Third Party Watch

Ballot Access News

California holds a special election for the vacant 51st district State Senate in Los Angeles County on March 24. Six Democrats, one Peace & Freedom Party member, and one Republican are running. Since two of the Democrats are incumbent Assemblymembers, it is extremely likely that no one will get 50% of the vote. In that case, there will be a run-off on May 19 between the Peace and Freedom nominee, Cindy Henderson, and the Democrat who gets the most votes in March, and the lone Republican. The district is overwhelmingly Democratic. The seat is vacant because Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas resigned to become a Los Angeles County Supervisor.

by Bob Unruh

Globalists are “salivating” over the possibility of a Constitutional Convention at which issues such as the 2nd Amendment could handily be dismissed, according to a leader who warns Virginia likely is the next target for the drive.

“There is no question in my mind that, should a new Constitutional Convention be called, it would be the end of the United States of America as we know it, and our current Constitution and Bill of Rights would be forever altered beyond recognition,” Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin wrote in his latest commentary.

“The globalists who currently control Washington, D.C., and Wall Street are, no doubt, salivating over the opportunity to officially dismantle America’s independence and national sovereignty, and establish a globalist North American Union – in much the same way that globalists created the European Union. A new Constitutional Convention is exactly the tool they need to cement their sinister scheme into law.”

WND reported when the American Policy Center issued an alert that the plan was under consideration in the Ohio legislature.

The proposal was put aside, at least temporarily, because of publicity generated by the organization run by Tom DeWeese. WND later reported some Wyoming lawmakers, alarmed by the prospects, announced they were working to ensure that if a convention is held, it would convene in the face of their opposition.

Wyoming previously called for a Constitutional Convention but rescinded the votes in 1999. However, it is unclear whether even a formal vote to withdraw a request for a convention would have an impact or whether any limits could be imposed, according to constitutional expert John Eidsmoe.

Baldwin, the founder of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., and a radio talk show host, now is urging citizens to contact their state representatives on the issue, especially residents of Virginia.

“As I noted in this column a few weeks ago, proponents of assembling a new Constitutional Convention are a scant two states away from achieving that monstrous reality,” he wrote. “At that time, the state of Ohio was in the crosshairs.

“Fortunately, enough people from that good state inundated their state representatives with objections, and the matter was tabled (for how long, no one knows). Now it appears that the Commonwealth of Virginia is going to be the next battleground state,” he wrote.

“In all likelihood, the Virginia legislature will be the next state government to take up the Con Con issue. It is imperative, therefore, that the citizens of Virginia begin contacting their various representatives, demanding that they not authorize the call for a new Constitutional Convention.”

WND’s earlier report noted 32 states already have approved demands for the convention, and only two more states are needed to complete the list.

“If called, a modern Constitutional Convention could declare the U.S. Constitution to be null and void, and could completely rewrite the document. For example, former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger once declared, ‘There is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The Convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda,’” Baldwin wrote.

He said in Virginia, lawmakers previously had asked for the convention but rescinded the call in 2004, so this year’s debate apparently will be over the rescission.

Baldwin said residents of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin have not yet voted for a new convention…

Read the complete article here.

Chuck Baldwin reflects on his presidential campaign as the candidate of the Constitution Party, noting that it took him and his family over 30,000 miles in more than 30 states.

His “best” nominations from the campaign include Ron Paul, Lou Dobbs, and the John Birch Society. See here for the Birch Society’s appreciative response.

His “worst” list includes “worthless talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity” and most of the leaders of the Religious Right: “For all intents and purposes, the Religious Right has become nothing more than a gaggle of glorified hacks for the Republican Party. They have sacrificed virtually every principle worth defending.”

Ballot Access News

The Texas Secretary of State has corrected some clerical errors that had crept into the official November 2008 presidential returns, for the declared write-in candidates.

As a result, Chuck Baldwin gained 343 votes, Ralph Nader gained 226 votes, Cynthia McKinney gained 160 votes, and Jonathan Allan gained one vote.

