Finding Political Morality in the Mushy Center

Behold the state of morality in American politics.

Last week, the Democratic Party rained fire and brimstone on Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for her plans to hold a party at the Playboy Mansion.

At the same time, two men were being put to death on a single night by the state of Texas. The double executions drew no noticeable comment, much less condemnation, from these Democratic moralizers.

So now we have the gospel according to Gore. Associating with the merchants of sex is wrong, except to hypocritically receive their campaign contributions. And state-sponsored killing is justifiable, though Christianity itself endured the execution of its founder under a government that also washed its hands of blame.

Morality becomes muddled in this era of political convergence toward the mushy center. Today, the GOP wants to help the poor and befriend minorities. Meanwhile, Democrats morph into the Moral Majority, willing to burn a popular Latina at the stake over their righteous, election-year image.

To be sure, many Sanchez supporters privately cringed at the idea of using Playboy’s hedonistic allure to raise money for Hispanic Unity USA, her political action group. I, for one, felt like asking her the question Jay Leno posed to Hugh Grant after the actor’s escapade with a hooker: “What were you thinking?”

Still, Sanchez fans reserved their real outrage for the inquisitorial zeal with which her own party attacked her. Before the Garden Grove lawmaker backed down and moved tonight’s event to Universal CityWalk, she was threatened with being deprived of her convention speaker’s spot and party title.

In the spirit of convergence, even some Republicans expressed surprise at such internecine hardball.

“Dang, that’s kind of harsh, especially since this woman has done so much for their party,” said Art Pedroza Jr., an Orange County conservative who has been stridently critical of Sanchez ever since she first defeated archconservative Bob Dornan in 1996. “Either do what you’re told or you’re not going to be allowed on the reservation, so to speak.”

On Monday, Sanchez decided to withdraw from addressing the convention. Protecting your pride, that’s one enduring Latino value. Maybe now the former Republican will return to her previous party, which has lately learned how to treat Latinos with tact.

Still, Pedroza isn’t letting Sanchez off the hook. She has never represented true Latino values, insists the Santa Ana father of three, who adamantly opposes abortion and gay rights. Now, leading Latino Democrats are echoing the Republican’s critique by arguing that Loretta’s sold-out Playboy shindig was “antithetical to values of the Latino community.”

More convergence. But what on Earth do we mean by Latino moral values?

Conservatives like Pedroza argue that Latinos hold traditional, family-based beliefs more akin to Republicans. Since most Latinos are Catholic, for example, they should be against abortion.

Call it the Virgin of Guadalupe strategy. It was used shamelessly by Bob Dornan in his 1998 bid to take his seat back from Sanchez. The Republican printed fliers tying the Mexican religious figure to an attack on his nemesis for her pro-choice positions.

The results: Latino voters helped Sanchez win reelection by a wide margin.

Yet, I never see politicians playing the Catholic card with Latinos on the issue of capital punishment, which also is vehemently opposed by the Vatican. When it comes to political morality, a line lifted from Paul Simon’s “The Boxer” says it best: We all hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest.

Which brings me to my next question: Has anybody heard Spanish-language radio in Los Angeles recently? Some daytime shows are sizzling with explicit, raunchy sex talk that would make Howard Stern blush.

Meanwhile, Jerry Springer imitators are popping up on Spanish television. Last week during the Democrats’ Playboy flap, Univision’s “Cristina” show featured guest prostitutes exploring the relative advantages of working as call girls or street walkers. And Spanish soap operas are routinely populated by adulterous cads, scheming mistresses and children of clouded paternity.

With this sort of trash becoming increasingly popular, how can anybody pretend to represent the morals of the Latino community?

Actually, I can think of only one constituency that abides religiously by a universal moral principle--our local Latino street thugs. Gang members may be fierce with their male rivals.

But they never beat up on women.

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Agustin Gurza’s column appears Tuesday and Saturday. Readers can reach Gurza at (714) 966-7712 or agustin.gurza@latimes.com