Constitution Party (United States)

Constitution Party
Chairman	Jim Clymer
Founded	1992
Headquarters	23 North Lime St. Lancaster, PA 17602
Ideology	Constitutional conservatism, Paleo-Conservatism
International affiliation	None
Colours	Red, White, and Blue
Website
http://constitutionparty.com

The Constitution Party is a United States political party. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names. It ranks third nationally amongst all United States political parties in registered voters, with 366,937 registered members as of November 2006. , most of whom come from California and Nevada.

The Constitution Party advocates a strong adherence to what its members believe is the original intent of the U.S. Constitution and the principles of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Its approach on moral issues is readily identified as very conservative and seeks to restore what it calls the Biblical foundations of American jurisprudence. Below are the Seven Principles of the Constitution Party:

1. Life: For all human beings, from conception to natural death;
2. Liberty: Freedom of conscience and actions for the self-governed individual;
3. Family: One husband and one wife with their children as divinely instituted;
4. Property: Each individual's right to own and steward personal property without government burden;
5. Constitution: and Bill of Rights interpreted according to the actual intent of the Founding Fathers;
6. States' Rights: Everything not specifically delegated by the Constitution to the federal government is reserved for the state and local jurisdictions;
7. American Sovereignty: American government committed to the protection of the borders, trade, and common defense of Americans, and not entangled in foreign alliances.

In 2006, Rick Jore of Montana became the first Constitution Party candidate elected to a state-level office, though the Constitution Party of Montana was not affiliated with the national party at the time.

Affiliates and other similar parties

The Michigan affiliate has kept the U.S. Taxpayers Party name in order to retain ballot status, in Connecticut the affiliate is the Concerned Citizens Party, and in Nebraska the affiliate has recently changed its name from "The Nebraska Party" to "The Nebraska Independent Party". In California, the affiliate is the American Independent Party, and in Nevada, it is the Independent American Party. According to Richard Winger, the editor of Ballot Access News, and other observers, the word "Independent" in the party name may have attracted the registrations of voters intending to declare themselves unaffiliated with any party.

It has been rumored that the Constitution Party discussed a merger between several third parties such as the Reform Party, Independent American Party, American Independent Party, and the America First Party, but others have rebutted this as a misinterpretation of the events. All of the aforementioned parties except for the Reform Party endorsed Michael Peroutka as their presidential candidate in 2004. The conservatism of the America First Party, Independent American Party, and the American Independent Party as well as the relative inactivity of these parties in fielding many candidates makes a merge likely.

Notable persons

Pat Buchanan threatened to run as the U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate if Bob Dole had chosen a pro-choice running mate in 1996. Dole ultimately chose pro-life Jack Kemp and received Buchanan's endorsement. Buchanan stated on the September 7, 2004 edition of Hardball with Chris Matthews, "There is a chance I would vote for Peroutka." Buchanan's running mate Ezola B. Foster later joined the party.

Conservative U.S. senator Bob Smith announced his switch from Republican to this party, then the U.S. Taxpayers Party. He also briefly ran for its presidential nomination in 2000. Smith later claimed that anti-New World Order ideologues within the party resisted his candidacy due to Smith's Roman Catholicism. He continued his campaign as a non-partisan independent but ceased the campaign soon after.

Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist ran for Congress with the American Independent Party in 2005, but has since rejoined the Republicans.[3]

Platform

Fiscal policy

Constitutionalists support reducing the role of the United States federal government through cutting bureaucratic regulation, reducing spending, and abolishing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in favor of a tariff-based revenue system supplemented by excise taxes. Its leaders are among the strongest advocates of abolishing most forms of federal taxation, especially the income tax. They view most current regular federal expenditures (such as those for healthcare, education, welfare, etc.) as unconstitutional under the intended strict interpretation of Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution and the Tenth Amendment.

The Constitution Party strongly believes in this quote from Thomas Jefferson.

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves." -Thomas Jefferson

They support paying off the federal debt through a systematic elimination of further borrowing and what they consider unconstitutional programs and agencies such as the Department of Education, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. They oppose foreign aid, asking that no further funds be appropriated for any kind of foreign aid program, and encourage the idea that United States participation in international lending institutions, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the Export-Import Bank be terminated. They urge that all government subsidies, tax preferences, and investment guarantees to encourage U.S. businesses to invest in foreign lands be immediately terminated; and all debts owed to the United States by foreign countries, or foreign entities, be collected.

Foreign policy

Additionally, they favor a noninterventionist foreign policy. In such, they advocate reduction and eventual elimination of the role the United States plays in multinational and international organizations such as the United Nations, and favor withdrawal of the United States from most current treaties, such as NAFTA, GATT, and the World Trade Organization. The party takes paleoconservative positions in supporting protectionist policies on international trade.

The Constitution Party believes as did George Washington when he said,

"It is our true policy to steer clear of entangling alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

The party also believes in exercising a tariff system to counteract the U.S.'s increasingly negative balance of trade. The system would levy additional import costs based directly on a country's production costs as compared to that of U.S. companies. This then would presumably give U.S. companies a better chance at competing with countries like Mexico and China who heavily underpay their workers, force such countries to pay their workers more reasonable wages, and counter the problem of offshoring in the U.S. job market.

Immigration policy

The Constitution Party is the ONLY 100% Pro-Secure Borders party in the entire nation!

The party opposes illegal immigration and also seeks a more restrictive policy on legal immigration. They demand that the federal government restore immigration policies based on the practice that potential immigrants will be disqualified from admission to the U.S. if, on the grounds of health, criminality, morals, or financial dependence, they would impose an improper burden on the United States, any state, or any citizen of the United States.

