Comments on: Constitution Party plans for 2009

By: Trent Hill

Trent Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:48:57 +0000

Not true. Most of the CP’s elected officials have come from Wisconsin (where they implemented a strategy of running only for local office), Nevada (where they had like 50 candidates), and Florida (where two mayors converted).

I believe Missouri has 1 or 2 at some point too.

And, if you count the Alaskan Independence Party–obviously they are at the forefront.

And, naturally, the AIP-CA’s officeholders (currently 2 or 3) have numbers many in the past–but I dont count them if they were elected before 1992 (when the CP was formed)

By: Ross Levin

Ross Levin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:35:34 +0000

They’re often special cases, though. Ventura was previously famous. Pollina was in a state very friendly to third parties where many local offices had already been won. But you’re right – it’s not impossible.

And I think that in places where ballot access isn’t an issue (like Illinois for the Green Party or Ohio for the Constitution Party now that that lawsuit is over) local races offer an opportunity. That is pretty much the only place that national third parties have won races in the past few years at least, I believe.

By: Trent Hill

Trent Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:23:36 +0000

The problem is that there is a catch 22. Ballot access is expensive and it is easier to acquire it through a decent presidential showing than to petition individually.

On the other hand, too much money and effort is wasted on crappy presidential campaigns.

However, it isnt true Congressional campaigns cannot be run, or even statewide offices. See Jesse Ventura, Anthony Pollina, Walter Hickel, Jack Coghill, Jim Gilchrist, Dick Randolph, etc.

By: Ross Levin

Ross Levin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:16:33 +0000

Agreed, Gene Berkman. At this point, they’ve got to focus on even smaller offices than Congress. The average congressional race cost over $1 million this past year and I’ll bet the average one involved hundreds of foot soldiers. Those are just not resources that any third party campaign has in a single congressional district. School boards, county commissioners, mayors, and other partisan positions that can be won without great investment are where to start, IMHO.

By: Trent Hill

Trent Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:12:24 +0000

I really feel sorry for Baldwin, he fell less than 1000 votes short of crossing over 200,000.

People like to compare Baldwin’s total to Phillips’ ’96 total, but Phillips was on California, Pennsylvania, New York, and Texas–Baldwin was on none of those. All four accounted for about 65,000 votes, I believe, in 1996.

By: Gene Berkman

Gene Berkman — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:57:12 +0000

The Constitution Party suffers from the same obsessions with the Presidential race that the LP has. Seriously, with all due respect to Rev Baldwin, the record vote for the Constitution Party ticket – after 16 years, is nothing to write home about.

Both the CP and the LP have to start at a lower level – local clubs that give real backing to candidates for state legislature and Congress. Otherwise people will just dismiss them as fringe groups.

By: paulie cannoli

paulie cannoli — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:18:10 +0000

Not at all the same thing, and they do not anymore.

By: Trent Hill

Trent Hill — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:17:01 +0000

Paulie,

The LP has a ballot access coordinator, dont they? Practically the same thing.

By: Catholic Trotskyist

Catholic Trotskyist — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:51:52 +0000

Joseph, that foreign policy platform is even less libertarian than the neocon foreign policy.

I will be writing a Catholic Trotskyist platform soon, but as some people here know, I do actually have a useful real life which is pretty busy right now.

By: Ross Levin

Ross Levin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:50:04 +0000

What does a field coordinator do?

By: paulie cannoli

paulie cannoli — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:43:21 +0000

They have one and are raising money for a second. LP, none.

By: Trent Hill

Trent Hill — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:41:48 +0000

The CP has one national field coordinator.

By: Coming on the back of the LP

Coming on the back of the LP — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:34:19 +0000

LJ 1, 2, 3, 4

Nobody cares what you want

By: paulie cannoli

paulie cannoli — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:25:22 +0000

The CP has field coordinators. The LP should too.

By: Libertarian Joseph

Libertarian Joseph — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:41:49 +0000

one possible scenario: we run out of money. that’s ok. that just means the member indivduals no longer wish to support our policies. we cut down. that’s how it should be.

let the people vote with their money. if they don’t want to support anti-state policies, they won’t contribute

By: Libertarian Joseph

Libertarian Joseph — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:37:11 +0000

just trying to think outside of the box lol. GE still hasn’t explained to me how it’s a bad idea. He stopped responding after I countered his argument.

By: Libertarian Joseph

Libertarian Joseph — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:31:02 +0000

Now, I can guarantee you that noone takes my position on foreign policy. It’s different

By: Libertarian Joseph

Libertarian Joseph — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:21:56 +0000

here’s my party’s platform summary

*foreign*

anti-state, promoting all rebel factions

transfer aid to states with aid to rebel organizations

stay in Iraq & Aghanistan, but take out the states and let the people be free

overkill the UN veto

*domestic*

“go green” with the military

allow citizens to opt out of the system, create a system for doing that

end the Fed, stop printing USD

eliminate taxation, accept voluntary contributions

end welfare, end all subsidies, end social security, deregulare everything, at all levels of government

end the marriage licensing system

abolish pay and benefits for all politicians

take down all import/export tariffs

eliminate NASA, deregulate the industry

eliminate dept. of energy, deregulate the industry

eliminate the dept. of education, deregulate the industry

eliminate the FCC

eliminate the FDIC, deregulate the banking industry

note – deregulation does not mean create pseudo-private corporate entities, it means take the government out of the industry, entirely

tell Ethiopia: you leave the lands known as Somalia, or you will be invaded.

that is all