Posted on 04/26/2008 5:34:17 PM PDT by deport
Constitution Party stunner: Chuck Baldwin KOs firebrand Alan Keyes
Convening its national convention in Kansas City today, the Constitution Party picked radio talk-show host Chuck Baldwin over former Ambassador Alan Keyes as its 2008 presidential candidate.
The pick was seen as something of an upset, given Keyes' higher national profile. Known for his fiery stem-winders, Keyes is a two-time GOP presidential candidate who abandoned the Republican Party this month to join the Constitution Party, which believes in limited government and is committed to ending abortion and bringing American troops home from Iraq.
But Baldwin's roots in the Constitution Party run deeper. He was the party's 2004 vice-presidential candidate, and party members said his stands were more in line with party thinking.
"Chuck is the real deal," said Jim Clymer, the party's national chairman.
Still, the two waged a fierce battle described as the most contentious in the party's 16-year history. Baldwin wound up winning easily on a 384-126 vote. The Missouri and Kansas delegations basically split their votes between the two.
"They just rejected the most qualified man to be president," said Tom Hoefling of Lohrville, Iowa, Keyes' national political director. "Chuck Baldwin will have no impact on this election whatsoever."
The party's immediate tasks, Clymer said, are raising money and gaining ballot access in each state. The party now has qualified to be on the ballots of 21 states. He expects the eventual total to top 40 and include Kansas and Missouri.
"We're always short on money," Clymer said.
In his acceptance speech, Baldwin said his presidency would result in the ending of illegal immigration, abortion, the streamlining of the federal government, the tapping of oil reserves in Alaska and withdrawal from Iraq.
"We will stop the international meddling...this international empire-building," Baldwin said.
When he takes office, Baldwin said, "The new world order comes crashing down!"
He pledged not only to pull out of the United Nations, but to push the international organization out of New York.
"The U.N. is going to have to find themselves another (home) because their rent is up in New York City," he said.
He said he would phase out the Internal Revenue Service and end the paying of personal income taxes. He said the country should return to the gold standard.
Home schoolers, he said, would have the best friend they ever had in the White House.
In his acceptance speech, Baldwin said his presidency would result in the ending of illegal immigration,...
Good, if he's talking about the border.
...abortion,...
Good, but how? Eliminate clinics? Or go as far as monitor women and doctors?
...the streamlining of the federal government,...
Good.
...the tapping of oil reserves in Alaska...
Good.
...and withdrawal from Iraq.
Really bad.
"We will stop the international meddling...this international empire-building," Baldwin said.
Uh oh, liberal buzzwords.
When he takes office, Baldwin said, "The new world order comes crashing down!"
If he means UN, then good.
He pledged not only to pull out of the United Nations, but to push the international organization out of New York.
Good.
"The U.N. is going to have to find themselves another (home) because their rent is up in New York City," he said.
Good.
He said he would phase out the Internal Revenue Service and end the paying of personal income taxes.
Not good. The flat income tax is the best way to tax.
He said the country should return to the gold standard.
Good.
Home schoolers, he said, would have the best friend they ever had in the White House.
Good.
The goods are good but the bads are really bad. No free trade? No income tax? God had a ten percent flat tax for Israel in the time of the Judges...it's the best way. No war on terrorism? It's not 1776, with the advent of nukes we must protect ourselves militarily.
Keyes sounded OK but I don't know about this guy...now who to vote for if not the CP?
Not really.
It was because it was full of a bunch of Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, "noninterventionist" nonsense, and Alan insisted on telling them the whole truth about the realities of the Constitution, our role in the world, and what must be done to keep our country from being destroyed.
Alan gave them a shot at taking advantage of the historic opportunity that is in front of us, and they weren't up to it.
The Constitution Party is worthless, and won't have any impact on this election whatsoever. Baldwin will be lucky to get as many votes as Peroutka did four years ago.
Spin it.
The Constitution Party won’t get on the ballot in Texas, and frankly who cares what ballots they get on?
The numbers they poll will be less than the Green Party who won’t do well, either.
To judge the impact of the Constitution Party, who even knew they were holding a convention prior to your post?
“now who to vote for if not the CP?”
either McCain or Barr
And the strangest thing about this is.....Chuck is the unknown Baldwin brother.
“Why can’t the CP get traction? That’s an almost perfect platform.”
No kidding.
McCain’s a RAT and Barr’s a Libertarian...I might look at Barr, but Libertarians have really gone off the deep end over the last 15 years.
99% of the country does not know who Chuck Baldwin is, and 99.5% of the country does not care who he is.
Actually, I’m extremely happy it turned out the way it did. For many years, the illusion that the CP was a fallback position for Reagan conservatives has been part of a lot of our thinking. Now that mistaken notion is gone, gone, gone.
It was a rough month having to deal with them, but it was worth it. Dr. Keyes performed magnificently, and his people all across the country got a real education.
The trouble with Alan Keyes is that he's Alan Keyes.
Keyes sold his soul when she showed up in Illinois to run for the open US Senate seat. If he isn’t a gloryseeking politican lifer, he sure looked like one and I’m sure the smell hasn’t worn off yet.
I recognize it to not be Shrillary, O'bama, or McStain. Good enough.
I know who he is. My lawnmower has been in the shop for two weeks now and he still hasn’t fixed it.
Their platform is horrible. Shoot, it's not even constitutional.
As soon as the printed copies hit the convention floor, I took it upstairs and had an attorney and several very knowledgeable folks look it over. They found a number of patently unconstitutional planks in the first five minutes.
How many consecutive elections has Keyes lost now?
One less than the next time.
Nope. Folks who actually followed the progress of the whole series of events of the last month - mostly by the means we provided, such as wall-to-wall live streaming - know I'm simply giving a factual account of the death wish and death throes of the CP.
The Constitution Party's "Ron Paul disease" has metastasized.
Just damn. Alan has gone from a loser in real politics many times over, to a loser in pretend politics.
Wow. You would sort of expect more from a Harvard Ph.D.
Oh, he he ...You mean McSHAME!
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