New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan went viral with a statement calling out Vice President Kamala Harris for her plan to skip a charity dinner typically attended by presidential nominees.
Dolan, with a smile, noted that Democrat Walter Mondale was the last presidential candidate to turn down the invitation — before losing the Electoral College to Republican President Ronald Reagan, 525-13.
“We’re disappointed, we were looking forward to giving the vice president an enthusiastic welcome,” said Archbishop Dolan, “She speaks very much about the high ideals and how it’s good to get away from division, and come together in unity and all, well that’s what the Al Smith dinner is all about.”
The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner has been a staple of American politics since the 1960s and raises for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New York
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Both major parties’ candidates typically put aside their differences to attend, but Vice President Harris plans to skip this year.
Dolan pointed out that Harris will be the first major candidate to decline an invitation to the dinner since Walter Mondale (D) failed to attend during his catastrophic run against President Ronald Reagan (R) in 1984.
“We’re not used to this, we don’t know how to handle it. This hasn’t happened in 40 years since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states,” said Dolan.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Dolan that the decision to skip the dinner was made for Harris by her campaign staffers, not by Harris herself.
“Senator Schumer said to me, ‘I don’t think she made the decision, I think her schedulers are saying she can’t make it.’ So we’re not giving up, we hope she’s here,” said Dolan.
The Cardinal hopes that Harris will reconsider her decision to skip the historic charity dinner.
Harris’s campaign officials told the Associated Press that Harris is skipping the dinner so she can spend more time campaigning in key swing states.
Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will be a featured speaker at this year’s dinner.
The dinner was first hosted in 1945 in honor of Democrat New York Gov. Al Smith, the first Catholic nominated for president by a major party.
It became a staple of American politics after both John F. Kennedy (D) and Richard Nixon (R) attended in 1960.
Cardinal Dolan has Lucifers minion sitting on his right side.
Obama told her not to go . Boxcar is right . Hillary is the evil queen that Trump saved us from .
Kamala will keep hiding and doing what she’s told . Same for Tim Tampon .