Free Party Could
Attract The Masses
Gary Gerard,
dumbhoosier.com
Over the years, I’ve heard people say there needs
to be a
viable third party in American politics.
I tend to agree.
The problem is, the current two-party system
(apologies to the
Libertarian party) has positions staked out that keep
everybody divided
along party lines.
And for the past three decades I have watched these
party lines thwart
common sense and foster bad policy.
The recent debate over the debt limit is a perfect
example.
How bizarre is it that in 2006 then-Sen. Obama and all
the Democrats in
the Senate – all of them – voted against raising the
debt limit,
calling it a “failure of leadership.” At that time,
Republicans were
decrying the Dems’ obstructionism and warning of the
horrors of NOT
raising the debt limit.
Today, a scant five years later, as anyone who watches
politics knows,
the roles are completely reversed. Dems demand raising
the debt limit.
Repubs say it’s irresponsible.
Huh?
So I asked myself, “Self, how can we subvert this
abject nonsense? How
can we attract like-minded people who see the absolute
failure of
governance perpetuated by the two-party system? How
can we craft a
party that would be so inclusive that people from all
political
persuasions could feel good about signing up?”
I asked myself a lot of stuff there.
Seems to me that while people disagree on many issues,
there also are
many issues on which a vast majority of people see eye
to eye.
And frankly, those issues are some of the most most
important ones
facing our nation. I think if there was a political
party centered on
these core issues, it could become the most formidable
third party in
the history of U.S. politics.
Well, folks, welcome to the Free Party.
The basic concept for the Free Party is using all
peaceful means
necessary to return government back to fiscal sanity
and the U.S. back
to the principles of a constitutional republic. The
road is long. But
we must start somewhere. And we must start now.
Here are the basic tenets of the Free Party:
Free Party members don’t care if you’re black, white,
brown, yellow or
red. They don’t care if you’re Christian, Muslim,
Jewish, Buddhist,
agnostic, atheist or Zora-Astrianist. They don’t care
if you’re
pro-abortion or pro-life. They don’t care if you’re
pro-gun or
anti-gun. They don’t care if you’re straight, gay, bi
or trans. They
don’t care whether you’re conservative, liberal,
socialist,
Democrat, Republican or Libertarian.
They believe the core principles of governance in our
constitutional
republic are being eroded by our current leaders. They
believe if these
core principles are not restored, there is a strong
likelihood the
republic will fail. If you believe the following, you
belong in the
Free Party:
– The federal deficit, as well as annual federal
budget deficits, are a
grave threat to the stability of our nation that must
be immediately
and aggressively addressed.
– There is far too much corporate and union influence
in politics and
government.
– There is an urgent need for meaningful campaign
finance reform.
– The federal government has become far too large and
intrusive in many
aspects of the lives of average Americans.
– The tax code has become overly complex and
cumbersome and provides
too many loop holes and exemptions.
– The outsourcing of mid-level income jobs threatens
the middle class
and creates an unsustainable economic model.
– While there is an undeniable need for a strong
national defense, U.S.
military spending (46.5 percent of the world’s total
with China a
distant second at 6.6 percent) must be curtailed.
– The power in a Constitutional Republic – like the
United States of
America – must flow from the people, through its
elected
representatives, to a limited federal government.
Free Party members believe many politicians elected to
Congress fail to
do the bidding of their constituents. Instead, they do
the bidding of
their benefactors. Currently, there are approximately
18 corporate or
union lobbyists in Washington, D.C., for each member
of Congress. These
lobbyists, not the people of America, are the ones
driving government
policy.
Simply queried, if the vast majority of Americans are
against huge
government deficits that threaten the stability of the
economy, why do
we have huge government deficits? If the vast majority
of Americans are
against the outsourcing of jobs, why do we have
policies that allow
corporations to outsource? If the vast majority of
Americans believe
the tax code is too complex, why do we have such a
complex tax code? If
the vast majority of Americans believe there is too
much corporate and
union influence in politics and government, why, when
each time
campaign finance reform laws are passed, MORE special
interest money
flows into campaigns?
Free Party members stand against government policies –
enacted at the
behest of lobbyists – that threaten the stability of
the economy and
the future of the republic.
Those who decide to seek elected office as Free Party
candidates must
pledge to adhere to the principles of the Free Party
by only accepting
campaign contributions from individuals and entities
within their
respective Congressional districts.
They also must support legislation that would make
their vow of
campaign purity the law of the land.
This simple pledge will position Free Party candidates
to vote in the
interest of their constituents, and will remove the
influence of
special interests. Free Party candidates will be
beholden only to those
who elect them – and no one else.
This, seemingly, puts Free Party candidates at a
distinct disadvantage
in today’s political fundraising climate. But Free
Party members
believe there is strength in numbers and that the Free
Party message
will resonate with tens of millions of Americans and
generate the funds
necessary to elect Free Party candidates.
Certainly abortion, civil rights, gun control and
myriad other social
issues are important and constitutionally relevant. A
Free Party
candidate will be encouraged to vote his or her
conscience on all those
issues.
But Free Party candidates must make their main focus –
their reason for
becoming involved in government – a return to
constitutionally
principled governance and a limited federal
government.
OK, so that’s my dopey idea for a new political party
to turn the
nonsense in Washington around.
All we need to get started is a catchy slogan.
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