What does an incumbent elected by a landslide (331-206 electoral votes if Fla. goes his way) get to do for a second term?
Anything he wants, especially with John Boehner at the helm for the Republicans in the House of Representatives. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Boehner did an about-face and declared that Obamacare is now the law of the land and that he would do nothing to slow or halt the most pro-death piece of legislation in American history. Further thoughts, from LifeSite News, by Obama’s newest, bestest buddy on the Hill:
Boehner said he “slept like a baby” on election night, knowing Barack Obama would lead the country for another four years. “I may not like the five cards that have been dealt to me, but those are the cards I’ve got in my hand.”
“My job on behalf of the American people is to find a way to vote with my Democratic colleagues,” he said, “and a Democratic president to solve America’s problems.”
Read the rest of the stunning Republican implosion here.
If John Boehner, who has received pro-life awards, truly believes in the presence of abundant atrocities in Obamacare, then as the Speaker of the House he could do all in his power to prevent the funding of this pro-death legislation. That’s part of the Constitutional system of checks and balances. But the Speaker has rolled over and surrendered. One cannot support that which is intrinsically evil. Rather than rallying with the base, the Republican leadership has just signaled their disdain for the party’s base, which is to say, the conservative and pro-life voice of the nation.
Next up, the Catholic Bishops.
The Obama contraceptive mandate now enjoys an electoral mandate. If the courts do not support the bishops, what will they do? Head for the tall grass, like Boehner, or will they risk all by standing and fighting? Indications from many bishops is that they will simply close hospitals and schools, rather than comply.
That plays into Obama’s hands by giving him exactly what he wants without a politically damaging battle. This is the bishop’s Gettysburg. This is the pivotal battle. They must stand their ground in the face of withering fire, and there will be casualties and the effusion of much financial blood; but the alternative is unthinkable.
Not only must we hold our ground, we must advance all the way into the enemy’s capital. The landslide this week was sweet news for Planned Parenthood and Cecile Richards. It was sweet news for the abortion industry. It was sweet news for a Democrat Party that refused to support legislation banning sex-selective abortions. It was sweet news for the Culture of Death.
All of this sweet news for the other side underscores the imperative for the New Evangelization, and why the bishops need to stand their ground. With all of that said, this isn’t about Obama and the bishops.
It’s about us. We the people.
We don’t need the bishops in order to evangelize, to educate, to lead and shape the nation. It’s convenient to stand by expecting the bishops to be courageous for us, to suffer the slings and arrows for us, to take the ridicule for us, to be the martyrs for us. But that’s not who we’re called to be.
The bishops have their work, and we have ours. 51% of our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers voted for Obama. That means we either didn’t do a good enough job at evangelizing them, or they simply don’t care. As for the president, he is only one man. He presides over a very different nation than that which existed a quarter-century ago, a nation that sees a very different self when it looks in the mirror.
If the specter of an Obama second term is horrifying, the fact that he won in a landslide not on the economy, but on the social issues, should be sobering to us.
Perhaps the failure isn’t the fault of the 51%, or the bishops, or the weak and tepid Republican leadership.
Perhaps it’s ours.
It’s time to look beyond the narrow time-frames and the allure of quick fixes inherent in the election cycles, and focussing instead on the long, hard work of rebuilding a Western Civilization that has finally imploded. That means developing a curriculum and doing the hard work, not of changing what people see in the mirror, but what they bring to the mirror.
I’m not at all dispirited. Tuesday was simply a confirmation.
Now the work begins.
Coming Home 
You are right, the GOP dominate House has passed plenty of good legislation which was DOA on arrival in the Senate. We can’t wait for the president or the bishops. “51% of our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers voted for Obama. That means we either didn’t do a good enough job at evangelizing them, or they simply don’t care.”
We are supposed to influence the culture as laypeople, so we have to stop whining about the election and get busy. with the 51%.
Last Tuesday, I was praying for the election and it occurred to me that we don’t deserve a moral leader as president, we have not done the footwork needed to create an electorate which wants one. As Rush stated we want Santa Claus, who coddles us and gives us sweets, allowing us to persist in our sinfulness and laziness. Until we have done the hard work of evangelizing the culture of entitlement, we can not expect a president, or a bishop to come and rescue the culture.
