I believe your friend's report. Some years before I returned to the church (I'm a cradle Catholic) I tuned in to EWTN out of curiosity; it must have been during the 2008 election season. I was immediately struck by its ham-handed political partisanship and Southern fundamentalist aspect. I watched with horrified fascination for a time before abandoning it altogether. Clearly EWTN was little more than a GOP house organ with a Catholic kitsch shop attached. Just a travesty. Though the broadcasts from St. Peter's were nice.