Moving the blog to WordPress

Dear friends: I am moving the contents of this blog to Wordpress (http://www.wordpress.com), which offers better management tools. I have my other main blog at this located (http://bromattsblog.wordpress.com or http://www.matt-perry.com). The blog location is at http://constitutionalogistix.wordpress.com. The new tag line is: Christ-centered. Conservative. Constitutionalist. At the end of 30 days, I will delete this blog, so please bookmark the new location. Thank you for your understanding.

Post-Election Analysis: Constitution Party Rising Toward 2008 (Tom Kovach)

by Tom Kovach Constitution Party of Tennessee Communications Director

Even though I lost the election, several good things have come out of the process. Hence, this analysis.

This campaign for Congress was unique in the nation.

Although I’m the state PR coordinator for the Constitution Party, I ran on the Republican line.

The reason was because the CP does not yet have a ballot line in Tennessee. Thus, my Federal paperwork said Constitution Party, but my State paperwork said Republican Party. (I was unopposed in the Republican primary.) I chose the GOP primary, versus the Independent line, as the better long-term strategy.

As a result of that decision, I got the highest number of votes (49,036), and one of the highest percentages (28) of any Constitution Party candidate in the country. Rick Jore won a state legislative seat in Montana with 52% of his district, but a smaller number of actual votes (because a Congressional district is much more populous). The second highest number of votes in the CP was Ed Noonan, who ran for governor in California with 48,672 votes.

By the way, my numbers were achieved without one bit of support from the Republican Party (they could have afforded it, but didn’t), or the Constitution Party (they just can’t afford it). My total fundraising was barely over ONE thousand dollars (thus, I never had to file an FEC financial report).

When analyzed through those numbers, the effect of my campaign is truly realized. The national average cost per vote in a congressional campaign is over three dollars. My average cost per vote was about TWO CENTS. Therefore, I was able to deliver much more bang for the buck than an average candidate.

I believe that my campaign proves that a candidate that runs on Constitution Party principles, without compromise to "the forces of moderation", can do well -- even without a big budget. That fact, in turn, should encourage more TRUE conservatives to leave the GOP and join the Constitution Party.

For some of the hard numbers for CP candidates click here.

Given that foundation, the Constitution Party should be able to field a viable candidate in the 2008 presidential race. Obviously, that viability would be greatly increased if a prominent conservative Republican were to cross over to the Constitution Party in the wake of the Republican "spanking" of the recent election. But, even without that "crossover factor", the current post-election dissatisfaction of conservatives (whether Republicans, Independents, or members of another party), coupled with strong CP performance in several races nationwide, shows that the Constitution Party is the strongest of all the smaller parties. Couple that "magnet factor" with the "crossover factor", and the possibility exists that neither of the Big Two political parties will have an occupant in the White House in the next administration.

Tom Kovach, 2006 candidate 5th Congressional District of TN http://www.tk-05-tn.net Mount Juliet, TN CP National Veterans Coalition Executive Committee Member

CP of Kentucky Holds Constitutional Studies Class

Steven Lind, the CP Chairman of the 6th Congressional District in the commonwealth of Kentucky, asked me to pass along this information. He will hold a Constitutional Studies class next Tuesday, November 21 where they will be starting a new study series on the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights and ask that you consider joining us --- if you are in the area, please publicize this. For more information, contact Stephen Lind at steven.lind@insightbb.com.

Rick Jore's Role as a CP State Representative in Montana

Jennifer McKee of the Missoulian State Bureau writes a great article about Rick Jore, the CP state representative for Montana. With 50 Republicans and 49 Democrats, Jore now has a considerable power with his swing vote. Rick made history as the first Constitution Party candidate elected to a state level office. Congratulations, State Representative Jore! To read the article, click here.

Constitution Party Celebrates National Election Victories

The Constitution Party made great strides in the 2006 election and can, for the first time, celebrate victory!

First of all, congratulations go out to Rick Jore, of Montana, who made history becoming the first Constitution Party candidate from any state to be elected to the state legislature, capturing the seat in Montana’s 12th District. Jore actually won in 2004, by three votes only to see the courts throw out enough ballots to give the Democrat the victory. This year, in a rematch, he won convincingly, garnering 56.2% of the vote and drubbing his Democrat opponent.

Two candidates in Nevada’s Independent American Party were also elected to office. Jackie Berg was elected Eureka County Clerk with 54.10% of the vote, easily topping Republican and Libertarian opposition. Also, Cel Ochoa will be the new constable in Searchlight, Nevada by virtue of winning 54.93% of the vote to defeat her Republican rival. Another feather in the cap of the Nevada Independent Party was the victory of IAP member Bill Wilkerson to the Elko School Board, in a non-partisan race. Congratulations to our soon to be incumbent office holders in Nevada!

