USCCB's New President: And the Press Still Doesn't Get It

The headlines of some of today's op-ed pieces shouldn't be a surprise: "More Bad News for Obama 2012: Catholics Elect Dolan," "Will abortion be an issue again?"

It seems 'obvious' to quite a few of America's old-school journalists that the Catholic bishops in this country elected a "conservative" president, instead of a compassionate, caring fellow who'd be understanding about what 'really matters' to Americans. Like same-sex marriage and the right of men to make their sex machines get an abortion.

I've discussed this before: In my view, practicing Catholics look "conservative" because our beliefs are least unlike the contemporary American conservative political philosophy.

Some of us even think we're "conservative." Some of us are.

I'm - despite the way I've been identified - not. I'm Catholic.

I seem to be quite conservative, because I am convinced that marriage should be between people of the opposite sex - but of the same species. (I also think that gerbils aren't "people," not like we are - and that's a different topic.)

I seem to be quite conservative, because I am convinced that killing innocent people isn't right - even if they're babies or old people.

On the other hand, I've been identified as one of those bleeding-heart liberals because I think it's not a good idea to kill someone: even if a judge and jury really want blood.

Confused? "Vague?" No: I'm Catholic.

So is the new USCCB president.

But, judging from decades of clueless coverage of things Catholic: I doubt that the American press will figure that out.

Related posts:

• "Catholic Leaders in America: Getting Uppity"
  (October 26, 2010)
• "Natural Moral Law, Catholicism, Karma, and the Tea Party"
  (October 16, 2010)
• "New Archbishop of Miami: Obviously Conservative? Obviously Liberal? No: Clearly Catholic"
  (July 2, 2010)
• "Pedophile Priests, 'Evil Pope' and The New York Times"
  (March 31, 2010)

Being Catholic in America:

• "Death Penalty, Life, and Being Catholic"
  (October 5, 2010)
• "A 'Traditional' Catholic? Yes and No"
  (July 31, 2010)
• "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
  (November 3, 2008)

News and views:

• "More Bad News for Obama 2012: Catholics Elect Dolan"
  Massimo Calabresi, Swampland (A blog about politics and policy.), Time magazine (November 17, 2010)
• "New York prelate to lead bishops group"
  The Washington Post (November 17, 2010)
• "Will abortion be an issue again?"
  Tim Rutten, Opinion, Los Angeles Times (November 17, 2010)