Monday, January 29, 2007
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Terry McAuliffe And Me: Just A Couple of Irish Catholic Kids Kicking Around Catholic Teaching
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Posted by:
Hugh Hewitt at
11:23 PM
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My interview with Terry McAuliffe today had many interesting exchanges, as when I asked Terry about his hatred for Rush Limbaugh, or why Juanita Broaddick wasn't mentioned in the book:
HH: Okay. No mention of Juanita Broaddick. Not important to you?
TM: I don’t even know…who was Juanita Broaddick?
Terry's grip on new media is also a little tenuous:
HH: How about the Kos kids. Do they worry you?
TM: The who?
HH: Daily Kos?
TM: What do you mean, worry me?
HH: I mean, are you happy to have them? I mean, they’re vulgar, a little bit stupid, a little bit nutty. Are you happy to have them on your side?
TM: I don’t have…don’t really know, don’t pay any attention to it, so I’m not going to answer something I don’t know anything about.
HH: You don’t pay attention to the blogs?
TM: No.
HH: You don’t read any blogs?
TM: I travel all the time, Hugh. I’m lucky to read two newspapers.
HH: Have you ever heard of a Verizon card?
TM: What?
HH: Do you know what a Verizon card is?
TM: I don’t know what a Verizon card is.
HH: All right, never mind. Let’s go…
TM: Like a Visa card?
HH: No, no, it’s not like a Visa card. I know you know what those are.
TM: I have that. I’ve got…I carry American Express with me, man.
But I think Catholics will find especially interesting this segment:
HH: You’re an Irish Catholic kid from Syracuse, from St. Anne’s school, right?
TM: Yes.
HH: Now did you do eight years or twelve years of Catholic education?
TM: I did eight years at St. Anne’s grammar school, I did four years of Bishop Ludden High School, I did four years at the Catholic University of America, and three years at Georgetown University Law Center.
HH: Can you name your K-8 teachers?
TM: Yeah.
HH: Give them to me.
TM: Sister Agnes Teresa, Sister Mary Helen, Sister Thomas, Miss Boway, Mrs. Anderson, Sister Esther Thomas, and Sister Margaret Madden…how many is that?
HH: That’s pretty close. So they were lousy teachers?
TM: No, they were great teachers. I was the one that was causing all the trouble, Hugh.
HH: But I mean, you often cite Catholic doctrine in this book, and yet you support late term abortions, and judges who impose them on people. How…did you miss those classes?
TM: Hugh, I don’t cite Catholic doctrine all through the book. I say I’d gone to Catholic schools, Hughie, through the book, and I am pro-choice, no question about it. But I don’t pretend to be a priest, and I don’t pretend to be citing…I don’t cite the Bible once in the book.
HH: Yeah, but you do cite your Catholic faith.
TM: I say that I’m a Catholic, sure. Irish Catholic.
HH: You know, it says here on Page…
TM: Which I am.
HH: Page 165, “It might not quit with the lessons of my Catholic faith, but I don’t mind admitting that I couldn’t have been happier when the news broke on July 30th, 1999, that Linda Tripp had been indicted by a Maryland grand jury.” So you know it’s wrong to glory in the sufferings of others, because of your Catholic faith, your Catholic teachings.
TM: Yeah, but I say I have faults, like many people have faults. I wish I could follow 100% the teachings of the Catholic Church, but believe it or not, much to your chagrin, I am not Jesus Christ.
HH: No, but I mean, the whole abortion controversy, that’s just…you compartmentalize that and put that aside?
TM: I can, as can many Catholics.
HH: But I know many Catholics do, but do you think it’s right…Do you go to Mass and all that stuff, Terry?
TM: I go…yeah, I do.
HH: You do?
TM: In fact, I’m up to be on the Knights of Malta right now. They’ve just asked me to join the Knights of Malta.
HH: Oh, we’d better put out a word.
TM: Are you one of those?
HH: I’ve got friends in the Knights of Malta, yeah. You might not come back from your first trip to Rome.
