Obama's Next Move?

               So President Obama’s anticipated “accommodation” is not being well-received, other than by the same Catholic group so eager to give him cover (the CHA).  The USCCB has not yet weighed in although their initial statement did not sound hopeful.  My guess is that Cardinal Dolan would like to use this opening to engage in direct dialogue with the White House.  It is rather interesting that the Obama administration thought appeasing the CHA (a rather low bar apparently) was the right approach as opposed to working with the USCCB.

                I think it is clear the Obama Administration has no easy way out of this.  The Catholic Church will not budge.  In addition, the far left’s aggressive push in states like Illinois (where even referring same sex couples to other agencies for adoption was not enough to save Catholic Charities) leaves people of all religious groups in a less than trusting mode when it comes to government and protection of their religious freedom. 

                But on the other side, the President is getting enormous pressure from Planned Parenthood and others to stand his ground.  They will not be forgiving if he does concede, and in an election year where the President is going to be painted as the liberal he is, he cannot afford to have the support of the far left.

                Let’s talk about that election.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my wife was polled about these policies this week.  Based on the questions, it seems like it was being run by the Obama campaign.  So my guess is they now have data in hand that says that if this issue persists, they lose the Catholic vote, and then most likely the election. 

                My guess is Obama’s attempt at “accommodation” was an attempt to buy time to talk to the far left.  He’ll remind them of all of the “progress” he has made in growing government, the progress he made by reinstating Federal funding of abortion, funding abortion overseas, and the crown jewel, gaining control of health care.  He will blame this loss on the stodgy, old, white male dominated Catholic Church.  He’ll probably pledge some future government assault on the church and ask the far left to lose the battle in order to win the war.

                But we shall see.  The President’s approval rating is so weak, he cannot afford to take the Clinton approach.  Bill Clinton was the master of compromising with the other side in election years to appear moderate and calling the left wing’s bluff that they would not back him come election time.  Obama has not been as pragmatic.  Truth be told, he may want the government mandate of abortion and health care just as much as Planned Parenthood.

                The only known in this is that the Catholic Church will continue to provide an alternative viewpoint in a culture of death.  God does not always meet us where we are, sometimes he asks us to grow a little bit to reach him.