Guest Author - Linda Sue Grimes

The Constitution Party was originally called the U.S. Taxpayers Party, which was formed in 1992 by a coalition of state parties. The U. S. Taxpayers Party was founded with the goal of returning government back to its original form. In 1999, the party changed its name to the Constitution Party, because they believed that their primary goal was restore the government’s adherence to the Constitution.

Candidates on the Ballot
The party nominated Howard Phillips as its presidential candidate in 1992, and Albion Knight, Jr., as the vice-presidential candidate. They appeared on the ballot in 21 states. The Federal Election Commission officially recognized the party in 1995, and it became the fifth party to be thus approved by the Commission.

In 1996, the Constitution Party was on the ballot in 39 states, and once again, Howard Phillips was chosen to run as president with Herb Titus, who is a Constitution scholar, as his running mate. In 2000, Phillips still again was chosen to run a president with J. Curtis Frazier as his running mate. In 2004, the party chose Michael Peroutka as it presidential nominee and Chuck Baldwin as the vice-presidential candidate.

The Party Stance
The Constitution Party supports the founding principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution, and they claim that today’s political parties have veered away from those principles. These party members believe that America is descending into “lawlessness, corruption and tyranny” because of the abandonment of strict adherence to the Constitution and founding principles.

This party is “completely pro-life, pro-gun, pro-American sovereignty and independence, and in favor of a strong national defense.” On the other hand, it is “anti-globalist, anti-free trade, anti-deindustrialization, and anti-unchecked immigration.” They disagree with affording homosexuals special rights. They counter the expansion of “unlawful police laws.” And they oppose foreign aide and military intervention in foreign disputes.

The Party Platform
The preamble of this party’s official platform begins unabashedly with their statement of faith:

The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States.

The platform also claims that because this country is founded on Christian values, it welcomes the followers of other religions. It states the claim: “The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries.”

The platform is long and fairly specific addressing such issues as Sanctity of Life, AIDS, Family, Foreign Policy, Gambling, Pornography, Religious Freedom, Social Security, and many other specific issues.

The Constitution Party’s emphasis on the Christian religion is bound to put off many modern thinking Americans, even the less liberal ones, even though it is their grasp of and dedication to Christian values that would be most likely to motivate their ambitious agenda, keeping it a decent path toward true freedom and wholesomeness.

Reference:
Constitution Party