Reflections by Brad Balfour
For the second time in American history, an Irish Catholic has been elected President. It took half a century and a lot of misses but it has happened again with Joseph Biden’s tipping the scale of electoral college votes in his favor. On Saturday, he blew past the 270 base and went up to 290 votes to Trump’s 214. That led him to be declared the President Elect by such media outlets as Fox News and CNN.
Despite President Trump’s effort to claim fraud and raise the specter of suits and other threats, no evidence has been offered to prove these allegations and several judges have ruled that his lawsuits lack credible evidence. As a result, Biden will be the 46th President along with Kamala Harris as his Vice President.
In the 1960 presidential election, Irish Catholic Senator John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated his Republican opponent Richard Nixon, who was the incumbent vice president. Much b
allyhoo was made about Kennedy being a Catholic. In those days, there were many who were suspicious of Catholics with ultra conservatives questioning whether Kennedy’s loyalty was divided (suggesting that the Pope was his ultimate authority).
Like Biden, Kennedy was a moderate who hoped to get much accomplished during his administration. Sadly, he was assassinated during his third year in office, just as the Vietnam war and racial division ratcheted up the political temperature of the country.
There have been Irish Catholics on both sides of the aisle who have had considerable political power but it had once been considered a difficult hurdle for a politician to achieve the Presidency. In Biden’s run for President, it didn’t seem to be as much of a lightning rod. Though some far-right evangelicals have condemned Biden and Harris, Biden is known for being a devoutly religious man who attends church regularly and is very proud of both his Catholic and Irish roots.
Biden’s great-great-great grandfather Edward Blewitt was born in Ballina, County Mayo, and emigrated to Scranton, Pa., just after the great Irish famine of 1845 to 1849. The town has produced not one but two presidents. Besides Biden, global human rights advocate Mary Robinson became Ireland’s first female head of state. She won election on Nov. 7, 1990 — exactly 30 years before Mr. Biden’s victory.
Biden can look to Ireland for inspiration in other ways. Though it had been a country that once seemed religiously rigid, in the last few years it has made incredible leaps forward in legalizing abortion, allowing same sex marriage and electing a gay Taoiseach (prime minister) — Leo Varadkar — who also had South Asian roots.
With a concern for human rights, inclusion and diversity, Biden also reflects a modern Irish point of view as well as a Catholic one. Pope Francis has been a strong advocate for the poor, the environment and has even considered accepting civil unions for gay couples. Though the 78-year-old Delaware resident seems to clash with some conservative Catholics because of his pro-choice stance, most of Biden’s political positions are informed by his strong belief in a social justice version of Catholicism. Going forward, it will be fascinating to see how Biden’s views will intersect with or veer away from his core religious expression.