TM: You need to go into the Knights of Malta.
HH: Huh?
TM: And as you know, the Holy Father himself, John Paul II, blessed my wife’s engagement ring when I wound up being at a private Mass for us in his private chapel.
HH: Nice picture. I know. Did he know about your supporting late term abortions?
TM: Sure, he knew he was.
HH: Is that teaching optional, Terry McAuliffe?
TM: Is what teaching optional?
HH: The Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life?
TM: Hey, listen, I have my views on my religious beliefs, Hugh, you’ve got yours.
HH: But I’m asking, do you think it’s…
TM: And you know, if you want to do a show on religious teaching, that’s fine. I’m talking about my book.
HH: Well, it’s in the book all the time.
TM: I make my statements, you write your book.
HH: No, but it’s in the book all the time about how Catholic you are.
TM: It’s not how Catholic I am. I’m an Irish Catholic kid from Syracuse. It’s probably mentioned five times, Hugh, so please don’t incorrectly characterize my book to your listeners.
HH: Well, it’s in here a lot…
TM: If you want to talk about the book, talk about the facts as they exist. I know you’re a right wing whacko, but don’t make things up.
HH: All right, let’s got to Page 113. Oh, I just quoted to you the page that that was on.
TM: That’s one page. That’s through the whole book? You just said it’s through the whole book, you don’t even remember what you just said. What did you? Go have a martini at lunch or something?
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I seriouly doubt that Terry McAuliffe will now be accepted as a member of the Order of Malta. They really don't go in for that whole glib name dropping thing i.e., "As you know, the Holy Father, John Paul II, blessed my wife's engagement ring when I wound up being at a private mass for us in his private chapel."
Mr. McAuliffe should understand that an invitation is NOT an automatic ticket to membership in most institutions but particulary for the Order which is considered a vocation of the Catholic Church, not an honorary award. |
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Reflecting on the Continuing Scandal. boy, is it late! |
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That Terry would be so flippant about his "faith" and so non-chalant about his being pro-abortion reflects the thinking of his fellow pro-abort "catholic" democrats. They either do not believe or have bought into the "it's ok to pick and choose becasue God loves us anyway" mentality that only a public excommunication may get their attention.
The tragedy is that they continue to give scandal to the littel ones and that can lead them astray. and we all know what happens to those who lead the little ones astray.... |
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Isn't it stunning how our most democratic cities have the greatest disparity between rich and poor. |
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you really should put your bong down. |
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»Now tell us who added more to the debt, Bush or Clinton? Be honest now.«
Did you hear? The deficit is DECREASING! During wartime yet!
This is because there is more revenue coming in.
The Bush tax cuts brought more taxpayers into the system, and that increases revenue. Reagan proved that, too. |
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Based on Terry's answers, the Democrat(ic) leadership (what are we supposed to call them?) are equally as ignorant about blogs, new media, and current books as the Republican leadership. It wasn't too long ago that Dean and Hugh were out there with their reading lists to Republican congressmen and senators.
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Hugh,
Admit it, your attempts to treat your guest as a indicted felon on the stand were a failure. Terry made mincemeat out of you! He kept pointing out your glaring mistakes to the point where I actually was wondering if you'd had a few! Sorry, usually your lawyerly tactics work well on the uninitiated, but Terry's more than prepared for right wing hacks like yourself. I thought he did great!
Ron |
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Why don't we get rid of the NEA and the Teacher's Union and the social experiments that the Libs impose on our kids and try teaching them some useful skills instead? And, why don't we enforce the immigration laws against illegal immigrants who take jobs away from teenagers? If parents would pay attention and quit giving money to their kids just for being precious maybe the kids could learn about work? Then maybe the jobs would be there for our people?
And btw, I thought libs loved the idea of thinking globally? hahaha. guess not when it comes to jobs.... |
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The poor will always be with us. Someone in the know said that.
Name me an economy where everyone was equal. Tick tick tick tick. Ok. Now, wasn't there someone who decided what equal was? And how did that turn out?