I can not agree more with your comments and have stated the exact same things myself. I am in the field of Catholic education and am concerned that we have not done enough to even form our own students to wade through the sludge of immorality that pervades our world. It’s the erosion over time that we are facing with stark reality from the results of this election. What do I, as a Catholic educator and administration, do to cause a counter effect to something so vast? That is my personal call from this outcome. It’s not time to roll over or ignore. It’s time to be more vocal. It’s time to teach with passion. It’s time to pray for grace and inspiration from the Holy Spirit with fervor like we have never done before.
Thank you for your continued stalwart insights. I have enjoyed them and have been inspired by them.
Spot on. And there are signs of hope, beginning with the clergy. Archbishop Chaput and at least a solid handful of other Bishops and Archbishops are indeed ready to lead. Likewise, the emerging generation of priests is more faithful and courageous than their predecessors. But as you point out, they need a “ground game,” the Catholics in the Pew. Here’s what we can do to help them, help us (and the world).
Encourage the Pastor to institute more Eucharistic Adoration–or begin some hours if none exists. When you have him over for dinner, encourage him to preach on contraception, religious freedom, the value of human life and the supreme gift of children. He may not like it, but if he knows you have his back, he might give it a try.Then…REALLY have his back. YOU won’t enjoy that part of the equation, but it is neccesary
Zero in like a lazer on your Catholic school and/or your Parish School of Religion (CCD) Religion teachers and catechists (and curriculum) to make sure they are properly formed and actually teaching the authentic Catholic Faith and not serving as “collage supervisors” from the 70’s. Our young people and prospective converts are HUNGRY for the Truth. Graduates from SOLID Catholic colleges and universities are white hot on fire to evangelize and aching to enter this great and holy struggle…start with grads from the approved list of colleges as designated by the Cardinal Newman Society http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org.
While we are on the topic of “Catholic” colleges, STOP supporting the dissident institutions–you know who they are–even if they have a great football or basketball team. Find out if the Theology and Philosophy departments and professors are approved by and in union with the local Bishop–Ex corde Ecclesiae. If they aren’t, encourage them in truth and love to return to the faith. If they refuse. encourage the Bishop to cease their designation as Catholic.
If we can just start in these small ways, the spiritual and catechetical fundamentals, it will be immensely helpful.
Let’s go get ’em!
Thanks Gerard.
As sickening as it is that Obama has another four years and a free hand to do whatever he wishes, and so far, that has been to support abominations before natural law on the secular side and God on the religious side, I’m not surprised that he got reelected, and I also knew that even if Romney were elected, he’d be a temporary Band-Aid and the libs would have savaged his term.
What’s even more tragic is the mindset of those who voted for him, most especially Catholics. We need our pope, our cardinals and our bishops to start cleaning out the temple of dissident priests (at all levels), religious and nuns. The Catholic title also must be stripped from hospitals and universities that go against Church teaching. Go after dissident politicians, too. Oh, the howls, screams, howls and attacks from from the libs if this is done (especially my last suggestion), but it has to be done. Our Catholic identity is shot and so is the continuity of God’s word and its presence in our society. Our current Pope predicted smaller and orthodox in our time, and I agree. It’s the only way to go.
In the meantime, pray, every day, for our Catholic leaders to have the backbone, savvy and grace to do the hard work to the point of martyrdom, if necessary, and for us in the laity to follow their lead in all respects as well.
I will never understand Catholics supporting Obama, much less Catholic priests supporting political principals which are in direct opposition to Church teaching.
At the end of the day, if you betray the Church to support a politician, what do you have left?
I just don’t understand it.
Leticia Velazquez is absolutely correct though, “…we don’t deserve a moral leader as president, we have not done the footwork needed to create an electorate which wants one.” People whose hearts and minds are utterly closed to God will never elect a truly moral president.
The black, cancerous heart of this nation is exposed in this election. And I stand sickened, knowing that I did not do all that I could do. Praying to be used by God to recover His people.
Our mandate is to lead the way by living in virtue. From an economic standpoint conducting our financial affairs with prudence and frugality should be the example we offer to others. Individual households are mini economic units. The more of those units that can be brought into balance the better it will be for everyone. With four more years of Obama It is impossible in my opinion to imagine a scenario where there will not be at least a near collapse of our economy, the value of our currency, and our position of leadeship in the world. Those who understand these things will be better prepared to care for themselves and their familes in the terribly hard times that are coming.