Constitution Party Now Third Largest Party

[WilliamC]

While I have no problems with people who want to support 3rd parties I agree that, for the forseeable future, they will have little if any impact on the political process in the USA. I voted Libertarian in the past and I will certainly not hesitate to vote for 3rd party candidates as a protest vote in the future if there is no good alternative, but I don't pretend that any 3rd party is going to get members elected to office on a National level.

I have no doubt that Ron Paul is pretty disgusted with what the Republican Party has become, especially the establishment Republican Party based in DC. But he's been at this for far longer than most of us and if he can swallow his pride and stay in the Republican Party to work to take it back from the neoconservatives and evangelicals then I will join him there.

As the Republican base ages and shrinks due to natural causes and their own betrayal of Constitutional principles it will be easier and easier for it to be retaken. I was at a County Republican Party meeting last night, at 43 I may have been the youngest person there. As far as I could tell the folks at this meeting were not very happy with the direction our country is going or with the Republican leadership in Washington. Most of them didn't know much if anything about Ron Paul either.

So that's the way to go folks, at least in many parts of the country. I concede in some areas the local Republican powers may be too closely tied to the establishment to be easily dislodged, and maybe there third parties are a better alternative. But don't confuse the tactics with the strategy, and choosing to work within the Republican Party is exactly that, a tactic. Let's use it as best we can while it is weak and an easy target.

After all, who else actualy wants to be a Republican these days

 

[NeoRayden]

The LP acctually has candidates elected to local county and state offices.

To my knowledge the CP has squat.

 

[RonRules]

Because the Democrat turnout is much higher, it may make sense to run "Ron Paul Democrats" for congress.

Before you jump all over this, think for a minute.

We need to have Ron Paul Republicans AND "Ron Paul" Democrats running for Congress. This more than doubles our chances since the democrat vote is so strong. We could certainly get the Kucinich and Gravel voters that way.

We just have to play the political game so we can change both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Both parties are pretty similar and it would not hurt to have fiscally conservative democrats as well, with similar values to the southern democrats of 30-40 years ago.

 

[NeoRayden]

Nope I already made arangments to ship all the dems to Cuba once castro dies. That way they can have their socialist programs in an enviroment that is use to it.

 

[chowdy]

Nope I already made arangments to ship all the dems to Cuba once castro dies. That way they can have their socialist programs in an enviroment that is use to it.

This sounds a bit similar to something a few Chileans did a few decades back

 

[seeker1]

You are right about that.

Constitution Party + Libertarian Party + Ron Paul Republicans = pretty big tent

...If only we could all just get along...

We could if we wanted to. But splintering into ever smaller groups seems to be the way..."we only hang with people just like us"...mentality.

Anyway, I'm with you and can stand pretty much anyone...except republicrats that is.

 

[Mesogen]

Because the Democrat turnout is much higher, it may make sense to run "Ron Paul Democrats" for congress.

Before you jump all over this, think for a minute.

We need to have Ron Paul Republicans AND "Ron Paul" Democrats running for Congress. This more than doubles our chances since the democrat vote is so strong. We could certainly get the Kucinich and Gravel voters that way.

We just have to play the political game so we can change both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Both parties are pretty similar and it would not hurt to have fiscally conservative democrats as well, with similar values to the southern democrats of 30-40 years ago.

I say if you had a candidate that said all the things RP said, but couched it all in the type of rhetoric that comes out of a Democrat's mouth, he'she'd win in a landslide.

Instead of "Get rid of the Dept. of Education" (that sounds scary to Democrats) say "Return control of the classroom to teachers." or "Let parents be more pro-active in their child's learning experience." It sucks but most people LOVE to be bullshitted.

 

[Theocrat]

I Like the Sound of That

What IS the big draw to the Constitution Party with some of you guys?

I like the cultural progress the USA has made over 100 years, and would not like to turn the clock back on it all and return to a puritanical, dominionist theocracy.

I'm all about "puritanical, dominionist theocracy!" That's why I'm switching back over to the Constitution Party if Congressman Paul fails to get the Republican Presidential nomination.

 

[RonRules]

I say if you had a candidate that said all the things RP said, but couched it all in the type of rhetoric that comes out of a Democrat's mouth, he'she'd win in a landslide.

Instead of "Get rid of the Dept. of Education" (that sounds scary to Democrats) say "Return control of the classroom to teachers." or "Let parents be more pro-active in their child's learning experience." It sucks but most people LOVE to be bullshitted.

Yes, you got the idea. Why limit ourselves to Republicans that will be TRASHED in November?

Pull out the platforms of southern democrats from pre-new deal, and you'll see what I mean.

Instead of getting 2-3 Ron Paul Republicans in Congress we could probably get 20-25 Ron Paul Democrats in there. It's all the same thing, just different branding.

Buicks or Oldsmobiles, what's the difference?

 

[klamath]

I had a dog, and his name was BINGO!!

I think we are much better off just completely and totally ignoring the various parties and their stated ideologies and current platforms. Focus on which parties present OPPORTUNITIES for us to take them over and insert real freedom-lovers inside them, so that we can change the entire complexion of the debate.

If Dr. Paul was running as the Satanist Communists for Baby-Killers party candidate, he'd have my support, because it's not about the party, it's about the IDEAS that the man is espousing.

Let's face it, Dr. Paul is a RINO and is running on their ticket for political convenience - it's where he can do the most good and where he has the most chance of winning.