The Nevada party did exceedingly well across the board, with its five statewide candidates receiving from 3.44% of the vote to 6.75% of the vote all in races with three or more candidates plus a "none of the above" option. Two Nevada state senate candidates received in excess of 32% of the vote and one received over 22% of the vote. These results were indicative of results received across the board by over 40 Nevada candidates.

In Florida our candidates made impressive showings! C. Burt Linthicum received 34,528 votes and 28.9%of the vote for the 12th District State Senate seat. Ken MacPherson received 10,971 and 22.5% of the vote for State Representative in the 76th District!

The Utah Constitution Party did an outstanding job, running over 40 candidates. Scott Bradley, the candidate for US Senate, received 3.75% of the vote. Jim Noorlander, in the 3rd Congressional District won over 8% of the vote against incumbent Chris Cannon, while Congressional candidates Mark Hudson and David Perry received 3.1% and 1.5% respectively. Ed McGarr, in the 58th District State House race garnered 29.91% of the vote and was only kept from greatly exceeding that total by a full blown effort by the Utah Republican Party which feared that McGarr might actually win that seat. Through its high caliber candidates and their coordinated campaign effort under the able leadership of Chairman Frank Fluckiger, Utah has seen its membership grow and is on the threshold of electing candidates to office!

Ron Avery, the Constitution Party candidate for Congress in Texas’ 28th Congressional District won 13% of the vote. This can be compared to the 4% of the vote received by recent Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik, who was that party’s most recent Presidential nominee, despite his pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race in another Texas Congressional District.

John Langville, South Carolina candidate for state representative from the 28th District, received 19.4% of the vote.

The American Constitution Party of Colorado’s efforts resulted in their maintaining ballot access for 2008.

In Illinois Chuck Broy won ballot access in Tazewell County by receiving 6 percent of the votes, while Chairman Randy Stuffleman conducted an estensive write-in campaign for governor.

In Idaho Jared Eastley won 22% of the vote in his race for state senate, while Katherine Frazier and Jaclyn Ann Crooks running for state house positions in three way races, received respectable votes at 3.6% and 3.3% respectively.

In South Dakota, Scott Bartlett received 4.5% of the vote in the 11th State Senate District, while Bill Scott received 8.2% of the vote in the 14th State Senate District. Meanwhile, South Dakota’s candidate for Governor, Steve Willis, outpaced the Libertarian earning third place in that race.

Our Michigan affiliate, the U.S. Taxpayers Party, was once again able to retain their ballot position. Running over 30 candidates, the Michigan party proved the effectiveness of their candidate recruitment efforts.

John Gathings, candidate for State Treasurer, for Nebraska’s Constitution Party affiliate, the Nebraska Party, maintained that party’s ballot position by receiving 124,656 votes for 23.5%.

The American Independent Party in California ran six statewide candidates, and three for U.S. Congress. Gubernatorial candidate Ed Noonan received an impressive 48,672 votes.

Candidates running for the Pennsylvania State House had very good showings. Joe Murphy running in Pennsylvania’s 38th District received 15.9% of the vote, Chris Graham running in the 40th District received 15.3%, and .Janet Serene, running in the 66th District captured 5.7% of the vote in a three way race.

Tom Kovach, of Tennessee’s Constitution Party, ran as a Republican with the full endorsement and support of Tennessee’s Constitution Party in the 5th Congressional District and received 27.9% of the vote in a four way race. Tom is a member of the Constitution Party’s Veterans Coalition Executive Committee.

Mary Starrett, TV personality, conservative talk show host, and the dynamic candidate of the Constitution Party of Oregon for Governor, received 40,271 votes which amounted to 3.6% of the vote, a full percentage point more than the combined vote of the Libertarian and Green Party candidates. She ran against a liberal Republican and a liberal Democrat, and so worried the Republican establishment with her strong campaign that they even attempted to have her removed from the ballot!

Highlighted here are only some of the Constitution Party election results. We were represented by great candidates all across the country. The sacrifice they made in stepping forward and running for office gave them the all-important platform from which to speak out for Constitutional issues. They did a great job representing the Constitution Party and all deserve our gratitude for their tremendous efforts and for a job well done!

