Michael Sean Winters

Michael Sean Winters is the author of Left At the Altar: How Democrats Lost The Catholics And How Catholics Can Save The Democrats (Basic Books, 2008). His biography of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, God's Right Hand: How Jerry Falwell Made God a Republican and Baptized the American Right was published by Harper One in January 2012 to critical acclaim. 

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Links: Stagflation, judicial review, living out American ideals

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: David Axelrod urges Congress to avoid excluding from Medicaid funding larger long-term care facilities, stagflation may be making a comeback and America is about seeking to better live out the meaning of our foundational creeds.

Fireworks appear above the White House North Portico, lit in red, white and blue lights, July 4, 2020, during the Salute to America Fourth of July celebration. (Official White House photo/Keegan Barber)

This Fourth of July, let's see if we can keep our democracy

Distinctly Catholic: We Americans grow up thinking we are on a path that leads onward and upward. We never stop to think that things might not get better. They might get worse.

Links: GOP donor pays to deploy troops, heatwave shows rise in climate events

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: A Trump-worshiping sycophancy; GOP's non-strategy on climate change; the creation of New York City's Central Park

President Biden's sunglasses are seen on the Resolute Desk during an April 11 infrastructure meeting with White House staff in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House photo/Cameron Smith)

Will Mitch McConnell make the Democrats win?

Distinctly Catholic: Economic issues matter most to a lot of people who are not very powerful, blue collar workers and the poor, people left out of the neo-liberal economic success story that has been the dominant socio-cultural reality since the Reagan years.

Links: A popular pope, Garry Wills on abortion and the 'barstool' party

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Even Republican Catholics have favorable opinion of Pope Francis; a discussion about free speech, media, truth and lies; Puerto Rico's failing fossil fuel infrastructure

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski distributes Communion during Mass at St. Pius X Catholic Church during the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2018 spring assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (CNS/Bob Roller)

The zealots demand the US bishops name names in Communion document

Distinctly Catholic: My fear is not that the eventual document will adopt this lousy EWTN theology hook, line and sinker. But if the bishops give so much as an inch to the zealots, the harm to the church will continue.

The interior of the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis (Wikimedia Commons/Andreas Faessler)

Grace abounds at Association of US Catholic Priests' meeting

Distinctly Catholic: These bright, loving priests have given their lives to the happy task of channeling God's grace and, what is more difficult, helping the rest of us notice the grace that is already at work.

Meryl Streep stars in the 2006 movie "The Devil Wears Prada." (CNS/20th Century Fox)

Links: Bishops, Communion and culture wars; getting tired of Twitter

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Rhoades keeps being unclear; bishops ensure "discord will reign supreme"; more Trump power abuse; a Nigerian writer takes on Twitter; let movies be movies.

People photograph MSNBC's Chris Matthews as his show Hardball prepares to go on the air Jan. 31, 2016, from Java Joe's coffee shop in Des Moines, Iowa. (Flickr/Phil Roeder, CC by 2.0)

Chris Matthews' autobiography is good first draft of history

Distinctly Catholic: Chris Matthews, former host of "Hardball," has a new autobiography out. It reads like you would expect a book by Matthews to read: It is rambunctious, smart, attentive and fearless.

A bronze copy of sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi's model for the Statue of Liberty is seen in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris. (Wikimedia Commons/Tieum512)

Links: Declericalizing seminary formation; petition for those who hate billionaires

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Pope Francis reaffirms workers' right to organize; cooling buildings with paper; a smaller Statue of Liberty headed to U.S.; keeping Jeff Bezos in space.

Msgr. Jeffrey D. Burrill, general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, reads voting results June 18, on a proposal that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' doctrine committee draft a formal statement on "the meaning of the Eucharist

The collapse of the US bishops' conference

Distinctly Catholic: What we witnessed last week at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' spring meeting was outrageous. Does the conference leadership understand that there was no synodality last week at their meeting?

US bishops' meeting: Disrespect and disunity on full display

Distinctly Catholic: The proponents of drafting a document probably win the ballot. But they have lost something far greater. They have divided the conference in ways it has never been divided in my lifetime, perhaps ever.

Samantha Power (in red shirt), head of USAID, visits the chapel at Central American University in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 14. (Flickr/USAID)

Links: Vigneron's hypocrisy; Samantha Power in El Salvador; kudos to US mayors

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Catholic News Agency "updates" a bunk story; Archbishop Vigneron on sowing division; an interview with Gloria Purvis; mayors need national thanks.

Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, conference president, are pictured in the studio at conference headquarters in Washington Nov. 16, 2020. (CNS)

Get vaccinated against lousy Communion arguments at US bishops' meeting

Distinctly Catholic: As the U.S. bishops meet, all eyes will be focused on whether they will agree to draft a document on the Eucharist — a proposal that originated after Biden's election. Get ready for lousy arguments.

Links: Polarization today; repression in Russia; biggest threat to Biden's agenda

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Tax hikes on the wealthy and confronting gross inequality; hopefully overcoming polarization; the debate on eucharistic coherence

Having doubted Jesus' instruction to lower the nets, and then seeing the enormous catch of fish they achieved, Peter says to the Lord, "Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinner." (Wikimedia Commons/Vassil)

Can the US bishops grasp Pope Francis' ecclesial vision?

Distinctly Catholic: As the U.S. bishops are set to begin a Zoom meeting, they are in crisis: They are at each other's throats. They need to meet face-to-face, and they need to read Francis' letter to Cardinal Marx.

Pro Publica report on tax evasion gives Dems an opening

Distinctly Catholic: The Pro Publica report is the best thing to happen to the Democratic Party in years, if only they will snatch it up and run with it.

Links: Good news from the Hague and Joe Biden goes to Europe

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Biden goes to Europe; the state of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate; we aren't out of the woods yet with COVID-19

A bishop prays on the first day of the annual general assembly of the U.S. bishops' conference June 11, 2019, in Baltimore. (CNS /Bob Roller)

A defense of the culture warrior bishops — sort of

Distinctly Catholic: For U.S. Catholics in this moment, empathy demands that we view those with whom we disagree in the most favorable light. So, today, I should like to defend the culture warrior bishops.

Links: Biden's first diplomatic victory; ACLU's changing politics; analysis of US church

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Taxing corporations; free speech and the American Civil Liberties Union; Netanyahu's departure; synodal strides since 1985; gardens and climate change.

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