How to Answer the GOP Question

The one question I am often asked by people of my faith tradition is why I left the GOP. It’s not an easy one to answer. My reasons for first edging towards the door and eventually running screaming from the room are often their reasons for staying. 

However I am starting to find more and more Catholics who are unwilling to hold their noses and vote for the proffered GOP candidate. They are becoming truly conflicted. Sure, the GOP seems to be a pro-life party when it comes to abortion. Some of them can even justify their continued support of the Republican Party because they consider opposing abortion the most important part of being pro-life. They are, however, becoming quickly disenchanted with the childish debates and the continued love affair with the former President as he winds his way through the court system. They do not like the present administration (neither do I) but their perceived “only course of political action” is starting to stink like day-old fish – and like a rotting fish, it is stinking from the head down.

I never try to convince anyone to switch parties. I try instead to learn enough to talk to individuals about why I chose to leave AND what the platform of the American Solidarity Party allows me to do as a voting, faithful Catholic in America today.

It does not always help. I have been told the ASP is evil by those who do not understand the term ‘distributism’ or even ‘solidarity’. I have been told I am not being an orthodox Catholic because I try to attack the evil of abortion and euthanasia with a flanking movement – working towards eliminating the reasons people give for ending the life of a child or the life of an adult who is suffering.  

Little by little I am discovering those members of the Catholic Church who want to live a life of compassion and mercy. People who reject the hardline nationalistic bent of the right wing of our beloved Church and want to be both good Catholics and good Americans. They are willing to look at a political party that allows for that to happen.

Because we are a party built on Christian social justice principles – the foundation of which can be found in the writings of philosophers and theologians who have and continue to influence our Church – I believe the American Solidarity Party gives us the best chance to be just that – good Catholics and good Americans.

Not everyone in the party agrees on every single thing. I have been outright snarked at by some members of our group until they take the time to speak to me one-on-one and realize that despite my sense of humor and the color of my hair, I ain’t no dummy.   And like every new movement, we are still working hard towards unity and the ability to market our philosophy.

I still believe in the fundamentals, however, and so I urge you to bone up on your local issues and the ASP platform. Start looking at how the ideal of  a country that is Pro-Life for the Whole Life can truly be achieved. Don’t let the normal bumps in the road deter you. Be willing to answer those questions from people outside the party. 

Our greatest marketing tool is still one-on-one discussions and the willingness to be quizzed.

Let’s get to work.