American Catholics expressed their discontent following Kamala Harris’s decision to forgo attending the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday night. This event, which is known for raising funds for Catholic charities, is usually attended by candidates from both major political parties.
“Kamala Harris’ snub of the Al Smith dinner is insulting, though unsurprising, considering her track record of hostility towards Catholics and people of faith,” Brian Burch, president of the Catholic Vote organization, said.
Harris’ absence marked her as the first significant party candidate to miss the event since Walter Mondale in 1984, a point that former President Trump emphasized in his comments.
“The last Democrat not to attend this important event was Walter Mondale and it did not go very well for him. He lost 49 states and he won one. Minnesota,” Trump remarked.
Harris opted to submit a pre-recorded video featuring herself alongside former “Saturday Night Live” star Molly Shannon, who revisited her Catholic school girl character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, instead of attending the event in person.
“The video made me uncomfortable, the notion of seeing a Catholic school girl unattended at the Biden White House felt unsettling even if it was an adult in a skit,” Matthew Regner, a Texas-based Catholic said.
Watch:
“The video made me uncomfortable, the notion of seeing a Catholic school girl unattended at the Biden White House felt unsettling even if it was an adult in a skit,” Matthew Regner, a Texas-based Catholic said.
Catholics criticized what they perceived as her effort to ridicule the faith and denounced her decision to participate in sex-oriented podcasts such as “Call Her Daddy” in the context of the charity dinner.
“Harris has made clear that she is an unserious candidate who prefers to appear on explicit sex podcasts and make cringe videos mocking Catholic beliefs than risk offending her radically far-left base. Catholic voters have got the message: she hates what we believe and thinks she can win without us. If history is any guide, she likely just doomed her election chances,” Branch said.
Lulis echoed those sentiments.
“Her skipping the event—while making time to appear on provocative shows like Call Her Daddy—was meant to show Catholic voters that she openly hates and disrespects our faith, making her the most anti-Catholic presidential candidate in American history,” she said.
“Her snub of the traditional dinner was a risky move, considering Harris’ faltering poll numbers among Catholic voters,” Branch noted.
“I’d be hard pressed to say that any Catholic that attempts to keep the faith and is well educated on Catholic teaching would be swayed to vote for Kamala after seeing the video,” Regner concluded.
