Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant who has helped organize the Democratic National Committee (DNC) debates, is quoted today about the alleged diversity of the Democratic candidates for president. Here’s what she said: “We’ve got everybody from a preacher to a general, from the leader of the House to leaders in the Senate, north to south, Jewish, Catholic, Baptist.”
Here’s how Catholic League president William Donohue reacted today:
“Jenny Backus is right—there are Catholics running for president on the Democratic ticket. In fact, four of the nine candidates are Catholic: Carol Moseley Braun, Wesley Clark, John Kerry and Dennis Kucinich are all Roman Catholics. Unfortunately, they all carry the same baggage, and that is why it is not smart for the DNC to try to play its Catholic card.
“None of these Catholics has yet to speak out against the outrageous association between the DNC and Catholics for a Free Choice, the nation’s most notoriously anti-Catholic organization. To this day, despite repeated requests, the DNC maintains a link on its website to this despicable group. Though all the candidates have been contacted about this issue, none has yet shown the courage to address it.
“Some opponents of the Democratic party have questioned whether certain Catholic candidates for public office are Catholics in good standing. The Catholic League is not an opponent of the Democratic party, and it is not interested in pursuing this issue. But we are an opponent of bigotry, and of anti-Catholicism, in particular. This explains our interest in the nexus between the DNC and Catholics for a Free Choice.
“We have been educating Catholics about this unseemly relationship for over a year now. Once they find out what’s going on, they’re amazed. We will continue our education campaign for as long as necessary.”