Tell me we don't have the most literate and fattest "poor" in the history of the world? I have an idea, let's not buy anything anymore, okay? That'll show 'em.
As for the threat of Bill Gates having more than me I'm not really concerned with Bill Gates, secularly speaking. |
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And the lack of the Church's response to TM's claims is a scandal to those people who continue to fight the good fight. |
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is their not publicly excommunicating all who support abortion in ANY form. Their not doing so allows cafeteria Catholics to say, "I'm Catholic and pro-Choice." One can NOT be both. A priest was told about the large percentage of Catholic women who'd had abortions and responded, "they may have been Catholics when they entered the abortion clinic, but they certainly were NOT when they came out!' The same should be said about any Catholic who supports abortion for anyone! Terry can continue to call himself Irish, but his parish priest should respond to how anyone can continue to call himself Catholic while denying a tenet of the Church. |
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who actually did his job in protecting us against enemies foreign and domestic? who has to deal with terrorists and Katrina? who has had the greatest economies in history? be honest now. don't go krugman on us. btw-the Congress has to approve the budget the President submits. |
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rpmc,
Now tell us who added more to the debt, Bush or Clinton? Be honest now. |
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rpmc writes: Tuesday, January, 30, 2007 10:59 AM
Clinton did not cut the debt
One of the biggest lies of the Clinton Administration, continued by Terry McAuliffe, is that the federal budget was balanced by Bill Clinton. Go to the US Treasury Bureau of the Public Debt website at http://www.sbu.gov/opd/opdpdodt.htm which shows Total Debt rising in every year of the Clinton Administration. If the National Debt is constantly increasing, how can McAuliffe claim that the budge was balanced?
Now tell us, was Bush being honest at the recent state of the union when he said he cut the deficit in half?
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Was the Vatican responsible for these peoples deaths or local bishops. The local bishops don't represent the offical position of the church when they are not speaking as a group in union with the pope.
The same way that some bishops are silent on abortion or gay rights even though the church has an official position.
Catholic teaching is different from what some Catholics do. I don't think that the church ever officially sactioned (a pope's encyclicals are not the same a church doctrine) murder, even of heretics.
In some places where the church was the state church and laws were derived directly from church teaching you may have had the state killing heretics and in those cases the bishops stood by and for that they were wrong. They may have had justification, in their minds, nonetheless, they were wrong and I think that John Paul has apologized for actions taken by people "on behalf of the church"
Also, if they still killed for heresy, you would hear about it in the news, especially the way everyone hates the Catholic Church.
I am not sure about the pope's exact stance on Afganistan. I believe that we were more justified going there if the terrorists were there and given safe harbor by the Taliban. Again even in Afganistan, I think the pope would say take care not to kill cilivians. If the government and the terrorists are responsible then handle them accordingly. If they can be captured and jailed for life do so. If they can't be an are killed in the war then that is justifiable because you are not attacking or killing the innocent. (that is just my view of what his view would probably be)
I appreciate honest attempts to find answers, not just attacks...so thank you. |
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1) I often read about the Catholic church's official opposition to capital punishment. However, throughout church history, the Catholic church has been directly responsible for the execution of multitudes of individuals, for the crime (in general) of heresy.
Does the church still allow for capital punishment of heretics? Was the anti-capital punishment teaching a relatively recent development and if so, did it apologize for prior acts of same by the church in its history?
2) What was the Pope's offical opinion on the Afghanistan war? Did he feel America had the right after 9/11/01 to go after the people responsible in the land that gave them the freedom to orchestrate the attacks?
Again, these are not meant as introductions to arguments - and I have no desire to comment further if one can provide the answers, I would appreciate it - simply for my own understanding of a church I do not belong to. |
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Quite possibly one of the greatest gifts the Founding Fathers gave America is the lack of an official state sponsored Religion. The reasoning behind it, is inherent to our societies deep roots with capitalism.
