Election time again?

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.

~Ernest Benn~

            Once again, at the behest of my science advisor, I will tackle a topic that he has suggested during a comment on my last post. I quote “I’m going to step out on a limb and say that Obama’s attempt at diplomacy is admirable. He may not have his facts right but he’s playing the role of a world leader. IF I lived just a few kilometers south I’d be voting for him.(Only because an independent vote is wasted but you can cover that topic in another blog.)”. So I shall endeavor to ascertain if an Independent vote is “wasted”.

            As Morvis said above “He may not have his facts right but he’s playing the role of a world leader.” The fallacy of this thinking is, as chanted by the liberals and Bush being reminded every day, “Bush lied, People Died”. Not stating, or knowing the facts, and lying are basically on the same side of the coin. If you are elected as the most powerful leader of the free world you better have all your facts straight because the president, no matter what historians ‘think’, will never have the benefit of hindsight.

            That being said do you actually believe that voting for a candidate regardless of their chances of winning will actually waste your vote? Voting for “The lesser of 2 evils” might not really mean too much to a lot of people because the voters will get at least some of their beliefs heard but it will always involve compromises to your core beliefs. I have been called a “Hard Core Conservative” because of my failure to compromise on my heartfelt beliefs but I believe I share the same values as most of America. Ayn Rand wrote in her book, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, “The spread of evil is the symptom of a vacuum. Whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles. That being said peruse the Political Parties and pick your “Flavor of choice”.

            Usually the world hears about American Democrats and Republicans with a side foray into 3^rd party options such as “Green” or Libertarian parties. To get a complete grasp on the overall political picture here in America, I shall give all here a list of ALL political parties in America today.

1.       DEMOCRATIC PARTY (DNC) – Democrats control several key governorships (including PA, NY, MI, IL, VA, OH, NJ, NC, CO, VA and WA) and many state legislatures. In 2006 the democrats recaptured congressional majority status inside the Beltway for the first time since 1994. This party spans the gamut from the near Euro-style democratic-socialist left (Barbara Lee, Dennis Kucinich and the Congressional Progressive Caucus) and traditional liberals (Russ Feingold, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Dick Durbin) to the Dem center-right (Evan Bayh, Harry Reid) to the GOP-style conservative right (Ben Nelson, Gene Taylor) to the pragmatic Democratic Leadership Council’s “centrist” moderate-to-liberal style (Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden).

2.        REPUBLICAN PARTY (RNC) – The GOP hold several key Governorships (including TX, CA, GA, MN and FL), and narrowly held majority status in the US Senate in 1995-2001 and 2003-07. In the aftermath of the 2006 defeat, currently the different ideological camps within the Republican Party are battling for control. Leading Republicans fall into several different ideological factions: traditional conservatives (President George W. Bush, John Boehner, John McCain ), the Religious Right (Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee ), the rapidly dwindling old Nixon/Rockefeller “centrist” or “moderate” wing (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlie Crist, Rudy Giuliani ), libertarians (Ron Paul ), and a “paleo-conservative” (also called the “neo-cons” by many) wing that backs strict anti-immigration controls (Tom Tancredo and Pat Buchanan).

3.        CONSTITUTION PARTY – Howard Phillips (< read former Nixon lackey) founded the US Taxpayers Party (USTP) in 1992 as a potential vehicle for Pat Buchanan to use for a third party White House run. Phillips agreed to bolt from the GOP in 1992 specifically to start the USTP by pulling together several of the splintered right-wing third parties — including the once mighty American Independent Party into 1 large political entity.  The party is strongly pro-life, anti-gun control, anti-tax, anti-immigration, trade protectionist, “anti-New World Order,” anti-United Nations, anti-gay rights, anti-welfare, and pro-school prayer. The platform’s preamble states “that the foundation of our political position and moving principle of our political activity is our full submission and unshakable faith in our Savior and Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Currently the main supporters of this party are the “Religious Right” and they appear to have cemented their place as the third largest third party in the nation.

