I'm so very certain that Al-Qaeda had Robert's Rules of Order in mind when they did
The CP are pacifists. Screw them. There are no political parties which support me or my fellow soldiers in the field. I'm staying home.
Posted on 05/27/2006 4:31:32 AM PDT by FerdieMurphy
As the "Big Tent" collapses, make way for the true "third" party
According to research that I conducted in 1998, there were more than 400 political parties in America. (That number has grown smaller in recent years, but is still over 200 — far larger than the "mainstream" media admits.) According to research by Richard Winger, the publisher of Ballot Access News, the third-largest political party in the United States is the Constitution Party. Thus, the CP is the true third party.
Statistically, the CP has more members than any political party other than the Big Two. And, statistically, there are more caves in Tennessee than any other state. But, there are not enough caves nationwide to prevent people from knowing that border security is the hot-button political issue across America this year. The issue has been simmering for a long time, and has now reached a boiling point.
But, border security is not the only hot-button issue — especially for conservatives. Abortion is a perennial issue, but the death of Terri Schiavo has demonstrated that C. Everett Koop and Francis Schaeffer were absolutely right about the "slippery slope." That, in turn, has removed many abortion "moderates" from the fence. The party with the clearest stance against abortion is the Constitution Party.
Define "patriotism"
As our nation struggles with the very definition (and name) of the War Against Terrorism, we are forced to also struggle with the definition of patriotism. (Is it patriotic to defend Iraq against insurgents, and South Korea against invasion, and Haiti against true reform — and Bosnia against Christians — while ignoring the "stealth invasion" of our own country?)
Is it patriotic to continue a war that was started without a Constitutionally-required declaration of war? Is it patriotic to continue a war that recently reached its stated objective? (The recent free election of a "unity government" in Iraq provided the final stage of the "regime change" that we sought. And, the revelations by a former top Iraqi general proved that the WMD case was valid.
I've been a strong supporter of the war itself — despite the bypass of Congress — until the recent Iraqi elections. Now, it's time to tell our troops, "Good job, and welcome home.")
Questions about the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan (with possible expansions toward Syria and Iran in the near future) have, in turn, forced many people to look away from the television long enough to at least consider studying and discussing the Constitution. That, in turn, has caused a rapidly growing number of people to discover, and embrace, the political party that is based upon that special document.
So, perhaps 2006 really is "the year of the Constitution Party."
Let's consider some facts. In the 2004 presidential elections, CP candidate Michael Peroutka got enough votes to force the national news media to pay attention to the Constitution Party for the first time since its creation in 1992. (Obviously, there had been other "mentions" of the CP, but not recurring coverage — including a CP line on some televised charts of candidate progress.)
Those 2004 elections were so close that some analysts thought that Peroutka could swing the outcome. But, nobody was sure which way it would swing. So, the CP tally was watched closely for the first time.
Fast-forward to January of 2006, and a special US House election in California.
Although CP candidate Jim Gilchrist did not win, he made a very strong showing. Gilchrist, the co-founder of the Minutemen, forced the border security issue to the forefront of a key election in a state with a strong pro-illegal-alien history. And, he came close to winning. That fact was not lost on Republican analysts — who are now trying to "shoot full-auto in all directions" to regain votes that they have lost by compromise.
Border security has caused some people to look at the Libertarian Party, only to discover that they favor open borders. (And, their national bylaws prohibit cross-party endorsements — which hamstrings any conservative coalitions. That fact cost me the Libertarian Party's endorsement, which I had sought at their recent state convention in Nashville.) That single fact could cause many Libertarians to jump to the Constitution Party. That migration actually started years ago.
A "Guilt-Free" Option
Border security also creates angst for Democrats — because many labor unions are in favor of open borders, but most union members view illegal aliens as unfair threats to their own jobs. For this reason, many conservative Democrats will not be voting their party line this year. Will they vote for CP candidates? I think so. (In my own case, due to ballot-access problems, I'm a Constitution Party member running on the Republican Party line. That makes me the "guilt-free option" for those that would otherwise never vote Republican.) On my "day job," I'm an interpreter of Sign Language for a school district (and a union steward). Recently, I discovered that my union strongly favors illegal aliens. Most members don't know that; and, the same is true for other unions. I recently provided internal union documents, to be used in an upcoming book by Jim Gilchrist and Jerome Corsi. When the book's impact ripples into the union shops, angry members will look for another political party. Many will join the Constitution Party.