Also, Brian Moore lost 778 votes, Alan Keyes lost 12 votes, and Thaddeus Hill lost 662 votes. The new totals should be posted soon on the nationwide presidential vote chart.

01/04/2009

BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES BROUGHT POLICE STATE TO AMERICA
By Mary Starrett
Constitution Party Communications Director

The word “fascism” has been used for decades to deride political ideologies of both the right and left. Fact is, fascism has come to America and we have allowed it to happen.

Back in 1944 economist and author John Flynn pointed out that we have been laying the basecoat of fascism here in the U.S. in the book As We Go Marching.

“But alas, the most terrifying aspect of the whole fascist episode is the dark fact that most of its poisons are generated not by evil men or evil peoples, but by quite ordinary men in search of an answer to the baffling problems that beset every society. Nothing could have been further from the minds of most of them than the final brutish and obscene result. The gangster comes upon the stage only when the scene has been made ready for him by his blundering precursors.”

Flynn wouldn’t be at all surprised to see that what he predicted 65 years ago is happening in our country today. Read the rest of this entry »

From the January 3 issue of Ballot Access News:

The Conservative Party of New York has been the minor party that runs candidates in the largest share of its state’s legislative seats, compared to any other minor party. This has been true continuously starting in 1970. The Conservatives hit their peak (for number of legislative nominees) in 1982, when the party had nominees on the ballot in over 92% of New York state’s legislative races (195 nominees out of 211 races).

However, there are signs that the Conservative machine is flagging slightly. Read the rest of this entry »

Jon Basil Utley, on the Antiwar.com blog, gives another view of conservative patriarch Paul Weyrich, who died last Thursday. While most people are familiar with Weyrich’s role on social issues, Utley focuses on his war position and support for civil liberties. He notes, for example:

Weyrich also funded for several years an e-mail letter on protecting constitutional freedoms and often invited former Congressman Bob Barr [2008 presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party] to speak on the Patriot Act and such issues.

Here is the full text of Utley’s posting:

Paul Weyrich and Wars
By Jon Basil Utley
Antiwar.blog

Paul Weyrich, who died last Thursday, was one of the half dozen leaders who brought forth the conservative victory in Washington. With the Iraq war, as most Republicans were overcome by the siren songs of big government and world empire, Weyrich remained an extraordinary defender of freedom and limited government. Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina has dismissed a lawsuit by Ralph Nader that accused the Democratic Party of conspiring to keep him off the ballot in 2004. Nader ran as an independent candidate for President this year. The Associated Press story is here.

Lynne Williams, an attorney who has championed numerous environmental and human rights causes in Maine, has announced that she intends to run for governor in 2010. She is state chairman of the Maine Green Independent Party and serves on the planning board in Bar Harbor.

The Bangor Daily News covers her entry into the race here.

Ballot Access News

In 2004, Constitution Party presidential nominee Michael Peroutka was on the ballot in states containing 66.4% of the national presidential vote. Where he was on the ballot, he polled .173% of the total presidential vote in those places.

In 2008, Constitution Party presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin was on the ballot in states containing 59.0% of the national presidential vote this year. Where he was on the ballot, he polled .238% of the total presidential vote in those places.

Thus, the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party experienced a similar pattern in these two presidential election years. Each party did a worse job of getting its presidential candidate on the ballot in 2008 than it had in 2004. But, in the places where each party’s presidential candidate was on the ballot, each party polled a markedly higher share of the vote in 2008 than it had in 2004.

The following is a media release from the Constitution Party:

12/09/2008

Got Birth Certificate?
Constitution Party Calls For Barack Obama To Prove Eligibility For Office

Lancaster, PA, The country’s fastest-growing third party (Ballot Access News 12/08) challenged Barack Obama to release his birth certificate and dispel the grave concerns that he is ineligible to assume office as president of the United States.

