Constitution Party

{{uspolitics}}
The 
Un
'''Constitution Party''' is a [[far-right]] [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] [[political party]] in the [[United States]], originally called the US Taxpayers Party. It was founded in 1991 by Howard Phillips, a major figure in the [[New Right (United States)|New Right]] who was part of the [[paleoconservative]] break away from the New Right at the end of the [[Cold War]]. Despite its [[Deceit|deceptive name]], the party is very [[authoritarian]] and has little regard for the principles of the [[US Constitution]], and promotes [[Pseudohistory|unsupported]] [[historical revisionism]]; asserting that [[The United States as a Christian nation|the US was founded as a Christian nation]].

==Platform summary==
In brief, its platform consists of so many changes, one wonders if they're talking about a different Constitution.

Here is a run-down:

* A total opposition to [[abortion]] in ''all'' cases, with the ''possible'' exception of those saving the life of the mother. This is so central to its platform that it has been taken out of alphabetical order and made the first plank. A dispute over whether people who supported exceptions for [[rape]] and [[incest]] should be allowed in the party led to a schism and the disaffiliation of several state parties from the national body.
* Repeal of federal and state laws that they believe [[Gun control|violate]] the right to keep and bear [[Fun:Weapon of gun|arms]].
* An amendment to nullify court rulings that they feel abuse the power of [[eminent domain]], and that they fear will lead to arbitrary seizure ([[stopped clock]]).
* Revision of the [[First Amendment]] to affirm Triune [[Christianity]] as the [[Establishment Clause|officially established religion]] of the [[United States]]. 
* Revision of the [[Fourteenth Amendment]], to deny automatic citizenship for [[Anchor baby|those born to undocumented people]].
* Repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, which permits the taxation of all forms of income by the Federal Government.
* Repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment, which requires popular election of Senators.
* Assertion of the rights of states to secede without interference from the Federal Government.
* Removal of compulsory school attendance laws (the better to allow parents to indoctrinate them with [[Young Earth creationism|creationism]] and fundamentalist [[homeschooling]]).<ref>This section of bullet points was lifted verbatim from {{wpl|Constitution Party (United States)|Wikipedia|;}} some links were removed and others were adapted for the RW environment.</ref>

==Political positions==

CP members support [[Starve the beast|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.

They favor a non-interventionist and isolationist foreign policy. The party advocates reduction and eventual elimination of the United States' role in multinational and international organizations such as the United Nations and favors withdrawal of the United States from most current treaties, such as [[NAFTA]], GATT, and the WTO. The party takes [[paleoconservative]] positions in supporting protectionist policies on international trade. However, most of the party's membership supports the existence of the State of Israel as a springboard to fulfill the [[Book of Revelation]]. They also, consequentially, [[Stopped clock|opposed]] the [[War in Iraq]] and many of the [[civil rights]] abuses of the [[George W. Bush|Bush administration]].

The party opposes illegal immigration and seeks a [[Xenophobia|more restrictive policy]] on legal immigration.

The party is [[anti-abortion]] and thus opposes [[euthanasia]] and abortion, but not [[capital punishment]].

The party also opposes government recognition of [[homosexuality|homosexual]] unions. It believes state and local governments have the right to criminalize "[[sodomy|offensive sexual behavior]]".<ref>End of GFDL copying out of laziness. Again, links have been adapted to RW.</ref>

As a [[theocracy|theocratic]] party that seeks to "affirm ... Christianity as the officially established religion of the United States", they are representative of what is called the "[[American Taliban]]".

Also, in the "too good to make this up" department, from the party platform verbatim: "We call on our local, state and federal governments to uphold our cherished First Amendment right to free speech [[Irony meter|by vigorously enforcing our laws against obscenity]] to maintain a degree of separation between [[No True Scotsman|that which is truly speech]] and that which only seeks to distort and destroy."

