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.
Can't agree with you more. Too many pansies here whining about Dim takeovers as they watch their GOP idols sell yank the run right out from under them. They seem perfectly content to die from slow strangulation rather than just laying things on the table and having an all out brawl!
I'd be willing in a mid-term election to kick these GOP bastards that have turned their backs on conservatives and on conservative ideology in the nads and risk a Senate flip for a couple of years simply to "set us up" for some real forward movement in '08. Now's the time to do it!!! NOT in '08 when the new president may be a DimLib.
Oh boo-freakin'-hoo, tax cuts aren't continued for a few years. What's worse, a couple of years of a loss of tax cuts or the permanent turning of our entire nation into a socialist failed project for decades, perhaps forever and likely throughout the rest of most of our lives?!?!
The shortsightedness on the parts of many is absolutely stunning!
The GOP needs a hearty kick in the ass with a pair of spiked shoes!
It should be clear to anyone that has a brain and an ounce of common sense that the direction of this nation if we let our leaders continue on the way that they've been allowed to, is clearly to become more liberal and socialistic!
Once the fruits of this latest Senate bill begin to emerge, that's it. It's over. Socialism has begun! And it'll be those that are currently under 50 or so that'll be picking up the tab in the future. So for those of you 50 or under, you may as well just get used to indirectly supporting another family or two, in all likelihood Mexican yet living within the U.S.
Oh come on please!! Do you truly believe that a self-servant such as McCain is really that much different from a "moderate Dim"? Spare me!
The Bush family has been pushing the NWO agenda for some time now and always the NWO agenda is pushed under some other name. How about an honest debate for once?
The dems are ****ing crazy. There is still a difference, and a big one.
The thing is, if you just stay home, your voice isn't heard. If on the other hand every conservative who was a both a social and fiscal conservative voted for the Constitution Party, we would easily get more votes than the Republicans.
No, this isn't a presidential year, but if the democrats gain control of the Senate, we will see no more conservative judges passed through. They will hold all of them up or vote them down. Period.
So, this is an important election in that we must keep getting good judges and cannot do so if the democrats take control. I understand your frustration, but you need to see the situation for what it is. We need both the presidency AND the Senate in order to get those judges. That's just the way it is.
I'll support the Constitution because of their well spelled out platform. It's far closer to the founders and framers intent than the two power parties are. IF the GOP was not so corrupted with Liberals who are using the GOP to protect their corporate interest and nothing more then the GOP would be able to return a good distance right of the DEMs.
When Hillary Clinton is comfortable making speeches to the right of a GOP POTUS and most of the GOP senate there is a major problem in the GOP.
From the sound of things the GOP still isn't listening especially with McCain and Rudi being mentioned as possible POTUS candidates. Republicans forget it was the founder of the Constitution Party and Conservative Caucus who helped organize the Conservative grass roots movement that put the GOP back in power to start with. Yet they call such as him a Judas to the cause? Who sold who out? The GOP sold out a year after taking power and Bob Dole lost.
Sadly, pretty much anyone at that level of politics thinks of the rest of us as children.
The only real differences are that some think of us as their own children, and do things for our own good without feeling any particular need to explain why (Because I'm your mom, and I said so!) and some think of us as incipient juvinile delinquents who need to be controlled for their own good.
For some people this is more than about simple politics. It's actually about the health and welfare of our nation. The GOP won't lose the House this fall and W stays. So big deal, we lose a Senate that is lib anyway, GOP included in large measure!
The whining and blubbering is on the side of those taking your argument. At this rate the GOP will be a carbon copy of the Dim party during the Clinton years in another decade. Boy howdy, won't that be great!
The problem is less "who's in office" vice what's happening in politics at large, namely the firm entrenching of self-servants into positions of power. If something isn't done about that, and post haste, then we'll be able to start kissing quite a bit good bye pretty soon. The government is fast not becoming "of the people, by the people, and for the people," but "of the people, by the government, and for the government." Somehow I fail to see this as the vision that the Founding Fathers had.
So so what, the Dims take the Senate where all we get is Dim/lib policy and bills anyway. BOO HOO! So what, let 'em try to impeach W. If that's what the Senate spends its time on between '06 and '08, then great. W hasn't shown much of anything since his first couple of years and certainly a disappointing second term to date, and his position on immigration may as well be Hillary or Kennedy in office!
But maybe having a Dim Senate may slap enough Americans in the face to do something in the '08 elections! If not, well, then pucker up and bend over trying to shove your head between your legs!
This (open borders) is a defining issue either we are a nation of laws with borders and citizens or we are not. The globalists want to end the USA and replace it with a North America Economic Zone. Our Constitution will be null and void, replaced with International trade agreements and International law. What we the citizens of the Republic formerly known as the United States of America will get is bigger more totalitarian government, more crime and higher taxes. No thank you, I think I'll keep the USA and it's Constitution.
2006 is the wake-up call to GOP Presidential Candidates. If the call doesn't come, they distance themselves from conservatives and run in the center.
But if the Wake up call does come, they look hard to the Right, and run to the conservative Base. Mark My words.
Fully agree. As well, many of those whining, and not suggesting that your sparing partner was, but many of those that whine the loudest on this fail to realize that the Dims, particularly senate Dims, are no more popular than the President at this point. Many far less so. Yet, just like opposing politicians they run and cower from them as if they're loved by the citizenry.
Many people left the Dim party since 9/11 and it wasn't so that they could see the borders turn into turnstyle type access.
Yes. But how???
Will the democrats save us???
Will the republicans save us???
*snrk* Satan will be ice skating to work first...
There are only three RINOS up for re-election.
Snowe (ME) is safe as can be.
DeWine (OH) is in a battle
Chafee (RI) is in a battle with a Conservative in the primary who has zero chance of winning the general election
That's it for RINOS to take it out on in 2006 in the Senate. Basically, DeWine is it.
By the way, why are these wackos not recruiting exclusively from Democrats? Why are they not spending 10 hrs a day on DU rather than FR?
And why do they not pursue 1/3 of state legislature seats first so that they have candidates qualified in the legislative process? Note that this means . . . not just pursue. Win. These Democrat-funded efforts have no business in statewide elections until they prove their viability by winning 1/3 of state legislative seats.
Agreed, one thing for the life of me I can not figure out, is why Bush appoints good judges that will defend the Constitution and at the same time pursues policies that subvert that same Constitution. It drives me crazy trying to figure out where Bush is coming from. Yea, Harret Miers, I know, I know. Could be Bush is really clueless and shooting from the hip most of the time. I am slowly beginning to think that is the only explanation that make sense. Certainly he is without any governing philosophy that I know of.
The rats have ALREADY taken over.. They have taken over the republican party.. Not completely yet, but soon.. You do know the republican party WILL run a RINO in 2008 for President, don't you.. A RINO to replace the current RINO.. Republicans generally seem to LOVE RINOs.. else they would not elect so MANY OF THEM..
Votes would actually be wasted if conservatives do vote for the GOP and most lose anyway. Or those that win would have won otherwise.
Meanwhile, no message would have been sent cementing the notions that these assclowns can continue to do whatever they want with political impunity while we are taken for fools that will always vote for them out of fear.
Well I consider voting for them tantamount to voting for the DimLibs of yesteryear, say in the '70s and '80s, perhaps even '90s.
Not this voter and his family!
Pretty much. He trusts his instincts. Usually his instincts are good, but they are not on a conscious thinking level.
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