Please enjoy this guest article today. Because I have several different projects going all at the same time I have solicited a handful of close and trusted contributors to offer their voice to this site periodically so that the content does not continue to lag due to my time challenges. I spend several hours for every article that I write here because I take my message seriously, so I am grateful for these submissions when I am unable to write. This first one is by a friend in California who has uncovered the appalling existence of what is shaping up to be the Party that may well replace a fractured and disintegrating Republican Party in a few short years.

THE CONSTITUTION PARTY – THE NEW CONSERVATIVE PARTY

by Susan Cardoza

It is not as if the former Religious Right of Reagan’s years – now branded as Dominionists who are the political Christians driving the GOP – have not given us enough headaches, now they are working in the shadows to push a political party and a Constitution favorable to the Dominionist politics in the United States. This party was actually founded as the U.S. Taxpayers’ Party by Howard Philips, a born again Christian Reconstructionist, in 1991 who was the party’s candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections. The party’s official name was changed to the Constitution Party (CP) in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names.

The CP’s goal, as stated in its own words, is “to restore our government to its Constitutional limits and our law to its Biblical foundations.”, a falsely perpetuated goal. The party absorbed the American Independent Party, which was originally founded for the George Wallace 1968 presidential campaign. The American Independent Party of California has been an affiliate of the Constitution Party since its founding; however, current party leadership is disputed and the issue is in court to resolve this conflict. It has some substantial support from Dominionist funding sources and in 2010 achieved major party status in Colorado. Colorado – Colorado Springs the mecca for political Christian leaders and their followers.

The party has been floundering since it’s inception but with this 2012 crop of GOP candidates the platform for the party could just be waiting in the wings for what looks right now like an improbable win for one of the GOP candidates. Santorum and Gingrich make no bones about what they want our government to look like going forward but Mitt is a dark horse. From the looks of his campaigning so far he appears to be willing to do anything to win but should he do so, I wonder how much cooperation he would give to the Dominionists once in the White House. Mitt is under what is termed as a “White Horse Prophecy” in conjunction with his church so he would definitely have conflicts in the religious arena trying to cater to both groups. (see link below)

If you really listen to the candidates I think you will agree the platform for the Constitution Party is right in line with at least three GOP candidates if you include Ron Paul. Then take into consideration the make-up of the governorships and state houses across the country, take a look at this list of 2010 CP candidates. What are they doing? They are busy passing legislation that is detrimental to voters who usually vote for the Democratic party and based on issues of morality as they define it and their family values which are spelled out in the Constitution outline below.

Who is stopping them? No one, because no one really believes what they can see before their own eyes. Wake up people, we must pay attention to the world around us. While you are sleeping, working and worrying about your finances, Republicans are curtailing your freedoms right under your noses. They are setting the table for the next step, a Christian-based country that would broker no dissent especially in Religious matters. They have already told people what to do if you don’t like it…..If You Don`t Like America Get The Hell Out! How many times have you seen a conservative with a shirt like that, a sign like that?

It should come as no big surprise that their mantra is, “I want my country back”, well of course they do, back to something it never really was but in their minds are convinced was the intent of the founders. Either that or they are really good at fooling people with lies. It is probably a bit of both, lies and false sense of history. But it does not matter, they are already putting the wheels in motion. If you don’t think a GOP takeover of the House, the Senate and the White House is viable, think back to 2010 then look under your bed for the boogie man because he is right around that 2012 election.

According to the editor of Ballot Access News, which periodically compiles and analyzes voter registration statistics, the Constitution Party ranks third nationally among all U.S. political parties in registered voters, with 438,222 registered voters as of October 2008.

“The vast majority of the “other” voters are independents. Although Green and Libertarian registration is at an all-time high (whether looking at raw numbers or percentages) that registration is still low. Members of all minor parties still comprise fewer than 2% of the voters.
Democrats have 42.19%, Republicans 32.78%, Constitution .36%; Green .34%, Libertarian .27%, Reform .07%, Natural Law .04%, American .01%. The various one-state parties, together, are .78%. See page four for a state-by-state list.
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.”

The majority, 370,405, are California’s American Independent Party, with 67,817 voters in the remaining states and growing. The Constitution Party advocates a platform aimed at reflecting the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Bible, and the Bill of Rights.

The CP has had only one candidate elected at state level in 2006 when Rick Jore was elected to the State House. On April 26, 2008, Montana preacher Chuck Baldwin went on to be nominated as the Constitution Party candidate for President of the United States, and after Ron Paul dropped out of the 2008 GOP race he endorsed Baldwin as the CP candidate for president.

But here is the clincher, they don’t really need a candidate because their Constitution draft is well within a negotiation state with the GOP and Tea Party. In fact, despite their low recognition right now, it would be natural for all three to combine.

