Catholic Vote Critical for Dems in Pa.

David Leege, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, contends that a strong woman leader who can make it in a man's world appeals to a generation of Catholic women who worked outside the home before most of their Protestant neighbors.

"For many of them, Hillary Rodham Clinton represents a hero," he said.

A woman candidate appeals to Dorothy Bouselli, 81, a Catholic who joined other senior citizens at the Dunmore Community Center outside of Scranton for a lunch of pierogis, the potato-filled, Eastern European-style dumplings.

"It's time for a woman to come in and clean house," Bouselli said.

Margaret Palukonis, 87, a former bakery worker from Throop who is also a Catholic, said she started questioning Obama's message of change when she heard comments from Wright in which he said "God damn America" for its treatment of minorities.

"America is a wonderful, wonderful country," Palukonis said. "If people don't like America, why do they stay here? Don't stay here. I wouldn't stay here if I didn't like it. We like it. We like it like it is. We don't want a change."

Palukonis said she opposes abortion, but doesn't think it's an issue that belongs in politics.

In Pennsylvania, many Democrats were outraged in 1992 when party leaders denied Gov. Casey a prime-time spot to speak out against abortion at the Democratic convention that nominated Clinton's husband.

In 2006, Casey's son handily defeated Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, a fellow Catholic, by winning a majority of the Catholic vote and gaining back some voters who had shifted to the Republican Party. Like his father, the younger Casey opposes abortion rights.

Even he acknowledges that a "Casey Democrat" is difficult to define. He noted that while his father was socially conservative, he was progressive in appointing women and minorities and going after polluters, as well as starting Pennsylvania's children's health insurance program.

"I don't think you can necessarily reliably predict how Catholics will vote," said the younger Casey. "Some Catholic voters will put more of an emphasis on social justice. Some will put more weight on the war. Others will put more weight on the issue of abortion."

In general elections, Democratic presidential candidates since Bill Clinton in 1992 won the Catholic vote in the state — as well as Pennsylvania.

Since last year's election, the number of Democrats in Pennsylvania has increased by more than 161,000. The defectors include Catholics like Chris Molitoris, 22, who was a registered Republican but switched his party registration so he can vote in the Democratic primary for Obama.

Molitoris, who is from Plains near Scranton and is the student president at the University of Scranton, a Catholic Jesuit university, interned for Santorum's campaign two years ago. Like his Catholic parents, he says he's opposed to abortion, but he says he's more willing to consider a candidate who is not. He says he thinks Obama would best represent the United States on the world stage.

"I'm pro-life, but I don't want to look at just the pro-life issue alone to determine the quality of the candidate. I've taken more of, I guess, a holistic approach in looking at the whole entire package," Molitoris said.

Christina Drogalis, 21, from Old Forge, is a Catholic and student at the same university. She supports Obama too.

"I think Hillary Clinton might have too much of a legacy. It sort of feels to me too much of the same old thing," Drogalis said.

At the community center, the same old thing isn't such a bad thing to C.J. Sleyo, 90, a Catholic who plans to vote for Clinton. The retired teacher recalled fondly that as a kid, "We were Democrats with FDR and that kept it going."

Gorski reported from Denver and Hefling reported from Scranton, Pa., and Washington, D.C.

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