Working the field, part XIV - The Constitution Party

The first Presidential election in which I voted was in 1992. I was 19, and president of the College Republicans at my small North Carolina college. I was also strongly idealistic, and I was committed to an all-important principle: I would never vote for a candidate that I didn’t actually want to win. I was a Republican at the time, but I would never vote for a party if I didn’t like the person.

In 1992, I was presented the choice (in the major parties) of re-electing the profoundly mediocre George H. W. Bush or the untrustworthy Bill Clinton. I voted for Howard Phillips of the U.S. Taxpayers’ Party. The U.S. Taxpayers’ Party is no more, but it is now known as the Constitution Party.

Republicans should watch this party. For one thing, many evangelical Christian leaders are threatening to go to a third party if the liberal Rudy Giuliani somehow manages to get the nomination. After all, the Constitution Party honors social values. For another thing, this party appears to be truer believers than the GOP of late.

The Constitution Party calls for an originalist interpretation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and a strict constructionist approach to all questions. This means opposing gun control and a wide variety of large expansive government programs. Unlike the Libertarian Party, though, it has a strong emphasis on Biblical principles such as protecting life of those deemed innocent — though the party supports capital punishment. In terms of foreign policy, the Constitution Party is more or less isolationist, calling for separation from most international agreements and organizations.

The party itself has quite a bit to say about the various Republican candidates. I’m not in complete agreement, but it is very interesting reading. That same page also makes it clear that they could support Ron Paul if he is interested and if he makes a move toward them.

Understandably, one of the party’s major issues is ballot access — the same point raised by the Libertarian, Green, Reform, and Prohibition parties. The two major parties do enjoy more control over who is allowed to run for President than they should.

Moving on to the specific individuals, though …

Information is harder to find than I’d expected. I’ve only found three Constitution Party candidates, with rumors that Alan Keyes and Ron Paul (currently declared Republican candidates) are rumored to have potential.

Bryan Malatest

(Not a link to a campaign site, because I couldn’t find any indication of one.)

The head of the Constitution Party in Texas, Malatesta is a CPA  who has been involved in IRS appeals, and was the object of a Department of Justice action banning tax scams.

Diane Beall Templin

(Again, not an official campaign site.)

Diane Templin of California has run for several different offices over the years, including having been one of the candidates for governor in the recall of Governor Gray Davis. Then again, who in California wasn’t a candidate in the recall?

She’s run for President before, in 1996 and2004. In 2000, Presidential candidate Don Rogers of the American Party promised that he would appoint Templin to head the Environmental Protection Agency and to the Supreme Court.

She does believe that the federal income tax is unconstitutional under the 16th amendment, which most people would say legalized the income tax.

Dr. Don J. Grundmann

“Take the red pill” is his slogan.  His campaign site is called the education headquarters. His premise is that we have all been lied to by our government and by our culture about the nature of many things. His site very prominently features a conspiracy theory about the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and then he goes on to promote the theory that there is no validity to the income tax. That would make Ed and Elaine Brown perfectly justified in their standoff.

Third Party Watch does include him in the article entitled “Should Just Anyone Be Taken Seriously,” listing him as an example of those who might justify a negative answer to that question.

The Constitution Party is fielding candidates this year who are rather on the fringe. They do voice support Ron Paul, who might be a stronger candidate than any of these three. There certainly is potential for the future of this party, if it can run a bit more seriously. This might well be the home of the conservative movement in the US.