Despite their numbers in the 2010 elections they remain a shadow party to the majority of the electorate. Some notable people who have flirted with the party are: William Potter Gale, Pat Buchanan, Ezola B. Foster, Michael Peroutka and U.S. senator Bob Smith announced his switch from Republican to the U.S. Taxpayers Party in 1999 (an offshoot) however, left when they resisted his candidacy due to Roman Catholicism, Christian activist Alan Keyes had actively sought the Constitution nod after ending a bid for the GOP nomination. Perhaps their most notable and a real barometer of their ideals is Tom Tancredo who ran for Governor of Colorado on their ticket and who is still being touted as a favorite on their website. And last but not least, remember that Sarah Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party until she was picked as McCain’s VP running mate in 2008. The AIP is the Alaska chapter of the Constitution Party.

They have written their own constitution that is based on Jesus Christ as their Saviour and as the creator, preserver and ruler of the universe. They have also adopted the Constitutional provision in Article VI, Section 3 which states that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States”. They call on all those who value liberty and their inherent rights to join with them in the pursuit of their goals.

U.S. Government
The Constitution Party supports reducing the role of the United States federal government through cutting bureaucratic regulation, reducing spending, and replacing the income tax with a tariff-based revenue system supplemented by excise taxes.

Fiscal Policy
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 health care, education, and welfare, as unconstitutional under Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution and the Tenth Amendment. They also dispute the validity of the 16th Amendment’s ratification.

The party supports paying off the federal debt through a systematic elimination of further borrowing, programs.

Foreign Policy
They support a non-interventionist foreign policy and eventual elimination of the U.S. in multinational and international organizations such as the United Nations, World Bank or the IMF and the Export-Import Bank. Their constitution also urges the government to immediately terminate all subsidies, tax preferences, and investment guarantees that encourage U.S. businesses to invest in foreign property; and to seek to collect all foreign debts owed to it.

They favor withdrawal of the United States from most current treaties, such as NAFTA, GATT and the World Trade Organization. The party takes mercantilist positions in supporting protectionist policies on international trade.

The party also believes in exercising a tariff system to counteract the U.S.’ increasingly negative balance of trade. The tariff system would levy additional import costs, the amount of which would vary proportionally with how much less the exporting country’s production costs are compared to that of U.S. companies.

The Constitution Party has stated that this system would give U.S. companies a better chance at competing with countries, like Mexico and China, which have lower labor costs

Immigration
The party opposes illegal immigration and also seeks stricter controls on legal immigration. It demands that the federal government restore immigration policies based on a policy that potential immigrants will be disqualified from admission to the United States on the grounds of ill health, criminality, low morals, or financial dependence. They also support a long term goal of a moratorium on future immigration, exempting extreme cases where it would be necessary.

Additionally, they oppose welfare subsidies and other taxpayer-supported benefits to illegal immigrants, rejecting also the practice of bestowing U.S. citizenship on children born to illegal immigrant parents while in this country. It also rejects any extension of amnesty to illegal immigrants. The Constitution Party would use U.S. troops to protect the states against an influx of illegal immigrants.

Social policy
The party opposes euthanasia and abortion including in cases of rape and incest. The party supports the ability of states to administer the death penalty to those convicted of “capital crimes”.

The party opposes same-sex marriage, and believes state and local governments have the right to criminalize “offensive sexual behavior”.

The party further opposes pornography, believing it to be “a destructive element of society resulting in significant and real emotional, physical, spiritual and financial costs to individuals, families and communities,” distinguishable from the American citizen’s “cherished First Amendment right to free speech.” While expressing its belief in the individual responsibility of citizens and corporations, the party maintains that government plays a “vital role” in establishing and maintaining the highest level of decency in America’s community standards.

The party opposes all government sponsorship, involvement in, or promotion of gambling and in keeping with the spirit of Article 1 Section 8 and Amendment 10, opposes federal anti-drug laws while maintaining that the federal government may have a role in limiting the import of drugs.

The party supports the right to bear arms in accordance with the Second Amendment and is against the USA PATRIOT Act. The Constitution Party believes that charitable giving is most effective when conducted by private parties. Because the authority to administer charity has not been granted to the government in the Constitution, the party maintains that the government has no business being involved in such endeavors.

The party opposes federal restrictions on, or subsidization of, medical treatments.
The party supports English as the official language for all governmental business, opposes bilingual ballots, and insists that those who wish to take part in the electoral process and governance of the U.S. be required to read and comprehend basic English as a precondition of citizenship.

The party also opposes the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits literacy tests as a requirement for voting.

Federalism
The party supports the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, which allows Congress to tax income, and the Seventeenth Amendment, which requires the direct (popular) election of Senators. The party holds that each state’s membership in the Union is voluntary, this stance is known as the Compact theory.

I could be wrong and all of this could be a long way off but in the world of National politics and the public discourse we all know anything can happen, but just for kicks, google the Constitution Party, see what you see. It would be a pity for people to have to say, “If I had only known”. That, my friends is why I write.” ~ by Susan Cardoza

From Leah: Thank you Susan for this article contribution. The Cp really is a serious contender and many extremists in the current GOP are working to see the CP succeed.