Are Catholics now so \u201csuccessfully\u201d assimilated into American political life that they are without political impact\u2014that there really is no such thing as a \u201cCatholic vote\u201d? Unfortunately enough, Catholics are largely indistinguishable from non-Catholics and, despite a few pundits, no, there really is no \u201cCatholic vote.\u201d This obvious conclusion\u2014clear enough from the fact that the vote for the winning candidates in the last national election was approximately the same for Catholics and non-Catholics\u2014has serious current implications as the anti-Catholic posturing of the Obama Administration escalates.<\/p>\n
Various studies have tried to detect a voting pattern in order to justify the term \u201cCatholic vote.\u201d One attempt distinguishes Catholics in general from \u201cpracticing\u201d Catholics. Another sorts Catholics into three categories: practicing, nominal (or \u201ccafeteria Catholics\u201d), and Hispanics. A third variant, sees as many as five categories of Catholic voter: ethnic blue collar types; suburban Catholics; Midwestern German and Polish Catholics; Hispanics; and the cafeteria Catholics.<\/p>\n