Some more information now on Barack Obama's Catholic Advisory Council. As The Brody File reported Friday, the Obama campaign is going hard after the Catholic vote and if they make it to the General Election they will try to reach out to Catholc pro-lifers even though Obama is pro-choice. A list of the council is here.
Below is from Obama's Religious Outreach Director Joshua DuBois:
"This is the first time in recent memory that prominent Catholics have stood up in this way in a Democratic primary. Senator Obama is proud of his support among Catholics across the country and looks forward to working hard for every Catholic vote. This Council is a phenomenal milestone in that process."
Obama's Catholic Council has two prominent pro-lifers taking an active role. Senator Bob Casey says the following:
"Thousands of Catholics and people of all faith communities across Pennsylvania and around the country have responded to Senator Obama's plan to help ordinary Americans find decent jobs and affordable healthcare, and his vision of restoring America's leadership in the world."
Former Congressman Tim Roemer said this:
"I am proud to join this impressive group of servant leaders. We look forward to fanning out across the country to share Barack's message and his record with voters in the weeks ahead."
Here's Obama's statement:
"I am deeply honored to have the support and counsel of these committed Catholic leaders, scholars, and advocates. We share many important values, and I have profound respect for how these religious and lay women and men have put their faith into action to promote the common good. They have spent their lives serving others: shaping our public debates, caring for the poor, ministering to those who need our help, and fighting for a more just society. As a committed Christian, I welcome their help as we continue to build the largest grassroots network of people of faith in any campaign in history."
How Obama tries to court the very pro-life Catholic vote will be interesting to watch. Obama's pro-choice views will be a problem but what Obama has done from day one is go out of his way to try and not demonize the other side.
Look, we all know the reality. If Obama becomes President he'll be sympathetic to the pro-choice cause and pick judges that will tilt the court left. But here's an important point to remember, At the end of the day people don't so much vote on policy positions, they vote with their heart. Do they have an emotional connection to the candidate? If Obama makes pro-lifers "feel" like they are not crazy and are being heard then who knows? They just might be convinced to vote for him because they "feel" that Obama cares about them and respects their views.