on the ballot critical to the Culture of Life or, as is the case this year, the liberty of Holy Mother Church. I voted for Romney/Ryan, even though it doesn’t matter in this very blue state. And I also voted to abolish the death penalty in the state.
AnAmericanMother says:

6 November 2012 at 12:54 PM

Dad of Six,
Georgia. Metropolitan Atlanta, but outside the city limits.
Typical older inner ring suburb.
Gregg the Obscure says:

6 November 2012 at 12:56 PM

There’s extensive early voting here in Denver. I turned my ballot (and my wife’s) in on 10/25. Praying much more than usual (including Bl. Bartolo Longo’s magnificent prayer to Our Lady of Pompeii) and intend to continue so doing all day and evening.

Prayed my first-ever St. Jude novena over the past nine days for the speedy, permanent and conclusive end to all cultural and political influence on the part of those who oppose the Holy Church and the natural law. Audacious? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely!
wmeyer says:

6 November 2012 at 1:09 PM

AAM, being in the wilds of Suwanee has its perks. We voted on the 27th, there was a lineup, but we were done in about 10 minutes.
The Masked Chicken says:

6 November 2012 at 1:11 PM

The MSM wants this to be a close race to heighten the suspense. Sadly, I think it will be a close race, but not a squeaker, with (sigh) Obama being re-elected. The country is just too morally screwed-up in the Life areas for any sort of massive outpouring of mercy on God’s part and until this is forcibly (as in, Act of God) demonstrated to electorate, the situation will continue to slide into chaos. I will do a chicken dance if Romney is elected, but I would not hold my breath.

In my opinion, people who hold to abortion should not have the right to vote, since, clearly, if they cannot make even simple plain moral choices correctly, how can they be trusted to make good prudential choices?

The Chicken
Dad of Six says:

6 November 2012 at 1:14 PM

TMC-

You’ll have to post a video of the dance too.

;^)
chantgirl says:

6 November 2012 at 1:36 PM

The Masked Chicken- in our house we decided there would be two bottles of alcohol, something superb in case Romney wins, and something along the lines of Arbor Mist or Mad Dog 20 20 in case he loses. A nice fine wine or champagne will fit if Obama is unseated, and something cheap that leaves a terrible taste in the mouth will be fitting if we choose four more years of poverty and loss of freedom. (Actually, I can’t ever see myself drinking Mad Dog, but it demonstrates my sentiments pretty well.)
The Masked Chicken says:

6 November 2012 at 1:49 PM

“You’ll have to post a video of the dance too.”

See, I was thinking I could give it to Fr. Z. to post. Maybe it would be a violation of the Natural Law if I danced, however. There are some things a Chicken should never do. I suspect that, under other circumstances, God might smile at the prospect, but it would probably take a brood of chicken dancers to turn the tide and that might be taken to be a “reign” dance.

The Chicken
bookworm says:

6 November 2012 at 2:38 PM

“it is nearly impossible to find good info on all of the judges on the ballot.”

Same problem here in Illinois. There are two kinds of judicial votes: the judicial “retention” votes where you vote up or down on allowing an incumbent judge to remain in office, and the judicial races in which you choose between one or more candidates vying for an open judicial seat. These include circuit (county) judges, state appellate court judges, and state Supreme Court judges. I didn’t vote on any of them because I didn’t feel I could make a credible choice. We rant and rave about “unelected” judges deciding what the law is but I’m not so sure that electing them yields much better results.
chantgirl says:

6 November 2012 at 3:23 PM

bookworm- We only had retention votes on our ballot, and unless a judge has made a very controversial decision that made headlines, the only real indicators of their leanings is whether they were appointed by a pro-life or pro-abortion governor. Even that information doesn’t guarantee anything, but most of our democratic governors have had an abortion litmus test, so it’s a good bet that any judges they appoint aren’t friendly to the pro-life cause. I don’t like the idea of assuming someone is guilty and voting them out of a job, but if they want my vote they need to be publicly forthcoming with their positions.
poohbear says:

6 November 2012 at 3:35 PM

I voted earlier today. Very short line, but the parking lot was full with people having to wait for spaces, which I thought was very odd. Usually when the lot is that full the line is out the door, unless they had more voting stations than usual, which is possible since we have the ‘fill in the little circle next to the name’ cards, which you fill out at a desk and then drop it in the one centrally located scanner.

I noticed many young people voting, and I think there may have been a lot of people voting for the first time because the help desk did have a little bit of a line and there was an elderly couple in front of me who had not voted in many years.

