Terry McAuliffe And Me: Just A Couple of Irish Catholic Kids Kicking Around Catholic Teaching
My interview with Terry McAuliffe today had many interesting exchanges, as when I asked Terry about his hatred for Rush Limbaugh, or why Juanita Broaddick wasn’t mentioned in the book:
HH: Okay. No mention of Juanita Broaddick. Not important to you?
TM: I don’t even know…who was Juanita Broaddick?
Terry’s grip on new media is also a little tenuous:
HH: How about the Kos kids. Do they worry you?
TM: The who?
HH: Daily Kos?
TM: What do you mean, worry me?
HH: I mean, are you happy to have them? I mean, they’re vulgar, a little bit stupid, a little bit nutty. Are you happy to have them on your side?
TM: I don’t have…don’t really know, don’t pay any attention to it, so I’m not going to answer something I don’t know anything about.
HH: You don’t pay attention to the blogs?
TM: No.
HH: You don’t read any blogs?
TM: I travel all the time, Hugh. I’m lucky to read two newspapers.
HH: Have you ever heard of a Verizon card?
TM: What?
HH: Do you know what a Verizon card is?
TM: I don’t know what a Verizon card is.
HH: All right, never mind. Let’s go…
TM: Like a Visa card?
HH: No, no, it’s not like a Visa card. I know you know what those are.
TM: I have that. I’ve got…I carry American Express with me, man.
But I think Catholics will find especially interesting this segment:
HH: You’re an Irish Catholic kid from Syracuse, from St. Anne’s school, right?
TM: Yes.
HH: Now did you do eight years or twelve years of Catholic education?
TM: I did eight years at St. Anne’s grammar school, I did four years of Bishop Ludden High School, I did four years at the Catholic University of America, and three years at Georgetown University Law Center.
HH: Can you name your K-8 teachers?
TM: Yeah.
HH: Give them to me.
TM: Sister Agnes Teresa, Sister Mary Helen, Sister Thomas, Miss Boway, Mrs. Anderson, Sister Esther Thomas, and Sister Margaret Madden…how many is that?
HH: That’s pretty close. So they were lousy teachers?
TM: No, they were great teachers. I was the one that was causing all the trouble, Hugh.
HH: But I mean, you often cite Catholic doctrine in this book, and yet you support late term abortions, and judges who impose them on people. How…did you miss those classes?
TM: Hugh, I don’t cite Catholic doctrine all through the book. I say I’d gone to Catholic schools, Hughie, through the book, and I am pro-choice, no question about it. But I don’t pretend to be a priest, and I don’t pretend to be citing…I don’t cite the Bible once in the book.
HH: Yeah, but you do cite your Catholic faith.
TM: I say that I’m a Catholic, sure. Irish Catholic.
HH: You know, it says here on Page…
TM: Which I am.
HH: Page 165, “It might not quit with the lessons of my Catholic faith, but I don’t mind admitting that I couldn’t have been happier when the news broke on July 30th, 1999, that Linda Tripp had been indicted by a Maryland grand jury.” So you know it’s wrong to glory in the sufferings of others, because of your Catholic faith, your Catholic teachings.
TM: Yeah, but I say I have faults, like many people have faults. I wish I could follow 100% the teachings of the Catholic Church, but believe it or not, much to your chagrin, I am not Jesus Christ.
HH: No, but I mean, the whole abortion controversy, that’s just…you compartmentalize that and put that aside?
TM: I can, as can many Catholics.
HH: But I know many Catholics do, but do you think it’s right…Do you go to Mass and all that stuff, Terry?
TM: I go…yeah, I do.
HH: You do?
TM: In fact, I’m up to be on the Knights of Malta right now. They’ve just asked me to join the Knights of Malta.
HH: Oh, we’d better put out a word.
TM: Are you one of those?
HH: I’ve got friends in the Knights of Malta, yeah. You might not come back from your first trip to Rome.
TM: You need to go into the Knights of Malta.
HH: Huh?
TM: And as you know, the Holy Father himself, John Paul II, blessed my wife’s engagement ring when I wound up being at a private Mass for us in his private chapel.
HH: Nice picture. I know. Did he know about your supporting late term abortions?
TM: Sure, he knew he was.
HH: Is that teaching optional, Terry McAuliffe?
TM: Is what teaching optional?
HH: The Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life?
TM: Hey, listen, I have my views on my religious beliefs, Hugh, you’ve got yours.
HH: But I’m asking, do you think it’s…
TM: And you know, if you want to do a show on religious teaching, that’s fine. I’m talking about my book.
HH: Well, it’s in the book all the time.
TM: I make my statements, you write your book.
HH: No, but it’s in the book all the time about how Catholic you are.
TM: It’s not how Catholic I am. I’m an Irish Catholic kid from Syracuse. It’s probably mentioned five times, Hugh, so please don’t incorrectly characterize my book to your listeners.
HH: Well, it’s in here a lot…
TM: If you want to talk about the book, talk about the facts as they exist. I know you’re a right wing whacko, but don’t make things up.
HH: All right, let’s got to Page 113. Oh, I just quoted to you the page that that was on.
TM: That’s one page. That’s through the whole book? You just said it’s through the whole book, you don’t even remember what you just said. What did you? Go have a martini at lunch or something?

