by Andy Kirchoff (Reposted from Cafe Con Leche Republicans with permission)

It’s been a tumultuous 3 years for the U.S. Catholic Bishops. The Obama Administration’s HHS mandate caught even the most liberal Catholic by surprise, and the economic recession has forced many a Diocese to either close or consolidate many parishes and schools. At the administrative level, the Bishops’ Conference is undergoing a period of “generational shift”: as many elderly Bishops retire, Pope Benedict XVI has often assigned young, conservative-leaning Priests to take their place. Many prominent laity have quietly retired from influential positions in the USCCB’s lobbying arm (the retirement of 30-year USCCB lobbying veteran John Carr being the most recent example), leaving a void that only the new “John Paul II” generation of Catholics seems eager to fill. Demographic shifts among the laity, largely due to immigration, continue to transform parishes and schools from “close-knit” mono-cultural institutions into multi-ethnic communities.

Needless to say, these changes are having profound impacts on the Bishops’ political advocacy. It has left them open to charges of “Republican partisanship” because of their strong pro-life advocacy and their admirable defense of their religious freedom, even as their lobbying efforts include promoting issues such as immigration reform, environmental sustainability, and other causes more often associated with political liberalism.

Additionally, for some Catholics, the Bishops’ efforts to be pro-life without being partisan aren’t enough. A petition to “stop the scandal” of Obama’s appearance at the Catholic Charities annual Al Smith Dinner has been making the rounds among conservative pro-life Catholics, despite Cardinal Dolan’s insistence that his decision to host the dinner doesn’t amount to an endorsement. Likewise for liberal Catholics, opposing Paul Ryan’s budget plan isn’t enough; no, protests at Georgetown University and castigations of Ryan “the Ayn Rand worshipper” are the response the Bishops should take, as far as these “more Catholic than the Pope” types are concerned.

The reality that escapes both of these sects (and other rabble-rousing groups within the Church) is that the Bishop’s methods of non-partisan advocacy is the correct course of action, from both a Catholic and a political point of view. Indeed, it is because of these lobbying methods that the USCCB commands bi-partisan respect on Capitol Hill. It’s also the reason why Obama’s HHS mandate is causing such angst among even the most liberal Bishops in the Conference today.

Catholics of all political persuasions would do well to support their Bishop’s recent advocacy campaigns, rather than whining that these efforts are somehow insufficient. As a Catholic who also happens to be a Republican, I applaud the Bishops’ method of utilizing their moral authority without descending into partisan politics. To quote my own Ordinary, Cardinal Francis George, “The Church cannot be seen as yet another political party, because it would lose its moral voice.”

Nowhere is the fruit of this strategy more apparent than in Arizona, where the Diocese has been careful to both praise Gov. Jan Brewer’s laudable pro-life/pro-religious liberty legislation as well as denouncing her trademark immigration legislation, sb1070.

Contrast the Diocese’s statement regarding HB2625…

“PHOENIX (May 11, 2012) — The Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference are grateful that Governor Jan Brewer has signed HB 2625 into law.
HB 2625 will be very helpful in protecting religious liberty for religiously affiliated employers who have an objection to abortion inducing drugs and contraceptives.

This new law will not preempt the HHS contraceptive mandate, if it is upheld. However, if it is not, religious freedom in Arizona will be better protected.

We also want to especially thank the bill’s sponsor Representative Debbie Lesko, as well as Senator Nancy Barto, for their tremendous effort in shepherding HB 2625 through the legislative process and their unwavering support of religious liberty.”"

…with their reaction to today’s injunction regarding sb1070:

PHOENIX (Sept. 19, 2012) — Yesterday, in accordance with the earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling on SB 1070, the injunction was lifted against the provision essentially requiring state and local officers to inquire about the immigration status of any person stopped, detained, or arrested, if there is a reasonable suspicion that the person is not lawfully present in the United States.

With SB 1070 now in effect, it is imperative that racial profiling does not occur in its implementation. In particular, the Arizona Catholic Bishops are sympathetic to the difficult situation facing police officers throughout Arizona who will face intense scrutiny while trying to properly implement this new law without unjust discrimination.

As we noted in our earlier statements, this provision of law does not fix the broken federal immigration policy in our country, but has the possibility of heightening fear in the immigrant community, sowing seeds of distrust, and separating families.

Accordingly, the Arizona Bishops will continue to work with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in advocating for comprehensive immigration policy reform that will address needed border security, provide legal avenues for workers to assist employers in our country, and to resolve the legal status of nearly 12 million hard working people who now live in the shadows.”

These are very different reactions to very different pieces of legislation, but that doesn’t mean the Bishops are “showing weakness” or are “politically schizophrenic.” It’s an acknowledgement that morality transcends political partisanship. In a hyper-charged political environment, that’s a message that desperately needs to be heard, and one that all Americans – and indeed, all people – will benefit from.

So, fellow conservative Catholics: How about a prayer of thanksgiving for the Bishops, instead of a whining session? I guarantee you that Obama – who only reluctantly accepted Cardinal Dolan’s offer to pray at the DNC in Charlotte – fears the former more than the latter.