4.        GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES – The Green Party — the informal US-affiliate of the leftist, environmentalist European Greens movement. Usually the party fields candidates for local, state and federal offices in many states, and has established active state affiliate parties in nearly all 50 states. The Greens scored a major political points, and as of yet their only “claim to fame, when it convinced prominent consumer advocate Ralph Nader to run as their first Presidential nominee in 1996. With only a shoe string budget of @ $5,000, Nader was on the ballot in 22 states and carried over 700,000 votes. It can honestly be said that all Nader did was siphon of votes from the Democratic Party but it was a moot point because the prevaricator in chief, Clinton, won another term to his regime. (Was that a wasted vote? Depends on who you were rooting for back then) Once again in 2000 he siphoned of votes from Captain “ozone” himself Al Gore so he basically won for the Republicans that year.

5.        LIBERTARIAN PARTY – The LP, founded in 1971, bills itself as “America’s largest third party” (and, along with the Greens, are definitely among the two largest third parties in the nation). The Libertarians are neither left nor right: they believe in total individual liberty (pro-drug legalization, pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, pro-home schooling, anti-gun control, etc.) and total economic freedom (anti-welfare, anti-government regulation of business, anti-minimum wage, anti-income tax, pro-free trade, etc.). Their main selling point to the voting public is I quote, “The LP espouses a classical laissez faire ideology which means “more freedom, less government and lower taxes”.

6.        AMERICA FIRST PARTY – The America First Party was founded in 2002 by a large group of arch-conservative “Buchanan Brigade” defectors who splintered away from the declining Reform Party to form this uncompromisingly social conservative and fair trade party (with a strong foundation in the Religious Right movement). The AFP vows to “protect our people and our sovereignty … promote economic growth and independence … encourage the traditional values of faith, family, and responsibility … ensure equality before the law in protecting those rights granted by the Creator … [and] to clean up our corrupted political system.” Within months of the AFP’s founding, the AFP fielded a few candidates and established affiliates in nearly 20 states — and they hoped to be organized in nearly all 50 states by the end of 2003. They fell short because Americans were told that their positions were what have been known as “Isolationist” and that scared a lot of people who live for the “Global Economy”.

7.        AMERICAN PARTY – very small, very conservative, Christian splinter party formed after a break from the American Independent Party in 1972. US Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Governor Mel Thomson (R-NH) both flirted with the American Party’s presidential nomination in 1976, but both ultimately declined. Other than being an almost clone of the libertarian party, it’s easier to list just what they are against, “an end to farm price supports/subsidies, privatization of the US Postal Service, opposes federal involvement in education, supports abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency, supports repeal of NAFTA, opposes minimum wage laws, opposes land use zoning regulations and opposes convening a Constitutional convention”. Of course, the AP also opposes the United Nations, the New World Order, communism, socialism and the Trilateral Commission. These last 5 actually, in my honest opinion, makes them at least candidates for “Coast to Coast” with George Noory or, depending on which side of the aisle you’re on, a viable 2^nd option for the president. In 2000 and 2004, the party’s Presidential ticket embarrassingly failed to qualify for the ballot in any states and was forced to run as write-in candidates. Attorney, anti-gay activist and frequent candidate Diane Templin — the party’s 2004 Presidential nominee — is again the party’s nominee in 2008 (but again without any ballot access). She should take the hint and pull the plug on this one.

8.        AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY – Governor George C. Wallace (D-AL) founded the AIP and ran as it’s first Presidential nominee in 1968. Running on a fiery populist, right-wing, anti-Washington, anti-racial integration, anti-communist platform, Wallace carried nearly 10 million votes and won 5 Southern states. Although Wallace returned to the Democratic Party by 1970, the AIP continued to live on but has moved even further to the right. Now their main party candidates are mostly in California. (Now here is where I have a BIG problem. Even thought Wallace was a Democrat, the media has taken to calling him “right-wing” in reference to his anti-integration views. If most people would just simply do their homework they would be surprised to find out that ALL the votes for the ERA, Integration, De-segregation, voting rights were passed overwhelmingly by those “Right Wing” evil republicans. So the next time you hear “Racist Republicans” you have my permission to slap the H*** out of that person). Here is the proof,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

                Look real close under the “By party” heading and check out the percentages of Republicans vs. Democrats. Can anyone tell me why the Democrats are even in the running as “Sensitive” to racial concerns?