With no reliance on the state (and therefore the majority of the populace) for worshippers, each denomination in America, old and new, has to vie for worshippers. The church that preaches the word harder, spreads the good word clearer will net the most worshippers. This is faith capital. This doesnt mean that the number one denomination is "better" as the number one position reflects the wants and needs of the society at a given moment.
With regards to the Episcopal Church, I see a similiar experiment having been wrought from its seperation from the Church of England. There is a basic framework for worship, a macro-faith. Then there is an individual worship, the micro-faith. The Micro-faith can take on different layers, on each and every dogmatic issue, there could be different responses among a sample of Episcopalians. To us, our church is the melting pot of Christian Faith. Someone with a hardline evangelist outlook with Southern Baptist flavor is truly more than welcome, as long as they act inclusive toward others and not exclusive. This I see as very similiar to the United States' religious non-exclusion ideology. Another valuable aspect is the election of the leaders of our Diocese. As the person elected can easily reflect the collective micro-faith of its constituents. Those who we put in power is not a static position. The person in power changes if our collective micro-faith changes.
That being said, my voice is still heard within my church, though it may differ from others. It is a battle of ideology, but it is a peaceable one. One of love and respect but of different viewpoints.
The fact that someone can leave any faith for another and be happier with a different denomination is fantastic and proves the system instilled by our Founders works. |
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One of the biggest lies of the Clinton Administration, continued by Terry McAuliffe, is that the federal budget was balanced by Bill Clinton. Go to the US Treasury Bureau of the Public Debt website at http://www.sbu.gov/opd/opdpdodt.htm which shows Total Debt rising in every year of the Clinton Administration. If the National Debt is constantly increasing, how can McAuliffe claim that the budge was balanced? |
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I grew up in the Episcopal Church and left a couple of years ago. Late one night, I was channel surfing and came across a Bishop that had left his wife and children to live with a gay partner (gay does not bother me as much as bailing on your family), was talking at a Planned Parenthood rally telling them about all the great work they are doing. I could no longer go to a church where the Bishops supported the work of planned parenthood.
So Matt, please tell me why an Episcopal Bishop supports planned parenthood. It is the ultimate act of narcissism. The Bishop is the poster child for narcissism. I no longer want my children in the Episcopal church. God is forgiving but there will ultimately be a day of judgment. This is a concept that is being conveniently left out of many modern teachings. You can do what ever you want, if it feels good do because God is forgiving. I don't think that is going to fly in the end. Just look at what happened to Sodom and Gamorrah. |
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"What is punishable by death in an extremist Muslim country might NOT be the same here." |
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I am Catholic and I consider myself to be an orthodox Catholic. In essence, I follow the teachings of my church. If the church OFFICIALLY says that something is wrong or develops an OFFICIAL stance then I submit to what the church teaches.
Jesus tells us to be like the sheep to a shepherd.
That being said, I had for someone to belong to a religion and not follow it. There are many, many, many Christian denominations to choose from. Why not join one where your beliefs are shared. It seems pointless to identify yourself with something that you don't believe in.
As Matt says, essentially being Catholic is saying yes, I believe in and submit to what the church says about X.
Also, the church is not contractory about issues of life. Capital punishment is deemed acceptable in some case, just not for all things. The church teaches that if someone poses a continuous threat to others or society at large and that locking him up for life will not prove to be a reasonable solution then do what is needed.
Self-defense and necessary wars are also acceptable terms for causing the death of another person.
I understand the whole thing about getting the terrorits on their soil but I also agree with a few posters that Iraq presents a problem for me. I think that there were weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam was a threat to his people and maybe us by way of other terrorist. However, if we use the same logic that got us into Iraq then we should already be in North Korea and Iran. So something about the whole Iraq thing was not right.
That being said, yes the position of the Catholic Church is that Iraq is a tragedy because there was no immediate threat to our security or others posed by that nation. If there was a threat then perhaps it might have been possible that it could have been handled by a smaller more covert mission (like find and destroy the weapons or the terrorist themselves) not just declare war on the entire country.