Although they pretend to be in favor of the checks and balances of the U.S. Constitution, this does not apply to certain hot-button issues of theirs; the 2004 Constitution Party presidential candidate, Michael Peroutka, stated that if he won the election, he would stop all abortions immediately by executive order.<ref>http://www.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=42</ref>

==Elections==
The Constitution Party has only managed to get one person elected to a significant public office running on their ticket, [[Montana]] state representative Rick Jore. In Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, the party fields candidates under the name "Independent American Party" — which shares a lot in common with, but is a different party from, the [[American Independent Party]].

===The Colorado affair===
In 2010, they scored a coup in attracting former Republican U.S. Congressman [[Tom Tancredo]] to run for governor of [[Colorado]] on the Constitution Party line. Running in a three-man race against Republican Dan Maes and [[Democrat|Democratic]] Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, Tancredo was favored ''above'' Maes by media and pollsters to acquire more votes against Hickenlooper. Much of Tancredo's campaign success had to do with a significant number of gaffes that Maes made during his campaign, which included record fines brought against his campaign,<ref>[http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/992174-maes-calls-tancredo-a-fraud-hickenlooper-a-liberal Maes calls Tancredo a fraud, Hickenlooper a liberal - After legalized marijuana, Maes asks if prostituting daughters are next]</ref> statements about his background that were not true,<ref>[http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15955549 Maes backs off claim of 'undercover' work in Kansas]</ref> and calling the bike share program in Denver a step towards the UN takeover of the United States.<ref>[http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15673894 Bike agenda spins cities toward U.N. control, Maes warns]</ref> The Colorado GOP demanded he step down and withdrew their support. Maes did not, so Tancredo was the only viable conservative candidate left.<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/15/nation/la-na-colorado-governor-20100915 Republican Party ditches GOP nominee for Colorado governor]</ref><ref>[http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_15975857?obref=obinsite Maes needs to drop out now]</ref>

There was some worry that Tancredo might split the conservative vote, but the votes tallied in favor of Hickenlooper with an elective majority of 51.01% of votes, thanks to constituencies in the mainly moderate Front Range and mountain counties. Tancredo carried the most votes (but in most cases, not actual majorities) in the conservative eastern plains counties, northwest oil-country counties, and the conservative hotbed of Elbert County.<ref>{{wpl|Colorado gubernatorial election, 2010|Colorado 2010 Gubernatorial Election Results}} on that other wiki</ref>

==Other uses==
The name "Constitution Party" has previously been used twice for right-wing political parties that never got off the ground.  

During the mid-1990s when the current Constitution Party was still known as the U.S. Taxpayers Party, the Constitution Party name was used by filmmaker [[Aaron Russo]] when he tried launching a new party with a [[libertarian]] platform.<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/1994-11-29/entertainment/ca-2664_1_aaron-russo-entertainment Russo's Next Production: A New Party], ''Los Angeles Times''. November 29, 1994, Irene Lacher</ref> Russo went on to become a perennial candidate, first as a Republican and then joining the Libertarian Party, and made a [[tax protester]] film called ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]''. Russo ran for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in 2004, which sent some of the party regulars into headless chicken mode to "stop Russo", among other reasons because he differed from the Libertarian platform on the matter of [[oil]] drilling in ANWR (Russo against, Libertarian Party for).<ref>[http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/001602.html Russo Defeated for Libertarian Nomination], Burnt Orange Report</ref>

A previous Constitution Party, which was openly [[racist]], was founded in 1952 and lasted until about 1960. Their 1960 ticket was associated with [[Liberty Lobby]].<ref>Diamond, Sara. ''Roads to Dominion: Right-Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States'', p. 87.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Chuck Baldwin]]
*[[Dominionism]]
*[[Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the Ten Commandments]]
*[[WallBuilders]]
*[[The Church at Kaweah]]

==External links==
*[http://www.constitutionparty.com/ Constitution Party website]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{USPoliticalParty}}

[[Category:Anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:Far-right political parties]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Paleoconservatism]]
[[Category:Theocracy]]
[[Category:United States political parties]]

Categories: Anti-abortion activists, Far-right political parties, Homophobia, Misnomers, Paleoconservatism, Theocracy, United States political parties