The Democratic Party is facing a Catholic apocalypse

[TJ in Oregon]

The trend toward middle class suburban growth among Catholics and the slow death of the oldschool ethnic Democratic Catholic machines has been going on for decades now. The older white Catholic Democrats--who were actually both Catholic and Democrats--are dying off day by day and their children are mostly one or the other. The reason why this showed so much between 2008 and 2012 was that the antifada strain of the Democratic Party was especially vocal in the War on Women/contraception/gay marriage debates. There is some cost to taking those positions, and losing a few points among white Catholics is one of them.

Similarly, the Democrats might be able to get my vote if they wanted it; but why would they bother? If I were them, I wouldn't try to get my vote. They can win without me. Analogously, they can win without winning the white Catholic vote so long as they win progressives and minorities. It may be the start of a realignment, but it's certainly not an apocalypse for the Democrats.