Romney/Ryan is first major party ticket with no Protestant on it.

[milhouse24]

I think we should all admit that white Catholics are the most powerful swing voters in this country.  The republicans know that the southern evangelicals will always vote for them. 

Now in order to win the swing states, the GOP needs to appeal to the "Reagan Democrats" which are essentially white Catholics (who voted for Kennedy, FDR, etc.). 

The southern evangelicals may stay home, but then they concede to the half-black Obama and the Liberal Democrats. 

Catholic Paul Ryan ensures Romney victories in Iowa, Ohio, Florida, and Wisconsin. 

[milhouse24]

The Catholic vote is indistinguishable from the American electorate as a whole.

That is certainly a superficial remark, and perhaps alludes to America being more atheist and secular.  

Different states have different demographics.  Reagan really brought white Catholics into the mainstream.  He was part Irish.  But then again, most of the country voted for Reagan.  The great fear is that Catholics going back to the working class/pro-immigrant Democrat Party.  Many Kennedy Catholics and Norrthern Catholics are socially liberal.  

Ohio is the perfect bellweather state because it has a mix of Catholics and Protestants, and high number of working class voters.  

Its not specifically the religion label, but how the candidate speaks culturally to religious groups.  Rick Santorum appealed strongly to Evangelicals.  George W Bush appealed to Catholics.  Paul Ryan should be able to cross over to Evangelicals and also connect to devout Catholic voters.  

Pollsters look for anything that gives them an advantage, and present day, a Catholic appeals to swing voters far more than a evangelical candidate.

[milhouse24]

No, because the Catholic vote is now so fragmented that I doubt it will transform into a bloc vote.

The USA is becoming more Catholic as a whole, especially with more Hispanic immigrants. 

It makes complete sense for the GOP to embrace Catholic candidates if they want to survive for the next 50 years. 

Democrats think they have a lock on Hispanic and Catholic voters, but that will go away. 

Its pretty cool to think that Catholics have taken over from the Protestants as the most powerful religious group in the country. 

[milhouse24]

No, because the Catholic vote is now so fragmented that I doubt it will transform into a bloc vote.

The USA is becoming more Catholic as a whole, especially with more Hispanic immigrants. 

It makes complete sense for the GOP to embrace Catholic candidates if they want to survive for the next 50 years. 

Democrats think they have a lock on Hispanic and Catholic voters, but that will go away. 

Its pretty cool to think that Catholics have taken over from the Protestants as the most powerful religious group in the country. 

The bolded part is false. The US is not becoming more Catholic. Immigrants to the US as a whole are about 40% Catholic, but this only modest increase only offsets the loss of Catholics already here in conversions. The Catholic Church only keeps about 68% of its followers from one generation to the next, truthfully a higher percentage than almost all of the Protestant sects, but the Catholic Church only attracts a very small number of converts compared to other sects, so the overall percentage would be decreasing with no immigration. The two effects roughly offset.

But the other immigrants are likely Muslims, Indian-Hindus, Asian-buddists/atheists.  So its not like the WASP population is growing in the US from more WASP immigrants. 

[milhouse24]

I thought Lutherens were the most popular denomination. 

We need more Quakers - like Nixon.

[milhouse24]

No, because the Catholic vote is now so fragmented that I doubt it will transform into a bloc vote.

The USA is becoming more Catholic as a whole, especially with more Hispanic immigrants. 

It makes complete sense for the GOP to embrace Catholic candidates if they want to survive for the next 50 years. 

Democrats think they have a lock on Hispanic and Catholic voters, but that will go away. 

Its pretty cool to think that Catholics have taken over from the Protestants as the most powerful religious group in the country. 

The bolded part is false. The US is not becoming more Catholic. Immigrants to the US as a whole are about 40% Catholic, but this only modest increase only offsets the loss of Catholics already here in conversions. The Catholic Church only keeps about 68% of its followers from one generation to the next, truthfully a higher percentage than almost all of the Protestant sects, but the Catholic Church only attracts a very small number of converts compared to other sects, so the overall percentage would be decreasing with no immigration. The two effects roughly offset.

But the other immigrants are likely Muslims, Indian-Hindus, Asian-buddists/atheists.  So its not like the WASP population is growing in the US from more WASP immigrants. 

No, the WASP percentage is shrinking rather quickly. But it isn't the Catholic percentage that's increasing, it's the none/other.

As an organized political force, that would make Catholic church members the fastest growing group.  The immigrants from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, are quite small compared to Catholics.  Therefore Catholics win by default.