“The Constitution is crystal clear Read the rest of this entry »

The following is a media release from the Green Party of the United States:

Greens offer six big steps for economic recovery

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

Greens support workers occupying a factory in Chicago after layoff: bailout money isn’t being used to help working Americans

WASHINGTON, DC—Green Party leaders said today that the incoming Obama Administration and Congress should take six major steps to reverse the financial meltdown and restore financial security for Americans.

The steps include a Green public works program, aid for state and muncipal governments, expansion of mass transit, Single-Payer health care, a peace dividend gained by ending the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and an end to the wasteful war on drugs.

Green Party candidates running Read the rest of this entry »

The following is a column by Chuck Baldwin, the 2008 Constitution Party presidential candidate:

Selective Constitutionalism
By Chuck Baldwin
December 9, 2008

Many conservatives are up in arms regarding the charge that President-elect Barack Obama may not have been born in the United States and is, therefore, not qualified under the U.S. Constitution to be President of the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

The Houston Chronicle’s Texas on the Potomac blog gives the vote totals for Indiana, North Carolina, and Missouri. It is obvious that Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr and Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader got enough votes to make the difference in those three states between the two major-party candidates. (Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin added to the difference in Indiana.)

What is not provable, however, is how their supporters would have voted if their favorite was not on the ballot. Or, indeed, whether they would have voted at all.

Herman K. Trabish in the NewEnergyNews blog is surprised to see the carbon tax emerge again after the election, when both Obama and McCain had supported versions of a cap-and-trade system:

A tax on emissions (dubbed a “carbon tax”) was considered a better idea but politically unreachable.

That was then.

In the past few days, consumer advocate Ralph Nader and climate scientist/prophet James Hansen (in the Wall Street Journal) and Tom Friedman (in the New York Times) have called for a carbon tax.

The phrase to know: Revenue neutral….

Update: Angela Keaton is reportedly resigning from the LNC, at the insistence of her employers at AntiWar.com.

At its meeting in San Diego on Saturday Dec. 6 and Sunday Dec. 7, the Libertarian National Committee tightened its budgetary belt, targeted the LPWA top-two primary lawsuit, mulled the Barr-Root campaign, deferred action on the mission statement and on accusations against Angela Keaton, annointed the 2010 convention site, and appointed its half of the Platform Committee.

Chuck Baldwin, the 2008 Constitution Party candidate for President, says there is only one way to get the change that President-elect Obama promised in his campaign:

There will be no real change in Washington, D.C., until the CFR [Council on Foreign Relations] and their elitist cronies are thoroughly and universally removed from power. And the only way this will happen is if we elect an Independent President of the United States (someone who truly understands the New World Order and is dedicated to defeating it), because the two major parties will never allow someone opposed to the CFR to become their nominee. The only Republican candidate for President in 2008 who demonstrated those credentials was Dr. Ron Paul. And to a lesser degree, the only Democrat who even seemed to vaguely understand this was Dennis Kucinich. Notice that both men were thoroughly repudiated by their respective parties’ leadership and all but totally ignored by the national news media. (The CFR and their surrogates also control the national news media. What a coincidence!)

So, while the occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may have changed, there will be no real change to the direction of these United States. Count on it!

The holiday season is here. Many Greens are looking for ways to celebrate the holidays while still living simply. The Green Party has ideas for alternative holiday giving that can help the Green Party AND give you a good feeling during the holidays.

The following is a news release from the Capital District Greens:

Greens Oppose Nomination of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State
Capital District Greens

For immediate release, December 1, 2008
For More Info: Mark Dunlea 518 283-6512, Howie Hawkins 315 425-1019

The Capital District Greens criticized President-elect Obama today for nominating Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to be his Secretary of State, saying it contradicted the anti-war rhetoric he initially based his campaign on.