Randy Stufflebeam Endorsed by the Veteran's Coalition

Randy Stufflebeam, a CP gubernatorial candidate was just recently endorsed by the Veteran's Coalition. Here's Randy's letter as well as the official endorsement:

Veteran's Coalition Endorsement

Dear Family, Friends, and Fellow Constitutionalists,

I just received the following endorsement from the National Constitution Party's Veteran Coalition. Please send it to all the media outlets here in Illinois and where ever you are. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to call all ILLINOIS VETERANS to help support the only veteran candidate for Governor who will take care of our band of brothers (and sisters) who have put their all on the line for the preservation of our liberties and our safety.

Take every opportunity to spread the word that there is a conservative alternative and option here in Illinois. We are finding that we do not have to convince anyone to support me, over 51% of the voters are looking for some one else to vote for. All we have to do is let them know who the alternative is and the immediately are on-board and spreading the word. All you have to do is let 10 other people know that there is an alternative and encourage them to let 10 other people know and within 7 days, we could completely cover the state. But you have to ACT NOW. We have less than 2 weeks before Election Day.

Act now, spread the word and "We, the People" can take our state back from the hands of corruption on November the 7th.

Randall C. Stufflebeam

Chairman and

Gubernatorial Candidate

Constitution Party of Illinois

www.RunRandyRun.com

StufflebeamRC@RunRandyRun.com

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONSTITUTION PARTY NATIONAL VETERANS COALITION

23 North Lime Street, Lancaster, PA 17602

Randy Stufflebeam

Gubernatorial Candidate

Constitution Party, Illinois

http://www.RunRandyRun.com

Dear Randy,

The Constitution Party National Veterans Coalition strongly supports you for election to become the next Governor of the great State of Illinois. Our country is at war and at grave risk on two fronts and greatly needs your leadership at the State level of responsibility.

First, America is faced with an invasion of more than 20 million illegal aliens who are colonizing our towns, cities and states, over crowding our schools, prisons, hospital emergency rooms and breaking our welfare systems. Our people are now under a murder, rape, gang and crime siege due specifically to this illegal alien invasion. Why? Because too many elected politicians in both the Democrat and Republican Parties have ignored the will of the people and have placed pandering to voters, party power and campaign cash above national and economic security for the citizens of our country.

Second, is the Terrorist War whereby Islamic extremists are vowing to destroy America and kill all who will not convert to the religion of Islam! This terror began in 1979 when Iranian thugs took all Americans working in our U.S. Embassy hostage and kept them incarcerated for over one year. Iran continues to train and fund terrorists world wide and has rained death and destruction upon our people and Embassies unchecked by our elected leadership since 1979. 9/11 happened again because of key political failure as well as failure of our once capable intelligence gathering systems.

Equally important, our country is at war with its own people. Instead of providing security and sound defense for its citizens in ways authorized by the Constitution, our leaders flagrantly violate their oath of office by failing to repel an invasion, and by failing to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

It is now time for real change. Your untiring patriotism as a Constitution Party candidate to become Governor offers people of Illinois the opportunity for real change, to hold high the banner of fidelity to the Constitution and the chance to break the bonds of Democrat and Republican Party failures that now threaten our liberty.

Your long and selfless service to country in the United States Marine Corps marks you as a true patriot and now a military veteran of great importance for the future of America.

A tough Governor can exercise strong influence at local and national levels of government and greatly add to the National Security needs of today’s crises. The Veterans Coalition is confident that your leadership can and will become a leading factor in the future of Illinois. The issues to which you are committed coincide with those of the Veterans Coalition’s six key national issues and we will fight to help you become the next Governor of the State of Illinois.

Sincerely,

SIGNED

Charles Jones, B/Gen. USAF (ret)

Chairman, Constitution Party National Veterans Coalition

http://www.constitutionparty.com/news.php?cat=Veterans%20Coalition

W. Ed Parker Running for Congress (District 3 -- KY)

(From his campaign website!)

PARKER FOR CONGRESS

God, Family, and Country!

I will "Vote No" on all bills that increase the Size, Cost, Reach, or Power of the Federal Government!

According to Saint James, "friendship with the world is enmity with God..."! In view of this and other considerations, I will work to get the United States out of the Communist United Nations (UN), and the UN out of America! The UN is an Engine for "ONE WORLD DICTATORSHIP"!

America has been forced into an endless string of "NO WIN WARS" since WW II. All of these WARS have cost the lives and fortunes of our citizens for no good reason, and have increased our National Debt. As a Congressman, I will only support Wars that are necessary for America" s Defense, and this includes the present "Iraq War" !

I will work to get America off of its present "Two Party Path" to Martial Law and Dictatorship. This will require the elimination of the Patriot Acts that cancel Constitutional Law, along with the all powerful Communist Style Homeland Security Operation. Other offending regulations not supported by the Constitution will be attacked.

