What Hath Religon to do with Partisan Politics?

This is a good question, and one we must pay careful attention to! We have witnessed a melding of religious and political conservatism in the Republican Party in ways that aren't healthy for either political party or religious community. As Thomas Frank's book "What's the Matter With Kansas? (Owl Books, 2004) makes so plainly clear, political parties can easily lure you in and then use you without ever attending to your issues. He shows how the GOP has culled the evangelical voter, but failed to deliver on their pet issues -- abortion and gay rights -- while passing labor/economic policies that generally hurt blue color folk who have been attracted to the party by the bloody flag of religious conservatism.

So, why would I put myself in a position of working with the Democratic Party? Won't the same thing happen here? It's quite possible, unless those of us who see the Democratic Party as the best hope for our nation, keep our eyes and ears open. I spent the morning in a meeting (the second of these meetings) with clergy and Democratic political leaders, and we talked about this very thing. The CDP is seeking to build bridges to the faith community, and it's just as wary of us as we should be of them. I welcome the fact that the party is willing to create a space for us to speak to them on matters of important national policy.

One of the things to note is that such a conversation won't boil down to one or two wedge issues. Our list of topics included poverty, immigration, the environment/energy policy, family values, education, health care, labor issues. We talked about the fact that not everyone in the room will be in the same place on issues such as abortion (Roman Catholics and many evangelicals will be in a somewhat different place than most Democratic leaders). Yet, if the Party can be a big tent there is room for working together.

I'm a registered Democrat and have been for a quarter century, even though I grew up Republican and voted for Republican Presidential Candidates my first two go-rounds (Ford/Reagan). So it's natural that I'd want to be involved in the work of that party. As I argue in my weekly column for the Lompoc Record and here on this blog I believe that my faith values influence the way I look at the world -- including my political views. I can't keep them separate -- even though institutionally church and state are best left separate -- so I will work to help the Dem. Party become more adept at listening to the faith voice and learn that there is much commonality between people of faith and people in the Democratic Party. Stay tuned for more thoughts on this in the future!

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