Additionally, they oppose the provision of welfare subsidies and other taxpayer-supported benefits to illegal aliens, and reject the practice of bestowing U.S. citizenship on children born to illegal alien parents while in this country. They also reject any extension of amnesty to illegal aliens. The Constitution Party calls for the use of U.S. troops to protect the states against an influx of illegal immigrants.

Social policy

The party is 100 % Pro-Life and thus opposes euthanasia and abortion. According to Constitution Party Frequently Asked Questions, the party does support States' right to administer the death penalty to those convicted of "capital crimes."

Our support of a State's option to impose the death penalty is limited to those who have been convicted of capital crimes. This is consistent with protecting "innocent" life because the death penalty would only be applied to those who have proven to be a threat to innocent life.

It also opposes government recognition of homosexual unions.

The party believes that charity is a private matter that the government has no business being involved in.

They support wholeheartedly the right to bear arms and view the Second Amendment to the Constitution as securing the citizens' right to keep and bear arms without registration or permits.

They are opposed to the USA PATRIOT Act.

The party opposes gambling as destructive and contributing to crime, as well as government's support of gambling organizations.

The party also opposes pornography, believing the government needs to take a stand against it. While stressing the responsibility of individuals and corporations, the party maintains that government has responsibility in preserving standards of decency in America.

The party opposes bilingual ballots and insists that those who wish to take part in the electoral process and governance of the US be required to read and comprehend basic English as a precondition of citizenship.

They support English as the official language for all governmental business by the United States.

The party opposes federal anti-drug laws in keeping with the spirit of Article 1 Section 8 and Amendment 10, while maintaining that the federal government may have a role in limiting the import of drugs. The party opposes federal restrictions on, or subsidization of, medical treatments.

Abortion Stance

The Constitution Party is the ONLY 100% Pro-Life party in the entire nation!

The party's view is that life begins from conception, and that any abridgement of life without due law is nothing less than murder. Even in cases of rape and incest the party still opposes abortion as stated in their platform:

We affirm the God-given legal personhood of all unborn human beings, without exception. As to matters of rape and incest, it is unconscionable to take the life of an innocent child for the crimes of his father.

The Constitution Party also opposes the use of Embyonic and Pre-Embyonic Stem Cell research.

Gun Control

The Constitution Party is the ONLY 100% Pro-Gun party in the entire nation!

We believe that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, cannot rightfully be abridged and that laws restricting law-abiding citizens' right to keep and bear arms are a violation of the 2nd Amendment.

The Constitution Party feels that registration of firearms is agianst American's 2nd Amendment right, by infringin on that right, and also opposes the requirments to gain a permit to carry a weapon.

Exerpt from the Constitution Party's platform:

The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution; it may not properly be infringed upon or denied.

The Constitution Party upholds the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms. We oppose attempts to prohibit ownership of guns by law-abiding citizens, and stand against all laws which would require the registration of guns or ammunition.

We emphasize that when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have them. In such circumstances, the peaceful citizen's protection against the criminal would be seriously jeopardized.

We call for the repeal of all federal firearms legislation, beginning with Federal Firearms Act of 1968

The Constitution Party agrees with Thomas Jefferson when he said:

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

Criticisms

The backing of committed religious conservatives such as Roy Moore and the late R. J. Rushdoony prompted Political Research Associates to link the Constitution Party to the dominionism movement and voice concern that it advocates a form of theocracy. Though some may have thought the Constitution Party supported a type of Theocracy, this idea is incorrect. The Constitution Party simply understands that America "was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

As stated in the preamble of the Constitution Party's platform:

The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries.

The party has also attracted figures in the anti-abortion violence movement such as Patrick Johnston, Lon Mabon, and Missionaries to the Preborn leader Pastor Matthew Trewhella. Though the party abhors the practice of abortion the Constitution Party does not advocate any such violence in protesting it. The party believes in protesting in a peaceful manner, that does not incite violence.

Prominent members Devvy Kidd (Texas), Mary Starrett (Oregon), and Roy Moore (Alabama), are members of the tax protest group We the People Foundation , which strongly advocates the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment and IRS tax regulations, because income taxes on the America people violates the idea of freedom and is unconstitutional.

Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of the Constitution Party

Rick Jore was the first Constitution Party candidate elected, in 2006, to office above the city or county level.

Potential 2008 presidential candidates

Main article: 2008 United States third party presidential candidates § Constitution Party

Ballot access

The Constitution Party is on the ballot in the following states, as of January 4, 2007 [4]:

1. California (as the American Independent Party)
2. Colorado (as the American Constitution Party)
3. Delaware
4. Florida
5. Idaho
6. Michigan (as the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)
7. Mississippi
8. Montana (currently disaffiliated from national Constitution Party)
9. Nebraska (as the Nebraska Party)
10. Nevada (as the Independent American Party of Nevada)
11. North Dakota
12. Oregon (currently disaffiliated from national Constitution Party)
13. Pennsylvania
14. South Carolina
15. Utah

See also

• Constitution Party National Convention
• Wikia:campaigns:United States Constitution Party
• List of state Constitution Parties
• List of political parties in the United States
• America First Party (2002), American Heritage Party, American Patriot Party, similar political parties
• Christian Heritage Party of Canada, a similar political party in Canada
• Young Constitutionalists, youth activism arm of the party

External links

• Official Constitution Party website and platform
• National Veterans Coalition
• Promotional items and memorabilia
• Constitution Party at ThirdPartyNews.net
• CP discussion forum at LiveJournal