I STRONGLY SUGGEST that y'all take the same tack. Join, support, run for office, based on where you can do the most good and where you have the most chance of winning, regardless of party.

I agree except the RP RINO part because I have been a republican all my political life and believe exactly what RP does. As I keep saying the Republican party has many wings and I and a lot of others belong to the libertarian wing.
The party loyalty thing is exactly right though. The democrats are going to win this year and if you are a paulite with a D by your name more power to you. It is about ideas and any way we can get those ideas to congress. go for it. After two years you may be a whole lot more likely to get elected as a paulite with a R next to your name. Party loyalty has gotten way to extreme lately. Below is a quote from a Washington Post article about RP two years ago.

"There have been periods in history when the maverick congressman was not such a rare breed, but this is not one of those periods. Democrats and Republicans have been quite disciplined in recent years -- when party leaders say "jump," the savvy congressman had better inquire how high.

This makes the presence of a politician like Ron Paul something of a refreshing peculiarity. He continually bucks the wishes of Republican leaders -- so much so, Paul recalls, that once while exhorting every other Republican to vote the party line, then-Speaker Newt Gingrich announced that Ron Paul was exempt."

 

[Uncle Emanuel Watkins]

We need to organize boycotts to stop media bias on the national level.

I am an LP member, but the system is rigged against 3rd parties. I disagree with RP on abortion and immigration, but we have to stick together or be marginalized.

We need to focus not only on the reason Ron Paul has been ignored by the national media during the present election but the reason he is going to be ignored by them in the next one. He has been deliberately ignored, for only God knows why, by 2 filthy old men, the Republican and Democratic parties, and the dirty whore they are sleeping with, the media.
I use this pornographic metaphor of filthy men and a dirty whore because it is fitting in that their orgy together is endangering the sanctity of our U.S. Constitution.

 

[Conservative Christian]

don't get your hopes up, the Constitution Party isn't that big. from Wikipedia:

You consider Wikipedia to be a reliable news source?!

Right under the title at the top of their homepage, in large red letters, the AIP declares themselves to be the "California Affiliate of the Constitution Party".

http://www.aipca.org/

So there's no deception there, except on the part of Wikipedia and Mr. Winger.

 

[cmasslibertarian]

You consider Wikipedia to be a reliable news source?!

Right under the title at the top of their homepage, in large red letters, the AIP declares themselves to be the "California Affiliate of the Constitution Party".

http://www.aipca.org/

So there's no deception there, except on the part of Wikipedia and Mr. Winger.

You completely misunderstood why the Constitution Party's membership numbers are inflated.

http://www.ballot-access.org/2004/0201.html#1

"The Constitution Party still has more voters than any other minor party. However, that party’s affiliates in California and Nevada have names that include the word "Independent" (the California party is the American Independent Party, and the Nevada one is the Independent American Party). Virtually all neutral observers believe that many voters who intend to register "independent" wind up in those parties by accident. Neither state’s voter registration form offers an "independent" box to choose. People who don’t wish to be members of any party are supposed to check "declines to state" on the California form, and "no party affiliation" on the Nevada form. If those two states had an "independent" check-box, probably the proportion of voters registering in the Constitution Party would be smaller."

 

[LukeNM]

The Libertarian party states they are the third largest. But the real question is 3rd by how much --- 72 million registered Democrats, 55 million registered Republicans, 6 million registered Constitution Party? (this is a question not stated facts).

 

[nate895]

The CP is the LP with a religous twist.

Picture this:

LP = Ron Paul
CP = Mike Huckabee

The CP violates the constitution by declaring that the US was built on Christianity and that that religion comes before all others in laws in our society.

The CP is really the Christian Conservitive Liberty Party.

I agree that the US was built on Christian values. Whoever doesn't believe that really needs to read all the philosophy behind our Revolution. Natural Rights in all the treatises before our Independence were based on God giving them to us. Without God we have no rights.

 

[nate895]

The Libertarian party states they are the third largest. But the real question is 3rd by how much --- 72 million registered Democrats, 55 million registered Republicans, 6 million registered Constitution Party? (this is a question not stated facts).

I think it's apx. 500,000-1,000,000 members, but 300,000 are from California and are registered under the "American Independent Party."

 

[Malakai0]

As long as mccain is the nominee many people are going to get away from the republican party.

I'm going to stay and join the liberty caucus, but it's still true. If you aren't a really motivated RP supporter committed to the vision, then you're not going to be in the party McCain leads. Honestly if he wins I will have a hell of a time saying I'm a republican. I'll have to mention I hate the philosophies and ideals of the person leading it right away, not to mention his often rude demeanor (and shitty jokes).

 

[BigRedBrent]

Constitution Party + Libertarian Party + Ron Paul Republicans = pretty big tent

...If only we could all just get along...

QFT!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kludge]

I refuse to yield my principles to achieve a compromised solution.

Any party with any objectives aside from maximum personal liberty is a rival.

 

[Xenophage]

As an atheist I have ideological disagreements with the Constitution Party. I do not believe in freedom because I think Jesus preached it. I believe in freedom because I believe in rational self-interest. Thomas Paine is with me on that one.

I also don't believe in the Constitution simply for the sake of believing in it. I happen to agree with its basic political premises, but I see it as significantly flawed in several respects and apparently insufficient to safeguard against tyranny.

Its possible no written Constitution could be perfect, but I'm sure a more perfect one could be created than what we have.