Interesting....  is this another fraction in the Republican Party?  It seems to imply that there are sects of the Republican Party, which is very different from the united front the party leadership has forced on to its members.  Is the authoritarian control of Rove and Delay truly ending?

Until recently there was a blog named "Liberals Against Terrorism."  Does that mean that other liberals are for terrorism?

Hey, just another fraction in a party that wants to tear itself a part.  I'll shed no tears.

For the traditional non-centrists:

"Republicans Who Couldn't Care Less"

But l'm glad to see at least some want to distinguish themselves from that.

I believe it was "Praise the Lord"...

dlw

When they decide to call themselves "Republicans Who Care Enough to Vote Democratic," then they'll be getting somewhere.

I believe it was "Praise the Lord"...

That was the official name.  But they used to say it also stood for "People That Love" when they were passing the electronic hat around.

AD,
thanks for the post.

<i>I am curious as to your thinking on the choice to insert the word "Christian" in the name of a political party you would like to see created.</i>
As of right now, the <a href="http://sodsbrood.com/antimani/2004/08/23/the-christian
-pragmatic-progressive-party-platform/">Christian Pragmatic Progressive Party</a> is an ideal-type party.  It is a more libertarian-oriented version of the Christian Democratic Parties of Europe.  Though, I didn't know anything about those parties when I wrote it and I think that's why it's better.  It's a personal party and the decision to include Christian in its title reflects the fact that it reflects my Christian belief system and how I've tried to integrate my faith and learning.  It's purpose is to try and influence other third parties and the main parties with it's ideas.  Specifically, it is meant to help prod divisions between social/religious conservatives and the economic conservatives that dominate the Republican party.  For these types, it can make a difference when one explicitly adopts a Christian perspective and incorporates religious language within the platform. 

<i>Specifically, what do you say to those who are not Christians among us--Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, etc. who find the use of the word "Christian" in the name of a political party to be highly unwelcoming and offputting?</i>

If it were any more than an ideal-type platform, I would follow the Christian Democratic Party example and include early on that people of all faiths are welcome within the party. 

But, as it is, it reflects my dislike of other third parties.  The Independence party in MN seemed to uninpiringly center itself on the center.  The Green party seems to use absolutist extremist language on environmental issues that make it only serve to spoil elections for Dems.  My understanding is that for third parties to have an impact, there needs to be a more competitive two party system.  The reason there is not a competitive two party system in the US is because of the conflagrations of the cultural wars caused by the losing side of the Fundamentalist-Modernist schism to get more involved in politics without developing very deep habits of political deliberation.  And so, since we can't very likely return to the earlier days where religious conservatives were relatively apathetic on political matters in our country, the best we can hope for is to encourage leadership turnover and a deepening of their habits of political deliberation or civic engagement. 
<i>I don't happen to be a Christian.  If I agreed with your views and thought your proposed new party were otherwise something I would want to support I don't believe I would do that given the name of the party.  I don't think I would want to get in the habit of participating in any organized effort which to my way of thinking all but posts a sign on the door saying "Jews, Muslims, atheists, Buddhists... not welcome."  That is not my idea of an inclusive political party.  </i>

Well, if my platform were adopted by a party, we'd have to drop the C in the name, which given the low chances of us getting elected as a third party I wouldn't think we would need to do, or do our best to convince people like you that you'd be welcome and not feel badgered about your faith in joining us in political activism activities.  The premise of the party is "that an active involvement in politics can be glorifying to God if done in an ethical manner that is not dogmatic and seeks to widen the range of interests that potentially can be served by the government."  The rationale for acting as a party is not to establish "justice" or what-not, but rather to matter-of-factly help foster reforms and compromises that will make the US's democracy be more dynamic.   

Now, truth-in-advertising, this sort of action is good, but it's not the end-all-be-all.  The real bottom-line would be to help remove barriers for evangelical Christians to form relationships with others wherein matters of faith can be shared. 

