No Hidden Magenta: Joe Donnelly to Run for Senate, Archbishop Gomez on Immigration Reform

Fordham moral theology professor Charlie Camosy (a friend of MC and one of my former TAs) ran a great blog called “No Hidden Magenta” for a year and half before calling it quits last month. (He’s still interwebbing at catholicmoraltheology.com; check it out.)

His goal was to “bridge the polarized gap between ‘Red and Blue State’ groupthink,” arguing that our commonly assumed political divides are silly and deeply flawed, especially from a Catholic perspective.

An approach to politics inspired by the Gospel as opposed to the other way around can and should lead a Catholic to hold views that don’t fit neatly into the traditional Left-Right spectrum (pro-life and pro-comprehensive immigration reform, for instance). We’re not quite red, we’re not quite blue…we’re more like magenta.

In Charlie’s absence, MC will take it upon itself from time to time to report on some interesting magenta news. We think this is a fitting enterprise for us because so many of our Catholic (and non-Catholic) peers are a sort of magenta in their political expressions. We’re more likely to be pro-life than our parents, but also more in favor of comprehensive immigration reform that is better at “welcoming the stranger” among us.

Two bits of magenta caught our attention this week:

1) Indiana congressman Joe Donnelly announced that he will run for Senate in 2012. Donnelly is a Catholic, pro-life Democrat. His immigration position could use some magenta-izing, but it’s an interesting development within a party that has been so traditionally pro-choice. Bob Casey and Ben Nelson are the only current pro-life Democratic Senators; Donnelly and Virginia candidate Tim Kaine could potentially double that number in 2012. Donnelly is more firmly pro-life than Kaine. (There is, of course, magenta on both sides of the aisle; see former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel’s opposition to the Iraq War or current House Rep Chris Smith from NJ’s staunch human rights defense for some good examples.)

2) In response to President Obama’s call for comprehensive immigration reform on Tuesday, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles called on the President and Congress to take action. It’s strong enough to be included here in full:

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, today urged the President and the Congress to work together to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Archbishop Gomez made his remarks following an address on immigration reform delivered this afternoon in El Paso, Texas, by President Obama on immigration reform.

“The president and Congress can no longer wait to address this important issue,” Archbishop Gomez said. “In the absence of comprehensive reform, many states and localities are taking the responsibility of enforcing immigration law into their own hands. This has led to abuses and injustices for many U.S. families and immigrant communities.”

The USCCB has consistently advocated for comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration policies that secures U.S. borders and gives undocumented immigrants the chance to earn permanent residency and eventual citizenship.

Archbishop Gomez said that any comprehensive reform must include a path for currently undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship. He repeated the bishops’ call for an end to federal enforcement policies that are harmful to families.

“Our current policies are breaking up families in the name of enforcing our laws. That should not be. We should be reuniting and strengthening families — not separating wives from husbands and children from their parents.”

Archbishop Gomez said that immigration reform is long overdue and requires bipartisan cooperation and leadership.

“Congress and the President have a responsibility to come together to enact reform that corrects this humanitarian problem, respects the dignity and hard work of our immigrant brothers and sisters, and reflects America’s proud history as a hospitable society and a welcoming culture.”

Gomez is a member of Opus Dei, and is clearly traditionalist in his approach, what some would call solidly conservative. But the above statement and Gomez’ consistent defense of the rights of immigrants show how tricky it can be to fit Catholics into the American political spectrum.