Monday, Feb. 2, 2004 | 9:04 a.m.
I am a Democrat who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place every election. I am proud of what the Democrats have done over the last 75 years -- The New Deal, The Fair Deal, The Great Society, the Marshall Plan, the United Nations, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and the other things that Democrats have done to make this country and the world a better place.
But I am a Catholic and find myself seriously out of place with my party over the abortion issue and now the gay marriage issue. Becoming a Republican is out of the question for me, especially after the last 20 years of the Reagan revolution, which I consider a major step backward for this country.
I want to support the Democrats because that is the best way for average working people to protect themselves aganst powerful corporate interests. But I will always support my church in its fight to defend the sanctity of life and marriage.
The Democratic leaders have to begin to understand that their positions on these issues have driven many people out of the party and helped Republicans use these issues to get votes, and I think the only reason Republicans are pro-life is to get votes.
GARY BAUMAN
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