9.        AMERICAN NAZI PARTY – Well there you go. Exactly what the name implies. This party is a combination of fascists, Aryan Nations-type folks, “White Power” racist skinheads and others on the ultra-radical political fringe. Luckily for Americas humanity, the ANP has not fielded a Presidential candidate since Lincoln Rockwell ran as a write-in candidate in 1964 (he was murdered in 1967 by a disgruntled ANP member). (So yes I guess that proves they DO eat their young. The less said about these morons the better).

10.   AMERICAN REFORM PARTY – The ARP, formerly known as the National Reform Party Committee, splintered away from Ross Perot’s Reform Party in 1997 because they didn’t like Perot’s heavy-handed desire to maintain total control over the RP.

11.   BOSTON TEA PARTY – The BTP was a splinter group that broke from the Libertarian Party in 2006, when the BTP founders believed the LP was straying from its libertarian roots. The BTP platform consists of simple, one-sentence statement of principles: “The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.”

12.    CHRISTIAN FALANGIST PARTY OF AMERICA – Time for a history lesson (Oh Goody). A “Falangist” is a follower of the authoritarian political views advocated by the late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. (Actually it’s a grab bag blend of 1930s fascist ideology, strong nationalism and conservative Catholic theology). Outside of Spain there a small blip on the radar and mentioned here only because there is a small faction of them in America. They also deserve mention because they are fighting against what they call “Forces of Darkness” which they consider to be “Radical Islam, Communism/Socialism, the New World Order, and the New Age movement, Third Position/Neo T Nazis, Free Masons, Abortionists, Euthanasianists, Radical Homosexuals and pornographer”. Is there anyone they are not against?  

13.   COMMUNIST PARTY USA – The CPUSA, once the slavish propaganda tool and spy network for the Soviet Central Committee, has experienced a forced transformation in recent years. Highly classified Soviet Politburo records, made public after the fall of Soviet communism in the 1990s, revealed the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) illegally funneled millions of dollars to the CPUSA to finance its activities from the 1920s to the 1980s. That’s right kids Joseph McCarthy was right all along.

14.    DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA – The DSA is the official US full member party of the Socialist International (which includes UK’s Labor Party, the French Parti Socialiste and nearly 140 other political parties around the globe). Unlike most other members of the Socialist International, the DSA never fielded candidates for office until 2006 when a candidate for Pennsylvania State House qualified for the ballot under the banner of the Social Democrats of Pennsylvania (the DSA’s state affiliate).

15.    FREEDOM SOCIALIST PARTY / RADICAL WOMEN – The FSP was formed in 1966 by a splinter group of dissident feminist Trotskyites who broke away from the Socialist Workers Party to create a new party in the “tradition of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.” That’s the reason they also refer to their entity as “Radical Women.”

16.   THE GREENS/GREEN PARTY USA (<<< Didn’t think you could prove a double negative) When people talk about “the Green Party” in the US, they are likely NOT talking about this entity. The G/GPUSA is the older, very much smaller, and more stridently leftist of the two Green parties.

17.    INDEPENDENCE PARTY – After two years of openly feuding with Ross Perot’s allies in the Reform Party, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and his supporters bolted from the party to launch the new Independence Party in 2000. In departing, while this splinter party shared the Reform Party’s call for campaign finance and other political reforms, the IP shared Ventura disagreement with the more social conservative and trade protectionist views espoused by the Reform Party. The IP describes itself as “Socially Inclusive and Fiscally Responsible”. They are pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-medical marijuana, and pro-gun rights and fiscally moderate.

