Kasie Hunt is charged with covering GOP candidates for NBC and MSNBC, as they vie for the nomination in 2016. She has a history of acquiescence with pundits like Jihad Joe Scarborough that both sides are to blame for any malady that afflicts this nation. Today, she speaks about the challenges the Papal visit to the United States will present to GOP Presidential Candidates, especially the Catholic ones.
Mika asks Kasie how Republican lawmakers are preparing for the visit. Kasie explains that this is a different kind of Pope.
"He's changing the way the Church is impacting American politics. He calls Capitalism the 'dung of the devil' and insisted there should be a revolution to combat climate change."
Funny how this Pope isn't suppose to pontificate on political issues, but it's just fine for the Republicans to impose their religious views on the American people (i.e. the Planned Parenthood hearings).
The sanctity of life for Republicans ends when the fetus becomes a baby and they can savagely cut programs to help the young and their mothers. Ultimately, they hope to profit off these kids when they eventually show up in one of their for-profit prisons and if all goes well, they can captivate their base with another Death Penalty sentence. Maybe they can even profit from the lethal injection pharmaceuticals.
Pope Francis' popularity makes things 'uncomfortable' for these candidates. Hunt plays a clip of Jeb Bush saying,
"I hope I'm not like, gonna get get castigated for this by my priest back home, but I don't get economic policy from my Bishops or my Cardinals or by my Pope."
Kasie lists some of his causes célèbre like his support for the Iran Deal, man-made climate change, advocating for the voiceless poor, and U.S. relations with Cuba. The next soundbite came from Marco Rubio:
"Well I'd also ask His Holiness to take up the cause of freedom and democracy."
He wants the Pope to hold his political views and not acknowledge those who have other political leanings. Once again, how about when you take your religion out of your political decisions, Marco and then perhaps, Pope Francis will not comment on matters that relate to politics, even if they affect the members of the Catholic Church. Of course, that's impossible for the godly GOP to do. Kasie Hunt never mentions that so many of the Republicans running for president suggest that the Bible should replace the Constitution.
Kasie notes the huge change in the attitude of many U.S. Catholics. The Church had traditionally been a Republican stronghold and now, is more in line with the Democratic platform. Rush Limbaugh says,
"And essentially what this papal encycle is suggesting, is that every Catholic should vote for the Democrat party."
Of course, no one on MSNBC ever acknowledges the invective 'Democrat party,' especially a 'journalist' like Kasie Hunt.
The three Catholic Candidates in the Senate (Rubio, Cruz and Rand Paul) will attend the Pope's Congressional appearance. Chris Christie and Jeb Bush will take out time of their campaigns to see their Pope. Trump is not interested because the Pope believes in climate change, and Kasie mentions that Trump is a Presbyterian and has no admiration for the Pope.
The Holy Father's Congressional speech won't be your typical address. There won't be applause during his address and he rarely speaks in English. The poor optics of a split chamber with half standing in applause and the other sitting quietly, is something the GOP would rather prevent. The causes he advocates, especially those with regards to the poor, are antithetical to the mantra of the party of the 1%.
This visit is in sharp contrast to the overwhelming support that the GOP lent to Bibi Netanyahu during his March 2015 Congressional Address. Speaker Boehner invited the Israeli PM without the blessing of the White House, which is not the case for the overwhelmingly bi-partisan Pope Francis' address.
If this Pope advocated for traditional Catholic values, much like Pope Benedict, the Republicans would probably pay little attention to the caveats on his speeches. Since he is more forgiving and more like the Jesus Christ they say they love, the GOP is running interference as much as they can while he's in the U.S.A.
