American Catholic voters, the cheapest of cheap dates, went absolutely bananas the other day on Michaelmas when someone on Donald Trump’s social media team posted the prayer to St Michael.
Because I am slightly more sentient than a banana myself, I feel qualified to explain this phenomenon: This is called “pandering.” It is what you do when you are equal parts ignorant of and contemptuous toward something (like how Trump is ignorant of and contemptuous toward the Catholic faith) but you know that you need those people to vote for you, and you know a lot of them are absurdly gullible and desperate for affirmation. So you throw them a scrap and watch them scramble.
On the same day the prayer made a splash on Facebook and X, Trump himself made a remark in person wherein he sounded more like his old familiar self, not praying humbly as in the St Michael prayer, but longing for “one really violent day” in which police could get “extraordinarily rough” against shoplifters who are allegedly swarming over our fair country.
Trump himself, of course, is notorious for walking away without paying for what he takes; in his personal life and in his campaign; and despite the fear and frenzy he habitually tries to whip up—”[P]olice aren’t allowed to do their job. They’re told if you do anything, you’re going to lose your pension. You’re going to lose your family, your house, your car.”—both violent and property crimes (like the theft Trump constantly complains about) have declined dramatically across the entire country.
But he shared a prayer! And on Mary’s birthday, he shared a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe! And the two failed assassination attempts took place on the feast days of Our Lady of Sorrows, and also on the Feast of St Henry, which, y’know, is probably also significant somehow if you have eyes to see! And Melania is Catholic!
As a Catholic, that’s all the evidence anyone could need. Sure, Trump’s no angel, but God’s been workin’ on his heart, and we’re clearly mere moments away from the best conversion you people have ever seen, a really big, beautiful conversion; you won’t believe your eyes. Not even the late, great Hannibal Lecter could have a conversion like this.
Maybe you’re still somehow unpersuaded by the overwhelming evidence that Trump is doing the work of God. Maybe you’re still a tad skeptical that there is some kind of sincere searching going on in his soul.
Frankly, I’m sad for you. It must be hard to live in such a cynical world when you can’t even see what’s so plainly right before your eyes. What would it take to make you see the burgeoning grace at work inside this happy warrior? What more could this lion of God do to melt your hearts of stone and show you who he really is?
I have a few ideas … Read the rest of my latest for The Catholic Weekly.
Certainly not going to defend Trump on the level of personal morality (I do not like him) and do not consider myself a Republican, but I honestly do not understand how he can be compared to Biden/Harris/Walz from a policy perspective and not come out miles ahead…I’m not really interested in teaching either side a lesson, or making a statement vote, or looking at any man but Christ as my savior, but I AM interested in putting in place the most pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-freedom policies possible. I honestly don’t get how anyone can believe everything the Church believes, be rational, AND vote for Harris knowing what policies are likely going to come from that.
Can we do this for the democratic nominee also? Honest question – who, in good conscience, can we vote for in the election? Seems like everyone would have you believe “nobody”.
I’m probably going American Solidarity Party this year. They wore me down.
They still exist?
I think the difference here is that Harris isn’t trying to court “the Catholic vote,” if that exists, but Trump kind of is and so some Catholics are twisting themselves into pretzels to cover for him. As for your last question, I can think of many people of good character who I will choose from to write in; because if the choice is only between the two major party nominees, yes, the answer is nobody.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/harris-walz-campaign-launches-outreach-catholic-voters
https://web.kamalaharris.com/forms/sign-up-to-join-catholics-for-harris/
I definitely live in a different world (if not a different planet) from the Catholics I read online. The only people I know in real life who use religion in this election cycle to tell me how to vote are extreme, vocal anti-Trumpers.
I find I’m happier if I don’t pay too much attention to politics. That said, I truly don’t get all the Trump hate. Politician. Dirtbag. Same thing. Maybe Ron Paul had some actual scruples but in my mind the rest of them are a bunch of power hungry phony baloneys. I just don’t see Trump as morally worse than any other politician. But then I’ve been jaded ever since I saw Rick Santorum sit on a stage and endorse Arlen Specter way back in the early 2oo0’s.
Fair enough — thanks for the links. I live in such a red state (in a very slightly purple sunburn) that I was unaware of that demographic.
I am voting for Harris not because she’s perfect, but because the Republican Party needs to get its house in order. We have trump because a dying party wanted any savior possible, even if he was an arsonist. And then they nominated him again after Jan 6th.
In comparison, Harris is a normie who wants a government job. She’s done good work thus far and seeing the candidate pool, she’s who I am hiring. I think we need to vote against the republicans and send them back to the drawing board.
Thank you.
I feel all the pent up craziness I feel when having to think about DJT. Why we’ve given up common sense in America makes me sad. Let’s hope that enough adults go to the polls and vote. I don’t want four more years of chaos and craziness.
So funny, so horrifying.
Well done!
Reading this, I’m alternating between laughing hysterically and crying. Comparisons of Trump to Jesus sicken me. And his false claims of being pro-life just take credibility away from the pro-life movement. I really think the Republican party could do better.