American Solidarity Party
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The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a Christian Democratic political party in the United States. Its motto is “Common Good, Common Ground, Common Sense.”
History
The party was founded in 2011 as the Christian Democratic Party USA. In 2012, the CDP USA endorsed the independent candidacy of Joe Schriner for President. [1]
Shortly after the election, the CDP USA reformed as the American Solidarity Party.[2] In March, 2013, a National Committee was created for the purpose of drafting a platform and overseeing the creation of local chapters. The Chair of the National Committee is Kirk Morrison, a frequent contributor to Christian Democracy magazine.[3] The Party maintains a lively Facebook Group as a clearing house of information and a testing ground for policy positions. [4]
Ideology and Influences
As the name indicates, the American Solidarity Party draws its inspiration from Solidarity (Polish Trade Union), founded by Lech Walesa in 1980. Like its Polish counterpart, the ASP is strongly influenced by Catholic Social Teaching. It also looks to the Christian Democratic movements in Europe and the Americas, and to American religious populists such as Martin Luther King. [5]
The core principle of the American Solidarity Party is the Consistent Life Ethic, understood as “respect for life and the dignity of all persons on all issues.” [6] Like other social conservatives, the ASP opposes abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research, but it differs from many of them by rejecting capital punishment and holding to Just War principles in foreign policy. It regards economic justice as an essential aspect of respect for human life. [7]
The American Solidarity Party also calls for fair labor practices and the strengthening of labor organizations, a wider distribution of wealth and productive property, the provision of decent health care to all members of society, responsible stewardship of the environment, and policies that strengthen the family and civil society. [8]
Party Symbols
The ASP mascot is the Pelican, a traditional Christian symbol of charity. The Party’s color is maroon.
See also
References
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Average-Joe-Schriner/21304291488
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/AmericanSolidarityParty
- ^ http://www.christiandemocracymagazine.com
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/groups/christiandemocracyusa/
- ^ https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D598883350170246%26time%3D1400540388%26metadata&access_token=100000244363452%3AAVK4SOGDgmvLjp_6UWHiiktebmihmje0XJ9Qml2-WZSlnA&title=American+Solidarity+Party+Statement+of+Purpose.doc "ASP Statement of Purpose"
- ^ https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D598883350170246%26time%3D1400540388%26metadata&access_token=100000244363452%3AAVK4SOGDgmvLjp_6UWHiiktebmihmje0XJ9Qml2-WZSlnA&title=American+Solidarity+Party+Statement+of+Purpose.doc
- ^ https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D1414165295518712%26time%3D1400540479%26metadata&access_token=100000244363452%3AAVJgcbOF9uFI31nIntTZMU5Xtvt58N0mawqlSy1oYkeUzg&title=ASP+Consistent+Life+Ethic+Platform.doc
- ^ https://word.office.live.com/wv/WordView.aspx?FBsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdownload%2Ffile_preview.php%3Fid%3D598883350170246%26time%3D1400540388%26metadata&access_token=100000244363452%3AAVK4SOGDgmvLjp_6UWHiiktebmihmje0XJ9Qml2-WZSlnA&title=American+Solidarity+Party+Statement+of+Purpose.doc