For Immediate Release (en español)

Marshall, MN – America is at a crossroads. The national debt has skyrocketed. Americans continue to struggle as the economy slogs through a seemingly endless recession.

Obama’s failed economic policies remind us of FDR’s failed Keynsian economic policies. After eight years of massive stimulus spending and an explosion in debt, the U.S. economic recovery lagged that of other industrialized nations. FDR’s own Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau Jr. famously stated: “No, gentlemen, we have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work.” Another four years of Obama’s failed economic policies and we will be no better off than today. Clearly it is time for change, not more failed policy, class warfare, and massive expansion in government!

Fortunately, Americans have a chance to change our nation’s path this November. Cafe con Leche Republicans is proud to endorse a Presidential ticket that is willing to meet these challenges head-on. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan both have an acute understanding of the perils of the national debt and, even more importantly, have proposed concrete steps to address this. Both are committed free market capitalists who understand that the private sector creates jobs while government is a drag on the economy, which consumes resources needed to economic growth.

As pro-immigrant Republicans, we also believe that the type of complete immigration overhaul we need is more likely to occur under a Romney/Ryan administration. Obama’s lack of leadership on this issue is truly shocking. Obama promised immigration reform within the first year of his presidency; instead, Americans were force-fed a healthcare bill that no one wanted, while deportations reach record highs due to the administration’s Secure Communities Program.

Thousands of Latino citizens have been effectively stripped of their citizenship by Obama’s State Department, which frequently refuses to recognize the citizenship of Latinos birthed in the U.S. by midwives. The Obama administration has aggressively rolled out the Secure Communities Program, despite the widespread racial profiling and false arrests of Latino citizens that has resulted. One recent study showed that 93% of immigrants arrested under Secure Communities are Latino versus 78% of the unauthorized population. 3,600 Latino citizens were falsely arrested, and non-criminal arrests for traffic infractions such as cracked windshields is now approaching 50%.

To compensate for his lack of leadership on immigration, Obama recently rolled out a deferred action program as a short term fix to address his soaring deportation numbers, to boost his support among Latinos, and to undermine Marco Rubio’s efforts to introduce a bipartisan DREAM Act. However, this is just Obama’s latest example of fakery. Deferred Action for low priority unauthorized immigrants such as DREAM eligible youth has been policy at DHS since 2000 (Meisssner memo). Obama rolled out a similar ‘new policy’ in June 2011 (Morton Memo), and of 411,000 cases reviewed since then just 2% were closed,

DREAMers and other low priority immigrants continued to be deported aggressively, and ICE’s labor union defied Obama by refusing to allow its members to attend Morton training. AILA conducted a survey of ICE offices and found nearly all ignored the Morton memo. We cannot help but remain skeptical of Obama’s latest ‘new plan’, and as correctly pointed out by Mitt Romney this latest ‘new plan’ is a short term fix, and is apparently more about fixing Obama’s lagging lack of  enthusiasm among Latino voters than a real solution to help DREAM eligible youth trapped in a predicament not of their own making.

We need real leadership on this issue; not more fakery! The plan laid out on Mitt Romney’s web site is a good plan, not as complete as we’d like to see but a good start point. Mitt Romney supported President Bush’s plans for immigration reform, while Obama and Harry Reid sought to sabotage Bush’s reforms, yet another example of Obama’s fakery. Obama’s supporters have sought to frame Romney’s positions based largely on comments made during one of the debates, while ignoring the plan on Romney’s web site. Defense of Obama’s immigration record is like ‘putting lip stick on a pig.’

Likewise, Paul Ryan sponsored immigration reform as a congressman in 2005 – at the very same time that then-Senator Obama was trying to kill the Senate version of the same bill. Paul Ryan is also the latest addition to a growing group of pro-immigration reform advisors to Romney’s inner circle. Other notable reformers include Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Gov. Luis Fortuno (R-Puerto Rico), and former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, all of whom have been major proponents of sensible immigration reforms.

Americans are begging for a course correction. “Hope and Change” has failed and more recently has become ‘hype and blame’; the country needs some “R & R” – Romney and Ryan! Café con Leche Republicans is proud to endorse the Romney/Ryan ticket, and we look forward to working with our fellow Republicans – and indeed, Americans of all political persuasions – to get them elected this November. Romney/Ryan 2012!

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About Us – Cafe Con Leche Republicans is a national organization of Republicans who welcome “New Americans”, defined as immigrants and family of recent immigrants. Our mission is to make America and the GOP, more welcoming to “New Immigrants” through political activism, “in-reach” and education within the Republican Party, and lobbying government to adopt more immigrant friendly policies. We also seek to bring more conservative and moderate “New Americans” to the Republican Party. These efforts will strengthen the GOP, and lead more Republicans to embrace welcoming policies for immigrants and their families. We have members nationwide, with chapters in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Our members and leadership are predominantly Hispanic, though we define ourselves by mission and guiding principles, not ethnicity, and we welcome all who share our goals. Our leadership is 100% Republican.