Went to adoration after voting instead of having lunch.
Angie Mcs says:

6 November 2012 at 3:51 PM

We are getting a sad gray mist today, and I began the morning making minestrone, I felt we needed some nice home made soup for dinner tonight. As I mentioned last night, first and foremost on my mind as I voted was a beautifully growing fetus, somewhere, sending him/her my love. Ironically, Relevant Radio transmitted an old interview with Dr. Bernard Nathanson this morning. What a story.

This is one day when I really wish I lived close to my church. I don’t have a car at my disposal right now and it’s an hours drive. But I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be, just for comfort and to remind me of how all this, too, shall pass. Peace to all, throughout the day and beyond.
NBW says:

6 November 2012 at 4:04 PM

@Mamajen: I too live in a blue state; I feel your pain!

I hope my vote will make a difference, along with praying and fasting & novenas!
Gulielmus says:

6 November 2012 at 4:50 PM

Election Day, November, 1884 by Walt Whitman

If I should need to name, O Western World, your powerfulest scene and show, ‘Twould not be you, Niagara–nor you, ye limitless prairies–nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado, Nor you, Yosemite–nor Yellowstone, with all its spasmic geyser-loops ascending to the skies, appearing and disappearing, Nor Oregon’s white cones–nor Huron’s belt of mighty lakes–nor Mississippi’s stream: –This seething hemisphere’s humanity, as now, I’d name–the still small voice vibrating–America’s choosing day, (The heart of it not in the chosen–the act itself the main, the quadriennial choosing,) The stretch of North and South arous’d–sea-board and inland–Texas to Maine–the Prairie States–Vermont, Virginia, California, The final ballot-shower from East to West–the paradox and conflict, The countless snow-flakes falling–(a swordless conflict, Yet more than all Rome’s wars of old, or modern Napoleon’s:) the peaceful choice of all, Or good or ill humanity–welcoming the darker odds, the dross: –Foams and ferments the wine? it serves to purify–while the heart pants, life glows: These stormy gusts and winds waft precious ships, Swell’d Washington’s, Jefferson’s, Lincoln’s sails.
wmeyer says:

6 November 2012 at 5:00 PM

These stormy gusts and winds waft precious ships, Swell’d Washington’s, Jefferson’s, Lincoln’s sails.

From the time of America ascendant. Depending on the tally tonight, we may not see such times again.
Andrew says:

6 November 2012 at 5:44 PM

Waiting. Been here for two hours. Looks like at least one more hour just to get inside.
Gulielmus says:

6 November 2012 at 6:36 PM

wmeyer, I don’t disagree but will point out that times have been bad– very bad– before, and the Republic has survived. Whitman’s poem about the 1884 election is a case in point. Nasty, divisive, abusive campaigns from both Republican Blaine and Democrat Garfield, with Blaine probably losing because of a supporter’s referring to the Democrats as the party of “rum, Romanism, and rebellion,” thus losing the Catholic immigrant vote.

And I will cite Grandpa Vanderhof from Kaufman and Hart’s You Can’t Take it With You, from 50 years later in the 1930s. “I got all worked up about whether Garfield or Blaine would be president. Doesn’t seem to make much difference now.” Whatever happens tonight, the fight will continue. This is a battle, not the war.
wmeyer says:

6 November 2012 at 7:15 PM

I appreciate Kaufman and Hart, but I submit that the choice between Garfield and Blaine was actually pretty mild, compared with Romney vs. Obama. Given my ‘druthers, I’d vote for Allen West, but he’d have to be on the ticket–I won’t waste a vote in so momentous an election.

The question remains just how much abuse the country can take without coming apart at the seams. The damage done by unchecked spending–on which neither party has a monopoly–will take decades to remedy. We can no longer afford a president (and a cabinet) which is so stunningly free from experience in business. The story of the golden goose is apt.
OrthodoxChick says:

6 November 2012 at 8:43 PM

8:40 p.m. on the East Coast. Praying that they can safely call VA & FL for Romney/Ryan soon. Usually, I enjoy a little suspense. Not this time.
Legisperitus says:

6 November 2012 at 10:10 PM

Come rack, come rope.
The Sicilian Woman says:

6 November 2012 at 10:42 PM

Voted before work this morning. I was one of a handful of people. In this tragically, solidly blue state, I don’t expect that any of those for whom I voted for national or state offices will be elected. In fact, I have never heard of the individuals running against the incumbents for US Senator, Congressman or state senator, nor saw any campaign signs for them.