On the other hand, if and when there would have been a direct or immediate threat then the action taken would have been very appropriate and the church might lament any civilians hurt but not oppose the war entirely.
Now that we are there I think that we have to win, otherwise, it makes things worse for the innocent Iraqis (no stablility)and for us (a loss means the terrorists think that they have won so they increase their activities here)
Something else that I feel I have to mention is that people should know what they are talking about before they speak. Very few people (even Catholics) really know about what the church teaches unless it is from the media or anit-Catholic sources. Educated (in the Faith) Catholics are not afraid of defending their positions if the person with whom they are speaking can challenge without uninformed bias. Learn something about the "horse" from the horses mouth.
Lastly, the church is about protecting the INNOCENT human life among us. So the church is firmly opposed to abortion because it is really and indefensible position. In cases where the mortal life of the mother is in danger the church even makes exceptions because the goal is not to kill the baby but save the mother. This is a dogma/doctrine of the church that will not change.
Capital punishment is another animal. The church opposes it in most cases because the belief is that life comes from God and except for cases of self-defense (where yours or anothers life is in immediate danger) we need to be very careful about taking someone out of this world. But criminals are not the INNOCENT among us so the church asks us to carefully consider what we are killing people for. What is punishable by death in an extremist Muslim country might be the same here. So whose version of worthy of death do we accept? Those are the moral dilemmas that the church wishes to help people avoid. The church basically is saying think about who this person is (even bad guys have value in the "eyes" of God) and why you feel it is necessary to put them to death. Being against capital punishment...period is not a dogma/doctrine of the church so as long as Catholics take care to consider ideas like just war, causes for capital punishment, etc. they are not required to agree with the church on this matter.
Captial punishment and (just)war are totally different from abortion, infanticide, murder of innocents, euthanasia (sp?).
Remember in Catholicism it is about the protection first and foremost of innocent life...
Heather
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is one oily creep. I have watched him play dumb when being interviewed by someone on Fox, and 30 minutes later on another cable station, answer those same questions affirmatively.
He is just a waste of space, but a dangerous waste of space.
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Hugh, I am not going to defend Terry McAuliff and I have not (and have no intention of) reading his book, but can you dispense with telling Roman Catholics what they should or should not believe. You are a self described "Presbyterian Catholic." I don't recall that particular branch of the Roman Catholic Church being taught in the parochial schools I attended. John Calivin (whose is the inspiration for the Presbyterians) is not recognized as a Roman Catholic Saint.
You did the same with Andrew Sullivan. It is snarky. Rather than arguing with them on matters of faith (it's a dead end like Sunnis and Shias killing each other over matters of dogma)--why not just focus on issues and policies? |
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If there is a better example of pure hypocrisy with a healthy dose of liberal thuggishness then Terry, I've yet to see it.
He's worse then a used car salesman. The type of person who is so grating, abrasive and downright rude that you go out of your way to avoid having to interact with him.
Also, I must say, I hope I'll get to see Terry's explanation to God for the late term abortion thing- the pope might not care ("right") but God sure as heck does. |
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He claims to not read blogs and he hasn't read any books on terrorism and says that he is lucky to if he can read two newspapers a day, yet towards the end of the interview, he says he gets all of his information from those newspapers. For a guy who doesn't read much, he certainly has no problem making statements that he passes off as facts.
He also cannot mention anyone from the right without taking a shot at them. His Rush Limbaugh routine was positively childish.
They have a few choice words for men like McAuliffe... none of them nice. |
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This is exactly what is wrong with America or at least the leaders in the Democrat Party. Thank you very much Hugh for the Faith and exposing him for what he is. The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has stated a few times that Relativism is one of the biggest problems facing the world at this time. Here is a quote from Cardinal Ratzinger at the Mass for the Election of the New Pope in April of 2005.
"How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.
Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires."
He has a wonderful grasp of where the state of the world is in because he has been the Head of the Doctrine of the Faith for so long. He listens extremely well. I think all of these so called Catholic politicians need to start listening to the Church instead of going there owe way. |
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I do not believe that the church says all killing is bad.