18.    INDEPENDENT AMERICAN PARTY – The small Independent American Party has existed for years in several Western states — a remnant from the late Alabama Governor George Wallace’s once-powerful American Independent Party of the 1968-72 era.

19.    LABOR PARTY – The Labor Party is a liberal entity created in 1996 by a sizable group of labor unions including the United Mine Workers, the Longshoremen, American Federation of Government Employees, California Nurses Association and other labor union locals. The party explains it was formed because “on issues most important to working people -– trade, health care, and the rights to organize, bargain and strike -– both the Democrats and Republicans have failed working people.” Ideologically, they seem close to the style of the late, labor-friendly Vice President Hubert Humphrey and US Senator Scoop Jackson wing of the Democratic Party circa 1960s. The Labor Party holds national conventions and seems to be making an effort to revive itself as a forum for political debates so I will keep watching this one.

20.    LIGHT PARTY – The Light Party is a generally liberal party — falling somewhere between the Greens and New Age feel of the now defunct Natural Law Party — and seems strongly centered around of party founder “Da Vid, M.D., Holistic Physician, Human Ecologist & Artist” (he was also a write-in candidate for President in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 — and seems to be the only visible leader or even member of the party). Their platform promotes holistic medicine, national health insurance, organic foods, solar energy, nuclear disarmament and a flat tax. Da Vid claims the party has “millions” of supporters — but he counts everyone who supports any position advocated by the party. In terms of votes, the party has nothing to show for all of Da Vid’s White House runs. The party does not seriously seek to elect candidates but advance an agenda. Not that it has anything to do with politics, but the party does sell a nice CD of relaxing New Age music.

21.    MODERATE PARTY – The Moderate Party is relatively new federal party founded in 2006 by Bill Scheuer. It first fielded a candidate in 2006 (Scheuer, seeking an Illinois Congressional seat), registered with the FEC, and subsequently registered as a party in Florida. The Moderates hope to expand into more states in 2008 and field a handful of congressional “peace candidates.” As for issues, the party platform covers only a few main points: ending the Iraq War and returning the US “to its primary role as international peacekeeper,” cut federal spending, abandon the current tax code in favor of a flat tax or consumption tax plan, protect the environment, strengthen the separation of church and state, protect second amendment gun ownership rights, protect a women’s right to choose on abortion, and support for same-sex civil unions. The Moderate Party is closely affiliated with the PeaceOverParty.org and Honk4Peace.org groups — which were both created by Scheuer.

22.    NATIONAL SOCIALIST MOVEMENT – The NSM is yet another of the several odious splinter parties seemingly created in recent years from the remnants of the old American Nazi Party of the early 1960s. “We co-operate and work with many likeminded white nationalist groups such as the KKK (Ku Klux Klan), Aryan Skinheads, the Racial Nationalist Party of America and many others which are either neo Nazi or at least, racially aware of our Aryan Heritage,” explains the NSM website. The NSM claims to be the largest Nazi party in the US (but so do all the other neo-Nazi splinter groups). Let’s let them fight it out OK?

23.    NATURAL LAW PARTY – The Natural Law Party was a New Age entity founded and run by followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (the founder of the TM movement — a movement that some have labeled as a cult). The NLP — under the slogan “Bringing the light of science into politics” and using colorful imagery — advocated holistic approaches, Transcendental Meditation (TM), “yogic flying,” and other peaceful “New Age” and “scientific” remedies for much of our national and international problems. The party ran nuclear physicist John Hagelin as the NLP Presidential nominee in 1992.  In 2003, the NLP endorsed the Presidential candidacy of Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich. (Can anyone say “BIG FOOT FOR VICE PRESIDENT”?). Unexpectedly, the NLP suddenly shuttered its doors in mid-2004 and announced it was dissolved as a national party (just as it did with the other NLP entities around the globe). However the only reason I mention them here is that the NLP cut loose their various state affiliate parties to decide individually whether they also wished to disband or continue to function as independent state parties.