The Greens said Obama has Read the rest of this entry »

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader makes the Wall Street Journal with a column, coauthored with Toby Heaps, entitled “We Need a Global Carbon Tax.” They write:

If President Barack Obama wants to stop the descent toward dangerous global climate change, and avoid the trade anarchy that current approaches to this problem will invite, he should take Al Gore’s proposal for a carbon tax and make it global. A tax on CO2 emissions—not a cap-and-trade system—offers the best prospect of meaningfully engaging China and the U.S., while avoiding the prospect of unhinged environmental protectionism.

The following is a column by Ralph Nader, this year’s Independent presidential candidate:

In the Public Interest
by Ralph Nader

In ancient China, the character for “crisis” was associated with “opportunity.” This month Congress will be faced with both challenges from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, whose CEOS are begging for a very rapid $34 billion in emergency government loans.

The three auto giants have few cards to play other than Read the rest of this entry »

According to the Political Insider blog in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, former Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr has endorsed Republican Saxby Chambliss in today’s Senate runoff. Political Insider reprints the text of a Barr letter “presumably distributed to Libertarians in Georgia.”

Ironically, Barr claims Chambliss is for “ending the government bailouts,” when much of the conservative and libertarian antagonism to Chambliss is because he voted for the $700 billion bailout in October.

Barr’s endorsement provoked this disappointed response by a libertarian blogger (“Bob Barr urges us to vote for one of the worst Republicans in the country”) .

This is how Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party’s presidential candidate this year, sees the election results:

For all intents and purposes, conservatism—as a national movement—is completely and thoroughly dead. Barack Obama did not destroy it, however. It was George W. Bush and John McCain who destroyed conservatism in America.

Moreover,

...the greatest tragedy of this deception is the way that Christian conservatives so thoroughly (and stupidly) swallowed the whole Bush/McCain neocon agenda.

Canada directly subsidizes its political parties, under the pretext of eliminating big money in campaigns. Now the new conservative administration threatens to end those subsidies.

Here is part of the response from Green Party executive director Maureen Murphy:

This could well be the biggest challenge ever to face the Green Party of Canada….

What does this mean for us? It means that the $1.95 GPC receives for every Canadian that voted for us will be lost. That amounts to more than 50% of the Green Party’s operating budget. Like all parties, we now have debts from our recent successful election campaign. Our priority is to pay these debts off quickly. To do so without the fair public financing system is a significant challenge. This threatens our very existence.

This is what happens when you become dependent on government for your existence. A change in political control can remove your subsidy overnight. Meanwhile, you’ve become hooked on that subsidy. In effect, the Green Party of Canada is admitting that it doesn’t have enough public support to continue operating as it has—it needs the forced financial support of taxpayers who do not agree with its message.

Of course, south of the border—here in the United States—it’s the two major parties that get the subsidies and protective regulations. Given the extremely low approval rating of Congress, and the fact that even in a pivotal election such as 2008 half the citizens don’t vote, we can only imagine what would happen to the Democrats and Republicans in a truly free political market.

Doug Bandow, on his blog, writes about “The Demopublican Duopoly,” and states:

There were alternatives on some of the ballots–including the Libertarian Party’s Bob Barr, to whom I lent a helping hand. Unfortunately, however, the two big parties tend to make the rules as arcane as possible, while election law bureaucrats often seem to work harder keeping parties off the ballot than ensuring that elections runs smoothly. So it’s hard to get on the ballot and even harder to comply with the rules.

Radley Balko, a senior editor of Reason magazine, wrote on the same topic for Fox News on the eve of the election. He had this to say:

It ought to be much easier to run for office. As it is now, the first task of anyone challenging an incumbent for federal office is to raise enough money to hire a team of lawyers to ensure that they’re complying with the law. It’s difficult enough to raise enough money to mount a credible challenge that overcomes the name recognition and other advantages of incumbency. Congress then continually adds to that the enormous costs of navigating more and more layers of an expensive and confusing web of legalese. Defenders of these complex laws then justify them under the guise of “getting the influence of money out of politics.”

How clever of them. What they’re really doing is ensuring that incumbents stay in office, and that one of two same-ish parties always remains in power.