If a mass murderer comes to your neighborhood to kill another, maybe one should take this mass murderer out.
Terry McAuliffe on the other hand would just ask for money.
You wasted your breath and thought power on people such as Terry McAuliffe.
Saint Athanasios has said that if an enemy army is coming to your home and your neighbor's home you should take up arms to defend yourself and your nation.
This was around the time of 400 AD. A certain warrior developed a struggle with his conscience and the teachings of Jesus.
Saint Athanasios (I believe - may be another Saint around that era). Said to the warrior: It is good to struggle with your belief, but we need you at the battle that will soon be here. And the reason you should go is that it is ok to kill when you are killing to defend your neighbors, brothers and sisters from unspeakable acts of the enemy.
A Greek orthodox point of View,
Tony |
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"Smash the moral compass! Full steam ahead to yet win at all costs!" Isn't that in the Cathechism...or is it the catachasm? |
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...Killing not Necessarily Murder!
muirgeo writes: »Hugh you are such a great Catholic... does the Pope know you support this war that has killed hundreds of thousands? Holier then thou are you?«
The word, "kill," in, "Thou shalt not kill!" is more closely associated with the Hebrew word for murder.
Killing, in self-defense, is allowed.
F'rinstance, you'd kill the dude who attacks your mother, or would you serve him tea and cookies? |
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I found the comments made by Shooter quite disheartening. That being said i found McAuliffe's even worse.
As an Anglo-Catholic of the Episcopal faith I identify myself as pro-life. No bones about it. That being said I believe in state's rights just as strong as the sanctity of life. If liberal Mass. (the state) wants abortions but the entire country does not (decided by state law and not federal) so be it. States rights is an inherent part of the nature of this country. Our inalienable rights given by God can be used to make the wrong decisions just as much as the right ones. The key is that those who make the right decisions help those find the right path. It is the responsibility of our society(not the government) to foster the culture of life. It is a war of ideology not of laws. And by ideology I dont mean you must be Christian to be pro-life. Abortion is currently legal in this country yet look at the vast strides pro life groups have made in reducing the amount of abortions. We are winning the war regardless of what race,sex and religion.
The problem with Mr. McAuliffe is he is not being honest with himself and with people and thats an issue of character. The minute he fixes that, even though I disagree with his positions I will have much more respect for him. The nature of Roman Catholicism (as opposed to Anglican and Orthodox Catholicisms) is the inherent belief in the Dogma set by the Vatican. Anything outside of that is indeed something other than what McAuliffe states to be. This is what he needs to come to terms with. |
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Hugh you are such a great Catholic... does the Pope know you support this war that has killed hundreds of thousands? Holier then thou are you?
Does the Pope know you support policies that hurt the poor and transfer more and more money to an elite few?
Don't plan on just passing by the Pearly Gates bud....you'll have your own answers to give. |
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The Catholic Church is opposed to capital punishment in virtually all cases. Both Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict have spoken in opposition to "preventative wars" in general and the war in Iraq in particular.
Admittedly I'm not a Catholic, I'm a Jew. But it seems to me that both conservatives and lberals are selective in their reliance on religious teachings- including Catholics. |
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Hugh,
Good job on trippning up McAuliffe's self-serving refernces to his Catholicism. The bishops need to take a cue from you. |
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A pro choice catholic is really an oxymoron. It is truly an unresolveable position. It is mortal sin territory.
Hugh hit a nerve and Terry couldn't shake him off a bad position.
I sure wouldn't want to be sitting in the same pew with Terry and John Kerry when the day of reckoning comes.. |
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Seems to me like Terry is the one who has Rush under his skin. There was a very strange psychology going on in that interview. Wow. |
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If you don't believe in the teachings, why call yourself a Catholic? Join the Unitarian church. Or, move to New Hampshire and join the Episcopal church. |
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What a classless jerk he continues to be. |
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