24.    NEW PARTY – This leftist party advocates a “democratic revolution” to advance the cause of “social, economic, & political progress” in America. Their agenda is much in the style of the Western European socialist and labor movement — and somewhat similar to that of the late-1990s formed Labor Party (but the NP has more of a controlled growth outlook on environmental issues).

25.    NEW UNION PARTY – Founded in 1980 by defectors from the Socialist Labor Party, this DeLeonist militant democratic socialist party “advocates political and social revolution” but denounces violence and is “committed to lawful activities to overthrow the capitalist economic system.” This should be fun.

26.    PARTY OF SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION – The Party of Socialism & Liberation (PSL) is a revolutionary Marxist party created “to be a vehicle for the multinational working class in the struggle for socialism … Only a multinational party can create the unity necessary to defeat the most powerful capitalist class the world has ever seen … We aim for revolution in the United States.” They will achieve this goal by “building a new revolutionary workers party in the heart of world imperialism.” The PSL supports the ideas of the revolutionary wing of the Workers World Party. They also call for a pro-Cuba/pro-China view, and the iconic Che Guevarra’s call for continual world revolution against capitalism.

27.   PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY – Founded in the 1960s as a left-wing party opposed to the Vietnam War, the party reached its peak of support in 1968 when it nominated Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver for President (A real peace maker right?). Although a convicted felon and odious personality, Cleaver carried nearly 37,000 votes (ironically in another instance of “Divine Intervention, Cleaver ultimately became a Reagan Republican in the early 1980s, but old habits do sometimes die hard and he was later a crack cocaine addict in the late 1980s, before emerging as an environmental activist in the late 1990s). Their most famous candidate was “baby doctor” Benjamin Spock — a leftist and staunch opponent of the Vietnam War. Since then, the small party has largely been dominated by battling factions of Marxist-Leninists (aligned with the Workers World Party), Trotskyists and socialist democrats. Another more recent candidate was Native American activist Leonard Peltier — an imprisoned cop killer (or innocent political prisoner, depending on your views) and he was the PFP nominee for President in 2004 (ballot status in one state – 27,500 vote and I guess that’s not too shabby but still nowhere close.

28.    PROHIBITION PARTY – A quick look at their official party message in 2002 states “If you are a reform-minded conservative and a non-drinker, the Prohibition Party wants you,” The Prohibition Party, founded in 1869 and billing themselves as “America’s Oldest Third Party”, espouses a generally ultra-conservative Christian social agenda mixed with anti-drug and international anti-communist views. The party’s strongest showing was in 1892, yes I know that a bit too far back but they still are on the ballots in some states.  Long time party activist, Earl F. Dodge, ran as the Prohibition Party’s presidential nominee in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and again in 2004 — and was already running again for the next race when he died in 2007. At least he wasn’t a quitter.   

29.    REFORM PARTY – Once a rapidly growing, populist third party, the Reform Party shifted far to the right in recent years — but then experienced massive waves of conservative defections away into the Constitution Party and the new America First Party in 2002. Yes boys and girls this was  Ross Perot’s joke, I mean brain child.  

30.    SOCIALIST PARTY USA – The SPUSA are true democratic socialists — advocating left-wing electoral change versus militant revolutionary change. Many of the SP members could easily be members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party. Unlike most of the other political parties on this page with “Socialist” in their names, the SP has always been staunchly anti-communist. Founded by labor union leader, ex-Democratic elected official and pacifist Eugene V. Debs in 1900, the SP was once a mighty national third party.

31.    SOCIALIST ACTION – Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political party originally founded by expelled members of the Socialist Workers Party. While the SA shares the SWP’s pro-Castro views, the SA still tries to retain its Trotskyist ideological roots (There’s a difference?)

32.    SOCIALIST EQUALITY PARTY – The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) was originally named the Workers League (WL). The WL was founded in 1966 as a Trotskyist communist group closely associated with the electoral campaigns of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The goal of these Trotskyist groups was a build a working-class labor party in the US affiliated with the International Committee of the Fourth International (the global Trotskyist umbrella network).