I’m going to stick with my tradition and not stay up to see who won. As I have done with other major elections, I’m going to go to bed and see in the morning who won. Though I’ll have a rare adult beverage before I go to sleep, to ensure I get to sleep.

Lord, have mercy on us.
bookworm says:

6 November 2012 at 10:48 PM

My husband is a lapsed Catholic and confirmed political agnostic who hasn’t voted or even registered to vote in years. So needless to say, we have our issues sometimes. That said, he gave me kind of a stern pep talk just now that I think I needed to hear. He reminded me that some of the best times of our life together came under a president I despised (Clinton), and some of the worst came under a president I respected (Bush 43). Life goes on no matter who is in the White House, so why sit in front of the computer wringing my hands over something I can’t control. And if the country really is as morally corrupt and anti-God as I suspect and all out persecution of Catholics is imminent, would a Romney presidency really have been enough to stop it? Or would it merely have postponed the inevitable?
My own thoughts here:
1. With the “fiscal cliff” looming and the ever present threat of a double dip recession, not to mention the full impact of the Obamacare taxes, maybe in the long run it will be better for all this stuff to hit the fan on Obama’s watch rather than Romney’s? If there is much worse economically and military to come in the next 4 years, and Romney had to wear the jacket for it, wouldn’t we be back in the same spot by 2016?
2. With more damning information coming out about Benghazi every day, could we be looking at the second coming of Nixon’s second term? Not necessarily saying impeachment but even the mainstream media can’t hold back the full story so there will be political damage done.
bookworm says:

6 November 2012 at 10:55 PM

3. Look how far down in popularity Bush 43 went from 2004 to 2008. By the time he left office his approval ratings were in the toilet and it was fashionable to describe him as the Worst. President. Ever. Same thing could easily happen to Obama, and probably will, especially if he loses the overall popular vote.
Dies Irae says:

6 November 2012 at 11:04 PM

Notes from a(n exhausted:) Kansas poll worker…my precinct had about 449 Romney and 219 Obama. (We also had a vote for Larry the Cable Guy.)

Prayed very hard and sprinkled some holy water in the polling place!
aragonjohn7 says:

6 November 2012 at 11:42 PM

Pray, pray, pray.

God is merciful.
frjim4321 says:

6 November 2012 at 11:46 PM

Voted in person this morning.

Fairly elated at this point.
Giuseppe says:

7 November 2012 at 12:00 AM

Many people called Hurricane Sandy an “Act of God”. It seems this hurricane made people think more positively about President Obama. Without the hurricane, I think Mitt Romney would have won. Was the hurricane an Act of God? I know Satan can rule men’s hearts. Can Satan control weather too? How should we interpret the hurricane? I am very confused.
ckdexterhaven says:

7 November 2012 at 12:05 AM

So happy for frjim4321. I will think of you when I am rejected by a death panel. I will think of you when my 2 brothers in law lose their job because their power plant gets shut down. I will think of you when my taxes go sky high to pay for Sandra Fluke’s birth control. You will also come to mind when I hear more news about Obama’s kill lists and innocent Pakistanis killed by drone strikes. #socialjusticeindeed
frjim4321 says:

7 November 2012 at 12:25 AM

ckd, well here at 11:25:00 CT my analytical side thinks they are calling it too soon, so i’m ready to wake up for morning mass and see a much different picture, if that makes you feel any better

I dont see the math in OH and FL quite as solid… mb by midnight?
catholicmidwest says:

7 November 2012 at 12:43 AM

Fox has just declared Ohio to the Democrats, so probably the national election drama is over, for all intents and purposes. Nothing has changed. The Congress isn’t even changing much.

As a result, now comes the other drama, the one many Americans and some Catholics are only vaguely aware of: the HHS mandate. What will happen now? The mandate is in place. Only legal action will prevent it from taking effect, and we have less than two months for that. It’s probably not going to happen in time. This means that the Church in the United States has a basic decision to make: Will it roll over and do the expedient thing, or will it finally get its act together?

The Church has some real decisions to make here:

1. First the specific one: It’s almost impossible to see how the dioceses of the Catholic Church in the USA can, at the same time, coherently teach Catholic moral doctrine and violate a moral teaching explicitly laid out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Scriptures, the Didache, tradition and many official teaching documents. How would the teaching be violated? By procuring abortion, which is a grave sin, according to the most authoritative sources we have for moral teaching. So how will this be avoided? There are a number of possibilities, some of them more feasible than others. I’m sure all of those will be discussed tomorrow morning in diocesan offices all over the country. I pray that the people with authority choose wisely, morally and faithfully.

