Seamless Garment Party: Defining the Base

I agree with Rick (below) that the Seamless Garment Party (see Mark's post below) would have to do more than graft a pro-life plank onto the Democratic Party's platform. Certainly there will be some thorny issues, the resolution of which would invariably thin the SGP's ranks. That said, the potential voter base of such a venture appears significant, and it extends far beyond Catholic voters. Indeed, Ron Sider, the most prominent voice in the social justice wing of the evangelical movement, relies heavily on Catholic social teaching in reminding us that God is not a Republican or a Democrat. Besides pointing out the interesting fact that Pope John Paul II is now significantly more admired than Jerry Falwell among evangelicals, he makes the broader case that the ethic of life calls us to transcend the polarized, woefully deficient visions of the common good espoused by both parties:

What has happened to the "consistent ethic of life," suggested by Catholic social teaching, which speaks against abortion, capital punishment, poverty, war, and a range of human rights abuses too often selectively respected by pro-life advocates?

The Religious Right’s grip on public debates about values has been driven in part by a media that continues to give airtime to the loudest religious voices, rather than the most representative, leaving millions of Christians and other people of faith without a say in the values debate. But this is starting to change as progressive faith voices are speaking out with a confidence and moral urgency not seen for 25 years. Mobilized initially by the Iraq war, the prophetic groups have hit a new stride in efforts to combat poverty, militarism, and human suffering in places like Sudan.

In politics, the best interest of the country is served when the prophetic voice of religion is heard—challenging both right and left from consistent moral ground. The evangelical Christians of the 19th century combined revivalism with social reform, and helped lead movements for abolition and women’ suffrage—not to mention the faith-based movement that directly preceded the rise of the Religious Right, namely the American civil rights movement led by the black churches.

The truth is that most of the important movements for social change in America have been fueled by religion—progressive religion. The stark moral challenges of our time have once again begun to awaken this prophetic tradition. As certain fundamentalists lose influence, nothing could be better for the health of both church and society than a return of the moral center that anchors our nation in a common humanity. If you listen, these voices can be heard rising again.

Rob