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Judicial Confessions: John F. Kerry, Catholics, and the Supreme Court

Judicial Confessions: John F. Kerry, Catholics, and the Supreme Court In 1960, approximately 80 percent of Catholic voters supported John F. Kennedy’s successful bid for the White House. But beginning in the 1968 presidential election, the Catholic vote shifted. Since 1972, it has consistently been a near mirror image of the popular vote. This shift was partially inspired by a series of Supreme Court decisions that disappointed traditional Catholic Democrats who in turn found Republican presidential candidates stressing “the social issue” more appealing. However, despite making eleven of the last thirteen appointments, Republican presidents have failed to construct a thoroughly conservative Supreme Court on social and cultural matters. In this essay, I consider how this failure will affect the candidacy of President George W. Bush and explore whether it will offer John F. Kerry—the first Catholic presidential nominee of a major party since John Kennedy—an opportunity to increase the Democratic Party’s share of the Catholic vote. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Forum de Gruyter

Judicial Confessions: John F. Kerry, Catholics, and the Supreme Court

McMahon, Kevin J.
The Forum , Volume 2 (3): 1 – Oct 5, 2004
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Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
ISSN
1540-8884
eISSN
1540-8884
DOI
10.2202/1540-8884.1042
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In 1960, approximately 80 percent of Catholic voters supported John F. Kennedy’s successful bid for the White House. But beginning in the 1968 presidential election, the Catholic vote shifted. Since 1972, it has consistently been a near mirror image of the popular vote. This shift was partially inspired by a series of Supreme Court decisions that disappointed traditional Catholic Democrats who in turn found Republican presidential candidates stressing “the social issue” more appealing. However, despite making eleven of the last thirteen appointments, Republican presidents have failed to construct a thoroughly conservative Supreme Court on social and cultural matters. In this essay, I consider how this failure will affect the candidacy of President George W. Bush and explore whether it will offer John F. Kerry—the first Catholic presidential nominee of a major party since John Kennedy—an opportunity to increase the Democratic Party’s share of the Catholic vote.

Journal

The Forum – de Gruyter

Published: Oct 5, 2004

Keywords: presidential race; Catholics; Supreme Court

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