CAP & Political Involvement

[ZigZag911]

Brandon, I'm inclined to agree with you....it's one thing to approach CAP friends "off line" so to speak, but campaigning or fundraising thru official media strikes me as wrong.

Now, if the member actually gets elected, then thats NEWS, fit for wing newsletter.

[DBlair]

I would have to agree that using the Wing email list would probably be inappropriate- any use would have to be carefully worded to not seem like an endorsement. Likewise, announcing candidacy or doing anything while wearing a uniform would obviously not be allowed.

That being said, though, I wonder if there is a way to inform (not endorse) unit, group, or wing membership of one of their own running for office. I would think that many would be interested in such a thing, but the difficulty is in exactly how to do it and what is appropriate.

[BrandonKea]

That being said, though, I wonder if there is a way to inform (not endorse) unit, group, or wing membership of one of their own running for office. I would think that many would be interested in such a thing, but the difficulty is in exactly how to do it and what is appropriate.

I would suggest doing what all politicians do. Get out there and meet people. Go to local meetings, meet with the commanders, ask to be introduced to the squadron. Meeting a candidate in person is much more impacting than seeing their name on an e-mail.

[DBlair]

Yea, I was thinking about this idea of usual campaigning (getting out and meeting people, etc) and how it can be applied to CAP, but I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate/allowed for a candidate (who is also a CAP member) to be introduced to a unit, speak to them, and so forth, as this seems to be a complicated gray area of what is appropriate in order to not seem like an official endorsement.

[BrandonKea]

Yea, I was thinking about this idea of usual campaigning (getting out and meeting people, etc) and how it can be applied to CAP, but I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate/allowed for a candidate (who is also a CAP member) to be introduced to a unit, speak to them, and so forth, as this seems to be a complicated gray area of what is appropriate in order to not seem like an official endorsement.

What endorsment would there be. If a local campaigning politician wants to come to a meeting, I would have no problem with that if I were a squadron commander. If that member also happens to be in CAP, and the politician mentions that, there's no endorsement there either.

[Orville_third]

For a Squadron Open House a year or so ago, we invited a number of politicians. (Only one showed up, BTW.) Ironically, since we are in a one-party dominant area, we made sure to request a prominent member of another party from out of state, who just happened to hold a CAP position.
While some members make no bones about their political views in private conversation, the squadron itself should be free of politics.

As for the use of CAP as a political resource, it should be within reason. Mention the service with CAP. Don't make it look like the CAP is endorsing anyone. Even if most people don't pay attention, it makes you look quite bad.

[flyguy06]

Interesting conversation. I think that it doesnt matter if you are a Commander or a regular member. everyone has their politicalbeliefs. i wouldnt go around expressing tham at meetings. I learneda long time ago that when in mixed compamy its not good to talk politics or religion.

I mean think about it. If I have strong political feelings about a particular party (which I do) and I KNOW my commander has strong feelings about the opposite party, and he constantly berates or belittles my party of choice, iwill look at him differently and feel that because we disagree on that subject he will look at me unfavorable. The same with religion.

[notaNCO forever]

Interesting conversation. I think that it doesnt matter if you are a Commander or a regular member. everyone has their politicalbeliefs. i wouldnt go around expressing tham at meetings. I learneda long time ago that when in mixed compamy its not good to talk politics or religion.

I mean think about it. If I have strong political feelings about a particular party (which I do) and I KNOW my commander has strong feelings about the opposite party, and he constantly berates or belittles my party of choice, iwill look at him differently and feel that because we disagree on that subject he will look at me unfavorable. The same with religion.

In my personal opinion it's okay to talk and even argue politics/religion. People just need to learn to respect other peoples opinions and not let ideas interfere with personal relations. For example I'm a republican and live in Connecticut; if I let disagreements about politics get in the way of any sort of relationships I would have a hard time getting along with most people I meet. I don't think CAP isnecasarilly the best place to get into political debates, but people should at least be allowed to voice their opinion. As members of CAP we should be teaching respect for others opinions because it is an important trait for a leader to have.

[jimmydeanno]

^You have to remember that people have pretty strong bonds to their political and social beliefs.  They are your beliefs because you think they're right.

The organization doesn't want people to a) take sides and b) have people discussing politics, religion, etc because it gives the impression that those could be the organizations views.

At the same time, it could very well alienate many people from joining the organization because of some people's overly vocal views on things.

Best to leave the politics and other opinions at home.

[DBlair]

As politically-passionate as I am, I believe that overt political preaching while at a CAP function or otherwise in uniform is a bad move. Granted, I know a political comment here and there among those known to be politically like-minded is sure to surface- especially as certain hot button issues are at the forefront of America's focus. That being said, I think a politically-charged discussion should be kept out of CAP as it can sour opinions of each other and make CAP events/meetings uncomfortable if a member's opinion is to the contrary.

All this being said, I believe that if a CAP member is running for office and desires to speak to CAP groups (such as units, etc) as a Candidate and not as a CAP member, then it should be done out of uniform and the topics should be related to those of concern or interest to CAP, and not just some random spew of political bashing/rhetoric.

I think it would be great for Squadrons and Wings to promote (not endorse) the fact that one of their own is running for office as I'm sure members would be interested that there is a CAP-friendly candidate on the ballot, as long as it doesn't become an 'official' endorsement as that could be problematic.

[wuzafuzz]

It's clearly OK to discuss religion in CAP, we have chaplains after all.  Political discourse can certainly be permitted within the confines of good taste and civility.  To suggest we should avoid these issues like the plague makes no sense to me.  In my experience, my "contact time" in CAP is too scarce to squander it talking about politics.  If there is an issue particularly relevant to CAP, then go for it.

CAP itself needs to remain carefully neutral.  None of us wants to get spanked by the current powers that be because we are perceived to support the opposition.  However I see no problem with a candidate mentioning his/her involvment with CAP, provided it is only used as an illustration of their community service.

[jimmydeanno]

It's clearly OK to discuss religion in CAP, we have chaplains after all. 

There is a difference between having Chaplains and discussing religion.  The military has chaplains, but isn't "allowed" to support a specific one or force people to participate in group prayers, etc.

Having our Chaplains proselytizing as a function of involvement in CAP isn't right and our organization shouldn't condone or support that function.  However, if someone who is a member wishes to have a discussion with the chaplain in regards to their faith, that is another thing.

There isn't anything in any of our actual missions that would require discussion of religion or political stance in any way shape or form.  IMO, advocating or encouraging such discussion would cause more harm than good.

When I started my job, our code of conduct includes a statement about discussing religion and politics at work - there is a reason.