#morethanredandblue: What about a life caucus?

As I discussed before, Catholics face a perennial discernment when wading through our firmly entrenched, self-perpetuating two-party system. Our two main parties use the rules (ballot access, government funding, etc.) to their advantage to maintain their monopoly over virtually all government offices, and when third parties make gains with voters, one of the two main party historically succeeds in co-opting the main issue of that party and subsuming its voters into its bloc. As these two parties endure, neither of their platform evolutions have made one party or the other a great fit for Catholics as voters.

It leaves us to do some seriously heavy lifting as we discern a conscientious vote. I'm not afraid of doing this, but I am increasingly wary of the way that the two-party system leaves us with a much-less-than-desirable candidate or party to support. So let's look at some alternatives.

Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, has teamed with William Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, to form a fairly recognizable and credible third-party ticket. While Libertarian platform ideals are a little more unknown, they nonetheless comprise a third-party candidacy that has more coherency and professionalism than many that have tried before. Their challenge in getting legitimate traction and bringing significant agitation to the status quo lies in the 15% threshold: they must earn a poll average of 15% to garner a lectern in the major debates.

So one could consider entertaining their personal conscientious compatibility with a libertarian, "hands-off" approach. Can removing government from the business of moral decisions be a positive step for social issues? One could consider that the best thing in this climate is getting our government's involvement in major issues scaled back, perhaps motivated by subsidiarity. There are definite pros and cons.

Another alternative out there is the American Solidarity Party.

Interesting seeds of a potential alternative for Catholics in politics #morethanredandblue https://t.co/FhPDpVr3xz

— Dan Masterton (@jesusandchicago) August 8, 2016

This is a third party that is explicitly Christian and espouses Christian principles. Their website explains:

Common good. Common ground. Common Sense. These are the three principles that guide the American Solidarity Party, the only active Christian Democratic party in the United States. We seek to promote the common good and the material and spiritual welfare of all people, thereby raising consciousness of the Christian worldview. We don’t seek to be a proselytizing party but, in a broken and increasingly callous, secularized world, we offer a positive vision bringing communities together. Guided by these three principles, The American Solidarity Party stands for the sanctity of human life, the necessity of social justice, responsibility for the environment, and hopes for the possibility of a peaceful world.

This all sounds good to me, and their content sounds like that of a classic grassroots, people-based, feisty upstart that is fairly pure and direct in its initial pursuits. I am a little wary of a party that is explicitly Christian. However, I am interested in the specific ways the party names our social teaching values as cornerstones of their aims. I'm gonna keep an eye on these folks, and I've already liked them on Facebook.

One can also more seriously consider abstaining from voting - an abstinence only education!? - which I discussed at greater length in my last post.

While I certainly don't mean to poo-poo any of these third parties or abstaining, another idea has come to mind. Reading the work of Charles Camosy a few weeks ago on Crux, in which he dreamt of a party that is founded on the dignity and value of human life, got me thinking. While I support his ideals toward a new party, my amateur political science background tells me that the rise of a third party is darn near impossible in the midst of these two dominant parties. It made wonder about a different way to accomplish something similar.

What if we built a life caucus?



Congress is full of caucuses. In case you were wondering, here's a full list of Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs). It will make your head spin.

Not far down the list is the Bi-Partisan Pro-Life Congressional Caucus. It's a real thing. It's chaired by Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). Though there's only two Democrats, this CMO has got some size, comprised of a few dozen representatives. In remarks on the floor on January 2014, when the caucus was given time to speak, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said:

"As members of the Pro-Life Caucus, we have worked to eliminate taxpayer funding for abortion, fought to preserve pro-life health care providers' rights of conscience. We have followed medical research that indicates infants can feel pain in the womb as early as the 20th week of pregnancy and passed legislation that would eliminate abortion after that time."

It's hard to find much substantial information on what the caucus does, but I have an idea of what I'd hope for. What if we created a slate of public policy positions that align with the consistent ethic of life and then offered it as the criteria for certification and membership in the Life Caucus? What if such a caucus designation could be a way for Congressmen from both parties to rally support together for the dignity and value of human life? What if voters could then look to the Life Caucus' vetting as a means of helping to identify candidates who we can support.

While I like the idea of a life party, and I support the progress of the American Solidarity Party, I wonder if something along these lines isn't more practical and feasible. There could be great synergy in this caucus/certificaiton.

First off, Catholics are a massive bloc of voters; we comprise around one-quarter of the US population. We tend to be totally up for grabs as a swing vote, going back and forth as the parties take turns winning a majority of us. That might be due in part to the increasing diversity of opinion within the bloc, as more Catholics soften their birth control and/or abortion stances, for instance. Conversely, could our swing vote be tied partially to the lack of consistently appealing parties or candidates? Would we stick together more if we could solidify around the consistent ethic of life and candidates who upheld it?

I wonder also, if Catholics did consolidate even just incrementally, could Democrats who oppose abortion and Republicans who are more liberal - relating to universal health-care, immigration reform, and other preferential option stances - have more cover within their party? Could the certification of the life caucus and the probability of Catholic votes justify and protect their oddball positions within their party by increasing their chances of holding their seats?

In other words, if Catholics strongly supported life caucus candidates, could conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans return from the brink of extinction to become viable again? I have a dream that Catholics would come out in fuller force to support the consistent ethic of life in their votes, that candidates would find the courage to holistically uphold all aspects of it, and that these two things could build each other up.

I wonder if Democrats like Tim Kaine and Joe Biden would be less afraid to apply their personal stances against abortion by standing for it in their votes, too. I wonder if card-carrying Republican Catholics like John Boehner and Paul Ryan could lead their parties with greater commitment to marginalized people than simply cutting taxes to keep money in local hands. Could a life caucus certification and likelihood of carrying the Catholic vote bring their Catholicism out of the political closet and into their politics?

Maybe we can help American politics get a life.