“traditionalist Catholic”, which is another one of the new political tribes, or multi-tribe clans, we have to be aware of now

In a lot of ways they’re looking for the thick identity of pre-70s American white ethnic Catholicism

Been elements of it building for a while, particularly in the federal halo around Washington DC and North Idaho, which came together around a preference for the Church before the reforms of the “Vatican II” conference, and the old Latin Mass as a synecdoche of that

Possibly looks, and definitely claims to be the future of American Catholicism

Heir to a tradition of “Catholic Social Thought” as a third way between conservatism and liberalism with the Church as a mediator, developed during the European transition from feudalism and continuing into the “Christian Democratic” tradition into arguably George W Bush’s “faith based outreach” plans

Is aware of basically none of this, only interwar writing from churchmen and essayists that amounts to “Catholic Social Thought is a great idea, huzzah!”

Disproportionately seem to be first-generation converts to Catholicism from someone looking for a “serious” church, or if “cradle” Catholics, born to a generation (in the sense of a personal family or at least the Church) that drifted as it joined the middle class mainstream (though the trads probably blame it on Vatican II and bad catechism or something)

Types vary. The left wing, which is mostly on the young side and honestly IS also the policy-oriented and female wings, hovers around the insurgent left telling them that socialism earns them good boy points from mummy but do they have to be such meanies

Of the male side, the older part is guys who are proud to identify as Dad but not Daddy; priests arguing with Jesuits on the other side of Church politics; and academic assholes who enjoy a respected idiom to tell people that what they want is wrong and they are wrong for wanting it and that’s their will is of no importance and actively should be suppressed

The younger side is like  26 year olds who enjoy that same respected idiom to say Deus Vult! and curse degenerates and blame them for not having hot exclusive Fsub wives to bear their children, and like to pose as wise 1920s pipe-smokers about it all, kinda like the ideological equivalents of those daddy doms trying to look imposing in the JC Penney suit they got for their first office job. That and young priests crowing that now they’re clearing out the gay seminaries and influence networks there’ll only be trad seminaries and influence networks