As I have mentioned in the past, I am not registered with either of the two main political parties that are center stage in most of our media. Personally, I think that both parties have their pluses and minuses (and my voting record reflects this), however, neither seem to DIRECTLY address the issues that I feel as an American citizen are important. Democrats as well as Republicans should not have a lock on your vote. Decide today to become a savvy voter.
One of the things that I will be doing personally this year is to “shop around” if you will other political parties that are out there and I am inviting you to join me.
Periodically during the next couple weeks, I will highlight 1-2 political parties for our examination. I will provide a brief summary along with a link to their website. Who knows, your vote for one of these parties could be the start of a national trend.
I will also add these links to the menu to your right later today for your convince.
—————————————
America First Party (http://www.americafirstparty.org)
The America First Party was founded in Spring 2002 by a large group of Buchanan Brigade defectors who splintered away from the declining Reform Party to form this new, uncompromisingly social conservative and fair trade party (with a strong foundation in the Religious Right movement). The views of the party largely echo those espoused by commentator Pat Buchanan during his three Presidential bids. The AFP is dedicated to “protect our people and our sovereignty … promote economic growth and independence … encourage the traditional values of faith, family, and responsibility … ensure equality before the law in protecting those rights granted by the Creator … [and] to clean up our corrupted political system.” Within a month of the AFP’s founding, ten former Reform Party state chapters formally broke away from the RP and affiliated with the AFP. By the August 2002 National Convention, the AFP had affiliates in around 20 states — and they hoped to be organized in nearly all 50 states by the end of 2003. Now, those hopes are dashed. The AFP’s national chair, vice chair and treasurer all resigned in mid-2003 after a hardcore group affiliated with ultra-right militia movement leader Bo Gritz purportedly grabbed control of key party elements. Others in the AFP denied this, saying the Gritz complaints were just a pretext to mask serious financial problems and personality divisions within the party that really caused the collapse. So — for whatever reasons — many AFP state parties apparently left the national party for the same reason. The AFP National Convention — set for July 2003 — was cancelled. The party even abandoned the possibility of fielding a Presidential candidate in 2004. A Buchananite AFP faction are trying to reorganize, but the party appears to be in shambles.
American Party (http://www.theamericanparty.org)
The AP is a very small, very conservative, Christian splinter party formed after a break from the American Independent Party in 1972. US Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Governor Mel Thomson (R-NH) both flirted with the American Party’s presidential nomination in 1976, but both ultimately declined. The party won its strongest finish in the 1976 presidential election — nominee Tom Anderson carried 161,000 votes (6th place) — but has now largely faded into almost total obscurity. The party’s 1996 Presidential candidate — anti-gay rights activist and attorney Diane Templin — carried just 1,900 votes. Former GOP State Senator Don Rogers of California — the 2000 nominee for President — did even worse as he failed to qualify for ballot status in any states. The party — which used to field a sizable amount of state and local candidates in the 1970s — rarely fields more than a handful of nominees nationwide in recent years, although they do claim local affiliates in 15 states. Beyond the pro-life, pro-gun and anti-tax views that you’d expect to find, the American Party also advocates an end to farm price supports/subsidies, privatization of the US Postal Service, opposes federal involvement in education, supports abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency, supports repeal of NAFTA, opposes minimum wage laws, opposes land use zoning regulations and opposes convening a Constitutional convention. Of course, the AP also opposes the United Nations, the New World Order, communism, socialism and the Trilateral Commission.
Sphere: Related Content