2. And a more general one: Catholics have not voted as a bloc in over 50 years in America. We did not vote as a bloc this year, even with these most grave issues at hand. Our sense of identity is gone; our understanding of mission and discipline are gone. One of the most remarkable changes that occurred in the Church after Vatican II was that our field of focus changed. We turned outward towards the world and ceased to tend to our own because, after all, we had been converted long ago, right? Our outreaches became vocal, but our “in-reaches” went silent. We’ve all seen this, and even discussed it on this very blog, day after day after day. There is a cost to the Church for this lop-sided focus, and the cost is increasing rapidly. The longer this goes on, the higher the cost will be. We need to shift our attention back to a more balanced focus, and providentially, this is what the New Evangelism is about, for us in a land where the initial evangelization happened long ago. Cardinal Dolan made a great remark at the Bishops’ Synod in Rome on October 17 of this year. He repeated what Saint Bernard said long ago, “if you want to be a channel, you must first be a reservoir.” We must learn to be first a reservoir again.
ckdexterhaven says:

7 November 2012 at 12:44 AM

By midnight, Obama probably already called Putin and told him he has flexibility. Thanks, Obama voters, thanks again. Especially you social justice voters who could care less about drone strikes, kill lists, etc.
chantgirl says:

7 November 2012 at 12:52 AM

frjim4321- You voted for a man who is actively persecuting the Church you are consecrated to serve and the people for whom you are supposed to be a father. His actions will very likely cause many Catholic charities to close.
Looks like about 50% of Catholics voted for Obama. They voted for the man who is persecuting their Church. I ask you Bishops, what will you do?
bookworm says:

7 November 2012 at 1:46 AM

“It seems this hurricane made people think more positively about President Obama. Without the hurricane, I think Mitt Romney would have won.”

The hurricane didn’t hit Wisconsin or Iowa, and didn’t really affect Florida all that much, and it affected Ohio only peripherally (with high waves on Lake Erie and some power outages due to high winds). Most people had their minds made up before Hurricane Sandy. What really made the difference, I suspect, was the auto bailout and strong union presence in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
SKAY says:

7 November 2012 at 1:50 AM

So the national nightmare will continue.

50 % of Catholics voted for the evil of abortion to continue expanding by using taxpayer money to pay for it—and they are so proud of that. How sad.
Billions were taken out of Medicare to pay for all the new Medicaid patients that will be coming into Medicaid under Obamacare–so Medicare patients will have a hard time finding a Doctor to care for them at the new reduced rate. It’s clear what is ahead for Medicare patients -most who actually worked and paid into Medicare for years. The elderly are as dispensable to these people as the unborn babies. Someday this vote may come back to haunt them when and where they least expect it.
bookworm says:

7 November 2012 at 1:58 AM

“Whitman’s poem about the 1884 election is a case in point. Nasty, divisive, abusive campaigns from both Republican Blaine and Democrat Garfield,”

The Democratic candidate that year was Grover Cleveland. James Garfield had been assassinated 3 years earlier. Cleveland had a pretty nasty scandal of his own to overcome: he had fathered an illegitimate child by a young widow. The favorite chant of GOP supporters of the time was: “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa? Gone to the White House, ha ha ha!”
Geoffrey says:

7 November 2012 at 2:34 AM

?”Look on the bright side, in order for Jesus to establish His kingdom, He must dismantle ours.”
Michelle F says:

7 November 2012 at 3:06 AM

The Catholic Church in Maine fought a gay marriage referendum in 2009 and won – no gay marriage.

The Catholic Church in Maine decided NOT to fight it this time, and evidently lost – gay marriage appears to have PASSED (73.5% of precincts reporting right now).

The same bishop, Bishop Richard Malone, was involved in both battles.

What is wrong with our bishops? Really…what are they thinking?

Maryland also passed a gay marriage ballot measure, slightly ahead of Maine, making them the first state to have gay marriage legalized by a referendum, and Maine the second state.

I never thought I’d see the day when California (Proposition 8) was more conservative than Maryland or Maine. Lord have mercy!
Theodore says:

7 November 2012 at 4:18 AM

The Gods of the Copybook Headings

Rudysrd Kipling 1919

AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “Stick to the Devil you know.”