33.   SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY – Founded in 1877, the SLP is a militant democratic socialist party. More moderate members of the SLP bolted to create the Socialist Party USA in 1901. The SLP ran Presidential tickets in every election between 1892 and 1976 (the SLP’s final presidential candidate won 9,600 votes in the 1976 race). The high cost of fielding a Presidential ticket and restrictive ballot access laws caused the SLP to abandon fielding Presidential tickets after 1976, and instead concentrates on nominating candidates for lower offices. The SLP — which bills itself as the party of “Marxism-DeLeonism” — still fields a few local candidates (mainly in New Jersey). The site features party history, info on Daniel DeLeon, a Marx-Engels archive, links and more. The SLP newspaper The People, first printed in 1891, also publishes regularly updated online editions.

34.    SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY – Originally a pro-Trotsky faction within the Communist Party USA, the SWP was formed in 1938 after the CPUSA — acting on orders from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin — expelled the American Trotskyites. The SWP was for many years the leading voice of Trotskyism in the USA. Since the 1980s, the SWP has drifted away from Trotskyism and moved towards the brand of authoritarian politics espoused by Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s style of Marxism (the SWP sites calls Castro’s Cuba “a shining example for all workers”).

35.   MARIJUANA PARTY – Founded in 2002, the US Marijuana Party (USMJP) is,  as you would expect,  a marijuana legalization entity espousing generally libertarian views. “The civil rights of Americans have been compromised by the war on drugs. Because the vast majority of citizens who use any illegal substance use only marijuana, the war on drugs is basically a war on marijuana. If you can pull the plug on the war on marijuana, you end the war on drugs as we know it. You shut down the prison industrial complex, and you restore the liberties that have been eroded because of this futile war on marijuana,” I love their circular argument.  

36.    PACIFIST PARTY – This tiny political party fielded a write-in candidate for President in 1996, 2000 and 2004, and a US Senate candidate in Colorado in 1998. In 2008, for the first time, the USPP Presidential nominee achieved ballot status in one state (Colorado). The USPP opposes military actions in all circumstances and wants to transform the US military into “a non-violent defense and humanitarian service corps.” I thought we already had Democrats.

37.    VETERANS PARTY OF AMERICA – The Veterans Party was founded in 2003. The party vows to “give political voice for the first time since 1776, to the men and women who were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for this country.  No longer will they have to grovel and beg and fill out paperwork for years just to get what they proudly earned and were promised.” The VPA fielded a few candidates in 2004, including a US Senate candidate in Florida. The party is not limited only to veterans, but is also intended to advocate for the families of US veterans. The centrist party has already registered in eight states, and is in the process of attempting to organize in dozens of additional states. As for issues, the party avoids many of the social/morality issues. “If you want religious issues, go to your congregation and discuss it there,  Morals and morality come from your family not the govt. so if you want to tell other people how to live their lives, how to think, how to dress or what they can and cannot do to their bodies, then become a prison warden, or a political party in some middle eastern country and rule there,” . Oh where were they “back in the day”? Sadly  bitter in-fighting caused the party to split into two rival factions in 2006, and showed little sign of life in 2008.

38.    WORKERS WORLD PARTY – The WWP was formed in 1959 by a pro-Chinese communist faction that split from the Socialist Workers Party. Although the WWP theoretically supports worker revolutions, the WWP supported the Soviet actions that crushed worker uprisings in Hungary in the 1950s, Czechoslovakia in the 1960s and Poland in the early 1980s. The WWP was largely an issue-oriented revolutionary party until they fielded their first candidate for president in 1980.  Monica Moorehead was on the ballot in 12 states in 1996 and was again the WWP’s Presidential nominee in 2000.

                Well you get the point. Here are a few more in which nothing is really known about them because as of today these parties have yet to field or endorse any candidates for office.

