November 4 – 5, 2006
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ADECISIONS special publication for Maryland’s Catholic community ’06 November 4 – 5, 2006 Benjamin L. Cardin Michael S. Steele Robert L. Ehrlich Martin J. O’Malley For 20 years now, the Maryland Catholic Conference has used its surveys of political candidates to assist Maryland Catholics in making prudent election choices. This year, candidates for governor, the U.S. Congress, and the state General Assembly received as many as four written Conference invitations to share their views with Maryland Catholics on a wide range of public-policy issues. Conference surveys focused on education and family concerns, respect-for-life issues, and social- justice matters. This special publication for Catholic voters reports the results. Every vote counts! VOTE NOV. 7th! 2 Maryland Decisions ’06 • November 4 – 5, 2006 Candidates for U.S. Senate Speak Ben Cardin promises to listen Michael Steele calls for change; to many voices if elected to Senate ‘a different voice in the room’ BY GEORGE P. MATYSEK JR. BY GEORGE P. MATYSEK JR. [email protected] [email protected] Benjamin L. Cardin was one of a small Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele acknowledges number of congressmen who voted against he is an unusual candidate for the U.S. Sen- the war in Iraq. It wasn’t a popular vote, but ate. it’s a vote Mr. Cardin was proud of then and As a Catholic, African-American Repub- one he’s proud of now. lican who once studied to become an Augus- Should Marylanders elect him to the U.S. tinian priest and who sometimes rejects Senate this November, the longtime Mary- positions of his own party, the Republican land legislator said he would continue to nominee said he doesn’t easily fit stereo- stand by his convictions even when it might types. be politically difficult. It’s precisely that straight-forward, inde- “I don’t think Iraq was a danger to the pendent spirit that will make him an agent United States that justified the use of force,” of change and a “fresh voice” in Washing- said Mr. Cardin in an Oct. 24 interview ton, he said. with The Baltimore Catholic Review at his Mr. Steele spoke with the board of gover- campaign headquarters in Catonsville. nors and administrative board of the Mary- The Democratic senatorial nominee, who land Catholic Conference Oct. 19 at St. John has represented the state’s third congressio- Neumann church, Annapolis. He was inter- nal district since 1986, had been scheduled Congressman Ben Cardin viewed by representatives of The Baltimore Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to be interviewed by the board of governors House. Catholic Review and The Catholic Standard life issue,” said Mr. Steele, who supports a and administrative board of the Maryland “It’s in our interest to do that from the in Washington later that same day. federal conscience clause preventing dis- Catholic Conference Oct. 19, but canceled point of view of trying to plant the seeds of “I think we’ve fallen on the sword of labels crimination against health-care providers his appearance because of a campaign peace internationally,” he said. and we’re not recognizing the value of ser- who do not perform abortions. event with President Bill Clinton. A strong advocate of the pro-choice posi- vice, the value of new ideas and the value of “What we realize now is that maybe there “Iraq was not involved in an attack on our tion on abortion and a supporter of embry- individuals who want to commit to some- is something more to this little embryo than country,” he said. “I said on the House floor onic stem cell research, Mr. Cardin said he thing a little bit different than the status initially meets the eye,” he said. when I cast my vote against it that it could would advance both of those positions in quo,” said Mr. Steele, a parishioner of St. The U.S. Senate candidate supports legis- lead to the type of circumstance that we see the Senate. Mary church, Landover Hills, and a mem- lation to prohibit physician-assisted suicide, now.” The Catholic Church opposes embryonic ber of the Knights of Columbus, who grew and he favors a ban on human cloning. The only time a preemptive war policy stem cell research because it results in the up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He emphasized that he doesn’t “beat peo- can be justified, he said, is if there is “direct destruction of human life. “I see this Senate race as an opportunity ple over the head” with his views and that evidence that there was an imminent attack The Baltimore native defended a voting for Marylanders to take a different course,” he is willing to listen to all sides on contro- on