New World Order programs such as NAFTA, GATT, WTO, CAFTA, and FTAA which export US jobs and US wealth would be repealed. They only support the Wealthy International Elite.

The above acts eliminate American jobs and create an unfavorable "Balance in Trade". This unbalance in trade will Bankrupt America as it Enriches the International Elite and other Countries.

I will work to stop all immigration into America until some sensible plan is developed. Illegal Aliens would be returned immediately to their Home of Origin, before they, and their internal supporters, are prosecuted under" Criminal Trespass Laws" ; at their expense!

To protect America" s remaining farms, industries, and businesses; import controls are needed. These enterprises cannot survive in to-days "Rigged World Markets" ! I will support reasonable controls.

The cost of Health Care in America is OUT OF CONTROL! To start on a program to fix Health Care, I would abolish the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)! The FDA is nothing more than a FASCIST Front Group to protect the Pharmaceutical and Food Industries and the American Medical Association (AMA)! Congress has only acted to support the Medical Monopoly.

Two Independent Private Agencies would be established. One to conduct all medical related drug tests and to keep records on all drugs, in the interest of the people; with "NO" ties to the above groups or other Government Agencies. The other would take control of Food along the same lines.

I propose a drastic reduction in the Federal Bureaucracy. America has more than $44 Trillion in debt obligations, including a current $8.2 Trillion debt.

The "Two Party Monopoly" has increased the cost of the Bureaucracy every year sense 1994, when the GOP took control of Congress.

Some changes that I propose to reduce costs and to curb the Bureaucracy include:

• All Federal Funds for Education would be eliminated to turn Education back over to the States
• All Federal funds for abortion would be eliminated to get the Federal Government out of the "Baby Killing Business" .
• Federal Welfare would be limited to Federal Obligations from Wars and other Federal Actions. All other Welfare Programs would be cancelled, or referred back to the States.
• All foreign aid would be terminated, and our funds would only be used to Defend America's Citizens.
• All "Activist Groups" , and their lawyers, would be barred from use of Federal Funds.
• I will support a "Federal Citizen's Defense Act" to allow Citizens to use deadly force to defend themselves and their property. All liability would be assigned to the "Intruders".
• The Two Party System has struck out on Energy! Energy costs are controlled by the Oil Cartel with no help from Congress. I propose the freeing up of government owned energy sources and the promotion of energy from coal, atomic power, and other alternative energy sources.
• Also, the EPA and the Federal Energy Department would be downsized and reorganized to stop their constant foot dragging on energy development.
• Inasmuch as Judges, and Lawyers in general, are unable to understand our "State and Federal Constitutions,"I will work to set up a "Congressional Review Board" to review "Actions of Judges" and to recommend remedial action to the Congress.
• Juries would be chosen "randomly" from Citizen Pools, according to Constitutional directions.

Davy Crockett vs. Welfare

From The Life of Colonel David Crockett, by Edward S. Ellis (Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1884)

Crockett was then the lion of Washington. I was a great admirer of his character, and, having several friends who were intimate with him, I found no difficulty in making his acquaintance. I was fascinated with him, and he seemed to take a fancy to me.

I was one day in the lobby of the House of Representatives when a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support – rather, as I thought, because it afforded the speakers a fine opportunity for display than from the necessity of convincing anybody, for it seemed to me that everybody favored it. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose. Everybody expected, of course, that he was going to make one of his characteristic speeches in support of the bill. He commenced:

"Mr. Speaker – I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him. This government can owe no debts but for services rendered, and at a stipulated price. If it is a debt, how much is it? Has it been audited, and the amount due ascertained? If it is a debt, this is not the place to present it for payment, or to have its merits examined. If it is a debt, we owe more than we can ever hope to pay, for we owe the widow of every soldier who fought in the War of 1812 precisely the same amount. There is a woman in my neighborhood, the widow of as gallant a man as ever shouldered a musket. He fell in battle. She is as good in every respect as this lady, and is as poor. She is earning her daily bread by her daily labor; but if I were to introduce a bill to appropriate five or ten thousand dollars for her benefit, I should be laughed at, and my bill would not get five votes in this House. There are thousands of widows in the country just such as the one I have spoken of, but we never hear of any of these large debts to them. Sir, this is no debt. The government did not owe it to the deceased when he was alive; it could not contract it after he died. I do not wish to be rude, but I must be plain. Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much of our own money as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks."

He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and, of course, was lost.

Like many other young men, and old ones, too, for that matter, who had not thought upon the subject, I desired the passage of the bill, and felt outraged at its defeat. I determined that I would persuade my friend Crockett to move a reconsideration the next day.

(To read the rest of this compelling article, click here.)