<i>Do you believe use of the word "Christian" in the name of your proposed political party is a barrier to your views on religion and politics getting a full and fair hearing?  If so, what leads you to choose that name anyway?  If such a party were created would you want members who are not Christians?  If you could make the rules, would you accept non-Christians?  How would you define "Christian" for purposes of admission to your political party? Is being a Christian so central to the outlook of your proposed party that no non-Christian would want to join it anyway?</i>

Ideal-type party.  If it got concretized, we'd need to adapt it further so as to asssure non-Christians like you about it. 

<i>I am aware that in Europe there are political parties such as the Christian Democratic Party in Germany, for example.  Perhaps if I grew up in Germany I would not have the reaction to it that I do given my actual background.  I don't know how I could know that.  Still, my background is what it is. 

This comment is not intended in a spirit of attack but as an invitation to share your thinking on any of the questions I've raised which you care to address. </i>

Thanks for the questions.  

I hope you can peruse it and share about it with others.

dlw   

I agree that the lack of very deep habits of political deliberation are pervasive in the US, thanks to our hyper-consumeristic individualistic mentality.  I think that only religious renewal can change people's habits so that more will seek to love their neighbor by taking more time out of lives to follow politics and be more informed citizens who use better rules to determine who they will vote for.

Would you mind elaborating on what you mean by that, specifically what you mean by "removing barriers for evangelical Christians to form relationships with others wherein matters of faith can be shared"? 

I was a volunteer union organizer when I was a graduate student at Michigan State University.  I helped guarantee that the Graduate Employee Union would be formed there and get its first contract, with a far superior healthcare and the best university grievance procedure in the country.  As a result, I was able to form friendships with non-Christians that I never would have been able to form otherwise. 

My point with many conservative Christians is that how we act politically affects our ability to form friendships with others where we can, in the course of the relationship, eventually share about matters of faith.  I had a healthy dialogue on the homosexuality issue with a non-Christian friend I met when I was a union organizer here.  Over the course of it, he shared with me his understanding of Christianity and I replied.  It was a healthy dialogue and even though he's not from a religious background when him and his wife had a child this past year, they decided to raise her in the Reformed Judaism tradition.  If I helped encourage his more theistic leanings, I'd be glad. 

You wrote: "Specifically, it [the political party you would like to see formed--my note] is meant to help prod divisions between social/religious conservatives and the economic conservatives that dominate the Republican party.  For these types, it can make a difference when one explicitly adopts a Christian perspective and incorporates religious language within the platform."

I find your support for specifically Christian arguments for supporting your party interesting.  Dr. King seemed to draw a line this side of supporting a particular political party.  I have not looked into his writings and statements to see if he explained why he drew that particular line where he did.  Perhaps you have or can offer your own justification for going the other way on that question.     

I take an instrumentalist view of parties.  I created my party to express my frustration with the party options out there and in hopes of advancing the ideas for reform that would make a third party system more viable in the United States.  MLKjr decided to focus on supporting the rise of the Union movement later on and critiquing the war in 'Nam that was undermining LBJ's Great Society reforms.  Those strategies made sense for his time.  I think there needs to be some serious reform from within in the unions before they grow as a movement again.  My big issue is the cultural wars that stem from the Fundamentalist-Modernist schism in the US and the implicit regionism that has existed in our country since the resolution of the Civil War.  An explicitly faith-driven movement for the reform and expansion of people's habits of political deliberation seems to me to be the critical issue. 

Would you incorporate reference to God in the platform of a political party you would want to support?  Would you include reference to Jesus?  What would you want said explicitly and publicly about the role of God and/or Jesus in public affairs in your party's platform?

Why don't you read my actual platform?  We don't deal with matters of doctrine explicitly, though we accept that the sorts of decisions we make politically is an important component of our free will as individuals.  (And we right now is me, myself and I, though I've gotten only positive remarks on the whole for my platform from a wide variety of better-informed sources.)

dlw