The election season goes into hyperdrive this month with the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden that will take place tomorrow in Cleveland.
Since the first presidential debate in 1960, and their resumption in 1976, the format has generally been the same: candidates answer questions posed to them from a moderator.
The first debate will be held on the campus shared by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has announced that Fox News anchor Chris Wallace will moderate. Wallace, a respected journalist and son of 60 Minutes legend Mike Wallace, is known for his tough questions and being fair. The president is not fond of him, to say the least.
As with anything involving Trump, expect fireworks.
That’s always the case when Trump takes the stage. Trump’s debate performance during the Republican primaries four years ago got the real estate scion the nomination in a very crowded field that included contenders like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, both Catholics.
As early voting continues across the country and debate intensifies over replacing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this first debate will be key for those undecided voters, especially ones living in battleground states that matter when it comes to the Electoral College. While the debate — the first of three between the Trump and the former vice president — will shed light on the policy and ideological differences between these two men, there will be virtually no questions regarding religion.
Pew Research put together a wonderful list of facts recently about Catholic voters in this country. It’s a resource journalists need to bookmark and filled with data that should be included in news stories, but rarely is these days. Biden is seeking to become just the second Roman Catholic president in U.S. history after John F. Kennedy in 1960.
While Catholics backed JFK 60 years ago, there is been a seismic shift in recent decades.
The various kinds of “Catholic voters” (click here for GetReligion post on that term) are a big deal in this election cycle for both Trump and Biden.
The president has already harnessed the power of four Catholics groups to help him win reelection. The former vice president, meanwhile, is trying to attract them after naming three dozen “Catholics for Biden” co-chairs. Aside from what the campaigns out out, journalists need to be on the lookout for other resources on what questions are relevant for these voters, this time around.
The conservative Catholic news and opinion site Church Militant has put out a voter guide as has the U.S. Conference of Bishops in the form of an informative two pager.
How important are Catholic voters? Consider this from a National Catholic Register editorial dated Sept. 5, just two months before Election Day:
Self-identified Catholics make up 22% of national voters. Although these voters are not a monolith, for nine out of the past 10 presidential elections, the majority of Catholics voted for the winner. That means as Election Day fast approaches, Catholics across the country are poised to play a significant role in deciding who will win on Nov. 3. The question becomes: Will Catholics bear Christian witness by their votes?
“In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation,” the U.S. Catholic bishops wrote in their document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The obligation to participate in political life is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do.”
Catholics have a right and an obligation to participate in public life — and especially to bring the faith into civic life and public discourse.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — the future Pope Benedict XVI — wrote in the doctrinal note “The Participation of Catholics in Political Life,” “By fulfilling their civic duties, ‘guided by a Christian conscience’ in conformity with its values, the lay faithful exercise their proper task of infusing the temporal order with Christian values.”
Given this great responsibility, it is important to consider how Catholics can form their consciences properly through the lens of faith as they prepare to vote and assess all the obligations of being faithful citizens. The most sure and certain guide for forming one’s conscience before voting is provided by the consistent and timeless teachings of the Church that are based on Scripture and Tradition.
Therefore, the upcoming debates are a wonderful chance to hear from the candidates, but specifically Biden who has limited his campaign appearances due to the pandemic. Trump, as the sitting president, is the opposite. He grants interviews and regularly holds news conferences and rallies. Nonetheless, these debates will put into focus the differences between these two men.
While faith voters will likely decide the race, here are questions moderators will never ask Trump or Biden but should:
First, five questions for Biden.
Good evening, Mr. vice president. CNN has described you as a “devout Catholic.”
(1) Would you call yourself that and how do you reconcile your position on abortion with that of the church?
(2) On the issue of LGBTQ rights, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text which contains dogmas and teachings of the church, calls “homosexual acts” as “intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law,” and names “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered.” Despite this, you have presided over gay weddings. Is these church doctrines wrong or even evil?
(3) and (4) The next question, if you don’t mind, consists of two rolled into one: Given your positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues, aren’t you more of a “cultural Catholic”? Also, what would you say to change the minds of conservative Catholics who plan to vote for your opponent — in some cases for a second time?
(5) Lastly, there is a question regarding religious liberty. You have declared that America is facing “a battle for the soul of this nation” and that nuns inspired you to run for president. Despite this appeal to religious voters, you have said that you plan to reinstate Obama-era policies that would require, for example, the Little Sisters of the Poor to ensure access to birth control and abortifacients for employees in violation of their religious beliefs. Why would you do that?
Thank you, Mr. vice president.
Next up is President Trump.
(1) You have made repeated pleas to faith voters to back you come November. You have, at the same time, been accused over the years of immoral behavior, some of which have led to financial settlements with victims. Why should religious conservative support you given some of these past allegations?
(2) Earlier this summer, you had a photo-op taken near the White House, where you had federal authorities tear-gas a crowd of protesters just so you could stop briefly outside St. John’s Episcopal Church. Once there, you held up a Bible for the cameras. Why did you do that?
(3) Last month, you claimed Mr. Biden is “against God” and that he would “hurt the Bible.” That’s a big charge. What are you claiming that he would do as president that would have this kind of impact?
(4) Catholic voters, primarily those in battleground states like Pennsylvania and right here in Ohio, will be a deciding factor in this election. Your wife, First Lady Melania Trump, is Catholic. Do you ever discuss faith issues with her?
(5) While many bishops support your strong anti-abortion stance, they do not favor your immigration policies. Many Hispanics in this country are Catholic. Why should they support you?
As these questions illustrate, a debate centered around faith would be very interesting. That’s not to say that journalists can’t ask these kinds of questions now through Nov. 3.