Catholics Returning to GOP Fold. Why?

Religion is undoubtedly the cultural divide in our electoral system. More accurate than any demographic is the observant religious vs. the occasionally religious or agnostic. So I guess if you want McCain to win, go convert somebody.

The past month has seen an increase in Catholics returning to the Republican fold now that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has joined McCain on the ticket. Team Obama is none too pleased with that as a main reason for the selection of Biden was to woo Catholics.

But why the sudden shift.

Before the veep announcements, McCain and Obama split the votes of white Catholics who attend church weekly. McCain has now opened a 16 percentage point lead among these Catholics, according to a poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

Catholics overall (meaning Christmas Catholics and observant Catholics together) are tilting McCain. This is from Pew:

This is good news for the pro-life community and although its difficult to say what it is due to, many pundits are saying it was the Palin announcement. I’m a big fan of Sarah Palin and her selection has invigorated me and many people I know. But I also have to wonder if it had something to do with the bishops coming out publicly against the statements of Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. Amazing what a little evangelizing and instruction can do, huh?