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “The Wages of Sin is Death.”

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!
guans says:

7 November 2012 at 4:31 AM

Krauthammer blamed the loss on his more aggressive campaign.
Nation is really divided and a lot of intense feelings going around.
Didn’t see the movie, but read about it, apparently he is not one of us.
I think he is very sympatico to moslems, even though (a very un-catechised christian) himself.
I don’t think he identifies with American people of color at all.
frjim4321 says:

7 November 2012 at 7:22 AM

Looks like about 50% of Catholics voted for Obama.

But only when you include Hispanics.

Think it was less about Catholics and more about alientation of Hispanics, white, youth, gay, women, and women.

Of course there are anecdotal exceptions, but I am speaking about the demographics.
frjim4321 says:

7 November 2012 at 7:24 AM

women = blacks (was up too late!)
wmeyer says:

7 November 2012 at 7:46 AM

Looks like about 50% of Catholics voted for Obama.

I doubt very much whether any real data are available for such discussions as yet. In my state, at least, I know that there was a very large early vote turnout, and what I have seen under discussion so far is based on exit polls. These may or may not represent the actual demographics.

I hope and pray that none of our bishops voted for that scoundrel. The uneducated have an excuse, at least.
wmeyer says:

7 November 2012 at 7:50 AM

Fox has just declared Ohio to the Democrats, so probably the national election drama is over, for all intents and purposes. Nothing has changed.

Fox’ coverage was pathetic. They were calling states based on exit polls alone. They called states with <5% of the vote in, and called in opposition to the actual tallied counts. CNN was less reckless, shockingly, but the other three people and I who followed their coverage were pleased.

My Canadian friends cheering for Obama will be pleased; when our economy finally succumbs to O's profligate spending, theirs will lag us by about 5 minutes.
frjim4321 says:

7 November 2012 at 8:03 AM

Fox’ coverage was pathetic.

wmeyer, you’re scaring me, we’re agreeing on stuff again. Maybe this is the end of the world.

Yes, CNN was doing a nice job and every so often I surfed over to FOX for comic relief. They were indeed pathetic, and however the big-haired blond doe-in-the-headlights “anchoress” is, is she really that dumb or is she just acting?

Steward did an expose of one of Fox-and-Friends female talking heads once pretending not to know a word . . . turns out she really did have a college degree and a masters . . . was obvious that she was dumbing herself down to be on a par with the Fox audience.

I didn’t even bother with MSNBC because even though I’m more inclined to them ideologically I don’t see them as being qualitatively different from FOX, just 180 degrees out of phase.
acardnal says:

7 November 2012 at 8:04 AM

$3 billion dollars, 4 years and we are in the same position we were after the last election.
Sissy says:

7 November 2012 at 9:02 AM

Theodore, thank you for posting that prescient poem. Here is an excellent photo essay by a Marine:

http://andstillipersist.com/2012/11/the-gods-of-the-copybook-headings-illustrated/

As Julius Caesar said: “They would have it so”. We are not the first to live in times of terror. Let us thank God for whatever terrible scourge His divine will has brought upon this blood-soaked land. It is richly deserved. The voices of 50 million children cry out “How long?”. We have pled for mercy, but we will receive justice. So be it. It’s my opinion that we’re about to find out that His patience is exhausted. And yet, we know that He will preserve His faithful and keep His promises to us. Speaking only for myself, I should always have had my eyes on eternal things; that is where I will focus my attention. May God have mercy on those who claim to serve Him and yet defy His will.
Imrahil says:

7 November 2012 at 9:06 AM

Dear @Giuseppe,

the Evil One can control the weather (as is clear from the Book of Job and its traditional interpretation), but he can do exactly nothing – and especially not, if I may say it, perform deeds of preternatural or nature-controlling power – without God’s permission.

That said, and while nature occurances can have meanings, there is a name which is not so nice about thoroughly seeking them in them.
Giuseppe says:

7 November 2012 at 10:08 AM

@Bookworm. You are right that the hurricane did not, in and of itself, have a major impact on the swing states. But President Obama’s appearing ‘presidential’ and collegial with Governor Christie killed Governor Romney’s momentum and gave Americans a chance to see President Obama in a more positive light.

Was this act of God sent to impede Governor Romney’s ascendence? I know Satan’s power is through persuasion and temptation and deception. Does he have power over nature beyond trickery? Or is that power restricted to God?