Why Catholics for Obama?
by Sister Lea

It was no coincidence that the Kennedy/King era coincided with Vatican II. Both Kennedy and King embodied a new vision for government in the same way that Vatican II brought forth a new vision for Church.
As Vatican II Catholics, we have considerable reason to support Obama. For us, Christ laid down his life to prove that God was NOT about domination and power OVER us. For us, Jesus' message was that of a God WITH us, a God who inspires and motivates us to love one another and care for each other. For us, Church and World are inseparably linked. It's not a case of one fighting the other in a turf war.
Like Vatican II, the world today teaches us a new salvation-view. We WILL work together to save each other AND there will be NO salvation until we do just that. Salvation by proxy is NOT an option. Iraq proves that if nothing else.
From the beginning of his campaign, Barack Obama has called us all to the difficult tasks at hand, reminding us that the time for singular saviors has passed. We know too well that singular saviors can be "erased" or made ineffective. The good news is that hope and change cannot be driven into oblivion as long as one person remembers and reminds us who we are together. Barack remembers and calls us to our power and responsibility.

It is time for an end to cynicism and apathy in regard to politics. The time has come for transforming the way the system works. Experience and success with the old system isn't enough today.

Barack Obama recognizes this. And so do Caroline and Ted Kennedy.