PrintA majority of Catholics voted for Bush
When John F. Kennedy ran for president 45 years ago much was made of his Catholicism. After all, he was only the second Catholic to run for president on a major party ticket. Naturally Catholics across the country, thrilled to have a fellow Catholic with whom they also agreed on social and political issues on the ticket, voted for him in overwhelming numbers. To help a fellow Irish Catholic win, Chicago's mayor, Richard Daley (the elder), supervised a plan for vote fraud, massive even by Chicago's notoriously corrupt election standards, to guarantee Illinois for the Democrats.
Kennedy won by the barest of margins; Nixon, though encouraged to do so, never contested the election.
Fast forward 45 years: another Catholic heads the ticket of the Democratic party, and except for the ever—present fringe element, Kerry's religion is not a major issue in the campaign. Indeed it is so irrelevant that Catholics, many of whom disagreed with Kerry, voted for George Bush who is not a Catholic.
Kerry's religion as an irrelevant campaign issue and Catholics rejecting a Catholic candidate certainly demonstrate what progress all of America has made in opening up society to all qualified candidates Long may it continue.
Ethel C. Fenig 2 6 05