Now, let's look at some statistics. This year, the number of CP candidates nationwide has exploded. There are four Constitutionalists running for the US Senate, and 13 for the US House. There are five CP candidates for governor of various states, and three of them also have CP lieutenant-governor running mates. One of those states is California, where history has proven that Arnold "The Governator" Schwarzenegger is no true conservative. There is also a CP candidate for secretary of state in California, along with several state legislative seats. The lower house of the Utah state legislature has a whopping 34 candidates from the Constitution Party, and there are 12 Constitutionalists running for the Utah State Senate. A similar, but smaller, trend is seen across Pennsylvania, where the CP has its headquarters. This year, although we might lose a race or two, the Constitution Party cannot be ignored.
My sense is that some CP races will be absolute landslides, as the blowback from lax border security hits both halves of the Big Two square in the face. And, because many Democratic incumbents (including my opponent, Jim Cooper) are also vulnerable on abortion and other social issues, voters will be looking for a strong conservative.
If the GOP candidates try to hide under the Big Tent, and seek votes as merely "Democrat Lite," such candidates just might get smothered by the tent's collapse. Americans are tired of compromise; we want leaders that actually stand for something.
And, as the 2006 elections set the stage for the 2008 presidential elections, the candidates that stand the tallest will be the ones that control the 2008 debates. In turn, the presidential candidate that stands firm in the debates, and shows no compromise, will be the candidate that occupies the White House. It will not be enough to be simply "anyone but Hillary." (Although, having organized the first anti-Hillary rally in New York in 1999, and the first anti-Hillary rally in Nashville this past week, that theme is still one that I consider important.)
Americans are looking for candidates that will help to make our country "feel like America again." We are looking for leaders that have the vision of Ronald Reagan, even if they are not from the "party of Reagan." Americans will find those leaders in the Constitution Party.
Tom Kovach lives near Nashville, is a former USAF Blue Beret, and has written for several online publications. Tom has been involved in politics since 1992, is the state PR coordinator for the Constitution Party, and is on the November ballot (GOP line) for the 5th Congressional District of Tennessee.
And, if one were to delve deeper, one would find there are other Libertarian principals that conservatives find unacceptable.
"2006: the year of the Constitution Party?"
No, but this talk plus stupid talk from the liberal-tarians about a third party might make things just right for a rat take over.
Maybe.
Maybe.
I'll think about it. But my real inclination is just to stay home, and I've already sent Dr. James Dobson an e-mail, urging him to call a voter boycott of 2006 for social conservatives.
I sincerely hope he does. 2006 is going to set the tone for 2008.
And if it walks like a rat and talks like a rat, it's STILL a rat....
even if there's an 'R' after its name.
2006 is NOT 2008.
No president will be elected in 2006, and the best spur to conservatives for '08, might be to kick some of the RINO deadwood out of the way in '06.
You're exactly right. Besides, the idea that the Republican Party under George W. Bush doesn't have a strong position on abortion and that the Constitution Party would do better is laughable.
The Constitution Party is, among other things, virtually pacifist regarding the War on Terror. In objective terms regarding their effect, not their intentions, that makes them, as George Orwell said about the pacifists of his day regarding the Axis, objectively pro-Islamofascist.
I need to know that I'm not electing demokkkrats when I vote for a third party candidate. Until then, it will never happen. We need runoff elections, i.e. a guarantee that nobody will ever hold a public office with less than 50% of the vote, and that nobody will ever need fear to vote his first choice, at least on a first ballot.
If 2006 goes VERY badly, there might as well not BE a 2008. Do you realize what the 'ruling' party from both houses could do to election laws, funding, etc. in just two short years. It wouldn't even matter that GW is president. There are many actions that could be taken over which he has NO control......
We need to target the Blue and Purple states and run good candidates against all RINOs and Democrats.
I'm so very certain that Al-Qaeda had Robert's Rules of Order in mind when they did
The CP are pacifists. Screw them. There are no political parties which support me or my fellow soldiers in the field. I'm staying home.
"The lesser of two evils is still evil"- Alan Keyes.
Here in Illinois we have a choice for Governor of the current dim Governor Blagojevich or Judy Topinka, the biggest rino to come down the pike.
Disgusting choices.
2006: the year of the Constitution Party collapse and destruction of the greatest country on earth. We can thank the 62 morons in the Senate.......
Libertarian=Libertine
It's true in my state (Illinois) I vote for and support conservative candidates but I am clearly in the minority. I believe that is the case in all states that have large cities that dominate the political scene of the entire state, cities that are enclaves of the "gimme something for nothing" crowd.
It's true in Mass, N.Y., Calif. and Illinois. Look at who we have as U.S. Senators in those states.
So, perhaps 2006 really is "the year of the Constitution Party."
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