Daniel R. Griswold

2020 Delegate Candidate for the South Region ​ American Solidarity Party

Hello! My name is Daniel Griswold.

I am a United Methodist Pastor and a local coordinator trying to start up a state chapter in South Carolina. I have an Undergrad in Religion & Philosophy. I have been a writer and columnist with public support for refugees and immigrants in Charleston.

I consider myself Pro-Life for the Whole Life and have special skills in Graphic Design.

1 Daniel R. Griswold Q&A

Re: My vision for the next Stage of Party development: I’ve been with the American Solidarity Party for almost a year, and have fall in love with the overall vision for a “love your neighbor” and “pro-life for the whole life” ethic. The vision for a truly shared economy under the principles of distributism, solidarity among workers and the different groups of people in our nations, as well as subsidiarity which allows local decisions to have value and impact - it all resonates. I’ve spent time on the boards seeking to understand where the party has come, and it seems that there has been a long process of clarifying the platform, vision, and values of the party. Based on Christian Democracy and on the pillars of charitable pluralism between religions and living systems, ASP has a truly middle ground that the ruling parties have completely given up as they’ve polarized American politics. I grew up learning that the “Statesman/woman” is the person who puts the country above partisanship and finds excellent compromises that move the country further toward the common good. The ASP has a chance to provide these people into politics, and hold a high ethic for those who take on the Pelican Logo and Platform. I think it will be critical in the next phase of the ASP to find the right people to become spokespersons (like Brian Carroll and Amar Patel) who are bold, charismatic, believable, and willing to step out of their comfort zones and run for political office in their local communities. When looking at the Wikipedia page for the party there is a string of losses for political office (not a big deal because we are just getting our foundation together), but at some point we need to start putting force behind the right people. At this convention, I am going to be looking for the right people who illuminate the room and mobilize people. The future of the party is people, and we need to invest wisely.

Re: Whom I would support for National Committee: For the National Committee, I would like to see people who have a solid grasp of the Solidarity movement as a whole, including Global movements of Christian Democracy in Europe and other parts of the world. I’d like to see people who are bridge builders who see into the future for the ASP being a force for change in American and Global politics. I am not looking for firebrands who want scoring language, but rather those who can communicate clearly and concisely what we believe as a party - and who can translate that into practical plans for better community engagements. I also want to see “good” people, as complicated as that may seem to determine, but we need to have people that are not narcissists seeking their own achievements, but who are ready to build teams, speak to the common good, and lock together with others to do something one person cannot achieve on their own.

Re: My position on whether to retain a Statement of Principles: A “Statement of Principles” is necessary so folks can understand who we are and make determinations on whether they will fit into who we are as a party. When I took ethics classes and studied companies that fell apart due to some sort of corruption or ethics breaches, it was often

2 Daniel R. Griswold due to the lack of a guide for what the organization valued. A party is broader and more encompassing than a human resources division in a corporation, but those who come into this movement need some enculturation to know what they’re getting themselves into. It also serves as a summation of what the party is trying to contribute to the culture and signifies to the voter that this is where they either 1) Belong or 2) do not and thus should find another group to join. I am in favor of also defining terms such as Distributism, Solidarity, and Solidarity in quick snippets so it can be distinguished quickly from public misconceptions of the terms - especially that we might be too close to Communism or Socialism. These terms are completely set apart and it would be good to do the work to make things clear for potential members and voters.

Re: What should be on any Statement of Principles:

(1) Pro Life for the Whole life (a) Abortion should not need to exist, support women having children (b) War should be the last option to bring about Justice and Good to balance (c) The Death Penalty wastes money and makes our character decline (2) Distributism (a) Land should be in the hands of as many people as can responsibly use it (b) Corporations should include employees as stakeholders and partial owners who are paid enough to live on and thrive (c) Government should ensure monetary policy allows all classes to have access to funds to pay bills, take care of their families, and thrive; not just a small collection of billionaires who consolidate wealth (3) Solidarity (a) Workers are valuable as human beings with inherent dignity; and they produce the labor and capital that represents the money that gets spent, but they are not valuable only for their spending but for their living (b) Workers ought to have a voice in government, and in workers movements that represent them without being forced to pay large sums of their paycheck for administration - grassroots efforts should be allowed in every corporate structure (c) Immigrants and refugees are humans with dignity and should be valued for their contributions to society and given rights and responsibilities of citizens (4) Subsidiarity (a) Those on the ground know their systems better than massive detached government structures (b) Local people should be able to make decisions that they can make best. Issues best made at the local level should not be made by the federal and state levels. Proper delineation of duties and responsibilities for decision making should be whether the resources are on the ground and should not be usurped by a larger authority seeking power

3 Daniel R. Griswold

Re: Whether I would support additional Platform Revisions: I am happy with most of the platform with the exception of the word “vampires” on an economic section. The language doesn’t make the party sound legitimate even if it is true - and I would like to see that language removed. Other than that the Platform is sound but I will re-read it if elected delegate to see if any refinement of language is needed.

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