As part of this work, Catholic Vote hosts the Loopcast program, typically on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11 AM ET/10 AM CT, live on YouTube. It has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts, and I listen to it all the time. Generally speaking, listening to it makes me feel so good about life. The regular panelists, Erika, Tom, and Josh always have thoughtful conversations about topics about current events in the USA and in the Roman Catholic Church. The live program has a chat that's fairly active with many regulars consistently participating.
To highlight the program's content, this past Monday's episode started with a discussion on the Supreme Court's decision to take up the case about birthright citizenship. There was thoughtful discussion about the origins of birthright citizenship and then putting it in the context of the broader immigration discussion. Catholic Vote issued a great document in how to best approach immigration from a Catholic moral perspective. Then there was a segment on the change in vaccine schedule, and Erika made it clear that from the birth of her first child nearly 20 years ago to the birth of her youngest, there's been quite a change in required vaccines. From there, the conversation touched on the broader idea of how to promote family life by empowering parents to provide for their children as the highest good in society. It surfaced again when they shared the announcement that Catholic Vote President Kelsey Reinhardt is now expecting a child. (They did a full Loopcast program talking with her a few months ago.) And empowering the family even surfaced when Tom talked about the likelihood that Kei cars will make a comeback. Kei cars led to discussion on the Station Wagon that largely disappeared form society because of fuel efficiency standards, and a lament that families who want to have many children have ceased to have the option of a Station Wagon available due to fuel efficiency standards, leaving them compelled to get SUVs to have sufficient space for child car seats.
Their ideas of how to build a strong society have led them to adamantly support Donald Trump. They constantly talk about "This is what I voted for", even to the point of acknowledging how great it is that President Trump is bold. I haven't found myself that enthusiastic about Donald Trump as a whole, but I agree with the hosts about how he had the right ideas on many issues, especially the reality of two genders.
The three hosts also have so much fun on the show, even at times when they have divergent views on a topic, and the anecdotes they share in the Good News segment and the Twilight Zone segment. Tom actually started the podcast back in 2022, and it's amazing to see what it's become. Indeed, it's a great tool that encourages me to understand how to put the principles of faith into action in the public square.
This program is something that I wish had been available to me back in middle school when my faith flourished and led me to shape my stance on sociopolitical issues, the point in my life when I started leaning decisively toward the Republican Party. Sensing that candidates like John Kerry wouldn't uphold the Church's teachings on abortion and marriage, I favored George W. Bush. It's sometimes jarring when the hosts on the Loopcast criticize George W. Bush, even though their points have merit, especially when they say he was convinced to launch wars in the Middle East that weren't entirely moral and only supported the military-industrial complex. They also indicate President Bush was actually weak on the issues of life and marriage, making statements on the campaign trail that never resulted in much action when he was in office. Often they talk about neo-conservatives, especially Josh, which is something I don't understand too much because I was rather young at the time when neoconservatives held sway in politics.
Of course, as much as they favor Donald Trump, they are also quick to criticize him, especially for his support for IVF. They also expressed concerns about how he is implementing tariff policies, which led Erika to express deflating enthusiasm for President Trump.
With all that said, generally speaking, the Loopcast makes me feel so much better about life, especially because of the way the hosts adamantly speak about the Church's teachings and how they should apply in life. Sometimes, they take a step back from the latest headlines and consider broad topics, like on the program the day before Thanksgiving Day, on how to dialogue with those who disagree with these viewpoints. They also had great conversations back on My 23 with guests attending the Courage on Fire Gala in Nashville--and all three hosts were together, when normally, they're in different locations.
The show has a great sense of community with the hosts and the live chat. I felt it especially in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. The episode on September 12 was a good opportunity to commiserate and process the tragedy. It's also wonderful to experience a sense of community when it comes to religious holidays like the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. On September 3, I mentioned the anniversary of the Treaty of Paris 1783, and the three hosts started talking about it when they saw how much it was mentioned in the chat.
I even got a mention from Tom. I sent an email about when I sat by US Representative Rosa DeLauro on Amtrak Acela First Class. When Erika mentioned her in the Twilight Zone segment during a June episode, as Erika lives in Representative DeLauro's district based in New Haven, CT, Tom jumped in to share about my email. (You can go directly to that part of the episode and watch for about 3 minutes, until Erika switches to a topic about New York's government.)
That's one instance of the many good times on the Loopcast. In fact, whenever I tune in to the Loopcast, I'm so confident that the content will great that I usually hit the Like button on YouTube before the episode even starts.
Tom, Erika, and Josh have done well in shaping such a great tool of Catholic Vote.
A Big Congratulations on to Catholic Vote on your 20th Anniversary.
I look forward to going forward along side you to uphold the Truths of faith and the teachings of Holy Mother Church in our society.
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