1.       American Patriot Party – The APP, established in 2003, was “founded on the basic principals set forth by our founding fathers, that the federal government should only have the powers set forth in the framework of the Constitution and all other power to be delegated back to the states.

2.        American Socialist Party – Despite the word “Socialist” in their title, this new group, founded in 2004 and based in Arizona, is far out of the traditional definition of socialist parties. The ASP denounces “immorality, and materialism,” supports “the removal of illegal immigrants … [and the imprisonment of] businesses/officials who hire, or allow them to enter,” sees capitalism as “failing,” and — in a language that make them sound more like a crypto-fascist group — promises to “defend you and your family if faced with government officials intimidating you, or, violating your rights, with the same force.

3.        Constitutionalist Party – This quasi-libertarian new party “seeks to improve America and preserve the freedom of the people by supporting a closer adherence to the Constitution.” As for specific issues, the CP is pro-choice (but believes abortion issues need to be decided at the state level), pro-gun rights, anti-death penalty, anti-Affirmative Action quotas, anti-regulation of sexual activities between consenting adults, pro-medical marijuana, pro-flat tax, pro-tax cuts, and anti-United Nations.

4.        Libertarian National Socialist Green Party – Politically correct Nazis? These Libertarian Green Nazis are either the strangest conglomeration of diametrically opposed political ideologies of a political party I have ever seen — or one of the most wry political practical jokes found anywhere on the political scene (I’m not certain which conclusion is correct, but I strongly suspect the latter).

5.        Multicapitalist Party – This quirky party supports “capitalism for all people equally” — but it is hard to tell exactly what that means. The MP equally denounces capitalism (“The rich riding on the backs of the poor”) and communism/socialism (“The weak riding on the backs of the strong”).

6.        Pansexual Peace Party – The PPP is a generally left-wing party that has yet to field any candidates because they don’t take themselves too seriously and the PPP is founded on Wiccan (i.e., witchcraft) roots.

7.        Pot Party – The Pot Party is exactly what you’d expect — a bunch of marijuana legalization advocates (“mandate pot growing”) ranging in age, seemingly, from late teens to middle aged. In fact, their current tag line seems to be: “A movement to pretty much legalize marijuana”.

8.        Progressive Labor Party – The PLP is a New York-based, militant, Stalinist-style communist party dedicated to bringing about a world-wide, armed, communist revolution. The PLP abhors democracy, elections, freedom of nearly any sort, capitalism and religion — while praising dictator Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union as their role model.

9.        Revolutionary Communist Party USA – The RCP is based upon the teachings of the late Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Tse-tung (a form of communism derivative of Leninist-Stalinist Marxism). The party strongly denounces capitalism and advocates a “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Programme” as “a battle plan for destroying the old and creating the new [and] is a kind of road map for how to win the revolution.”

10.    Social Democrats USA – Like the Democratic Socialists of America (above), the SD-USA is the other official US full member party of the Socialist International. Like the DSA, the SD-USA has never fielded candidates for office. The SD-USA is a group more ideologically centrist, more staunchly anti-communist and more directly aligned with the Democratic Party than the more traditionally leftist DSA.

11.   The Third Party – The Third Party’s site stated that it was working towards fielding a candidate for the 2004 Presidential election. Frustrated by traditional partisan politics and the quality of national media coverage of elections, this party proposes to seek “direct input” from the public to mold this new politically centrist party into a vehicle that unifies America in the 21st Century.

12.   Workers Party, USA – The WP-USA is a hardcore Marxist-Leninist political party founded by Michael Thorburn in 1992. The party was established to “bring the working class out as an independent class force”. They were slightly  affiliated with the WP-USA.

13.    World Socialist Party of the USA – The WSP-USA is seemingly utopian Marxists. They believe true socialism can only work when it is established worldwide. (Good luck but, with NATO holding the reins of a one world govt., who knows?)They renounce violence, Soviet-style totalitarianism, money and all forms of leadership. They advocate a classless, “wage less, moneyless, free access society” without any national borders.