the United States.” He emphasized the record that took the pro-choice side on each he said, “to say to the country that we want versial issues. need for diplomacy and international coop- of the 92 abortion-related votes he cast in to try something a little bit different. We If a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court eration. the House of Representatives – including 14 want to put a different voice in the room.” comes to the Senate, Mr. Steele said he “I do think that the morality of war needs on partial-birth abortion, according to the Asserting that his Catholic faith is an would apply no litmus test when he consid- to be better articulated by our faith lead- National Right to Life Committee. essential part of his identity, Mr. Steele said ers whether to support the nomination. The ers because clearly, war represents a fail- “I have consistently opposed the legisla- his pro-life positions on abortion, embryon- lieutenant governor said he would want to ure,” said Mr. Cardin, a member of the Beth tion of medical procedures,” he said, assert- ic stem cell research and the death penal- learn about a nominee’s temperament. He Tfiloh Synagogue in Baltimore. ing that the best way of lowering the abor- ty flow from his deeply-held moral convic- would expect “smart, articulate, thoughtful “It’s a failure of foreign policy, human tion rate is working to reduce unintended tions on the sanctity of human life. men and women to serve on that bench,” he rights and dealing with border security,” he pregnancies. Mr. Steele opposes the expansion of abor- said. said. “We should always use war as a mat- “I want to reduce abortions in America, tion funding and federal funding of embry- Questioned about his positions on pre- ter of last resort when you’re really being but it’s not by making those who perform onic stem cell research, a form of research emptive and preventative war policies, Mr. threatened.” abortions criminals,” insisted Mr. Cardin, rejected by the Catholic Church because it Steele said he might be supportive of an Mr. Cardin said he favored increased for- who said he supports the death penalty in results in the destruction of human life. action against an enemy that is preparing eign aid focused on development assistance the most heinous cases. Mr. Steele agreed it would have been an attack. and debt relief for the poorest countries. He While he supports conscience clauses that politically expedient to change his views “The first course should always be diplo- noted that less than 1 percent of the feder- protect physicians who have moral objec- in a state where voters have tended to vote macy – that route of engaging a country al budget is devoted to foreign aid – down tions to abortion, Mr. Cardin said he could against his positions on hot-button social before invading a country,” he said. from more than 2 percent two decades ago. not support conscience clauses that would issues. The candidate said he’s “not for shooting “I think a great nation engages interna- be used “to deny access to facilities.” “But if this is who you are, this is what first and asking questions later.” tionally,” said Mr. Cardin, a member of the He promised that he would not make you believe – why would I shy away from “But I am for preparations and placing Maryland House of Delegates from 1967- abortion a litmus test for nominees to the that?” he said. ourselves in a posture that if it’s in our best 86 and a former Maryland Speaker of the See BENJAMIN CARDIN page 6 Science “has proven the point on the pro- See MICHAEL STEELE page 6 Maryland Decisions ’06 • November 4 – 5, 2006 3 Candidates for Maryland Governor Speak Gov. Ehrlich wants four more years, As governor, Martin O’Malley says he challenges Catholics to ‘get me the votes’ would seek ‘common ground’ BY GEORGE P. MATYSEK JR. BY GEORGE P. MATYSEK JR. [email protected] [email protected] Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is ready to If he’s elected the next governor of Mary- serve another term as Maryland’s chief land, Baltimore Mayor Martin J. O’Malley executive and he has a challenge for Cath- said he will search for “common ground” in olic leaders should he win reelection: get a spirit of compromise on a whole host of him the votes in the legislature to pass key controversial issues. initiatives favored by the state’s Catholic Whether it’s abortion, slots or civil unions, bishops. the Democratic nominee said he’s ready to In an Oct. 19 interview with the board seek a middle road. of governors and administrative board of During an Oct. 19 interview with the board the Maryland Catholic Conference, held of governors and administrative board of at St.