Monday, November 16, 2015


2015 Third Party Mini-Research Projects
 

By Friday, November 20, please post your third party report here.  PLEASE BE SURE TO PUT YOU NAME ON IT SO I CAN GRADE THEM.  Over Thanksgiving Break, read all the reports posted by your classmates and draw general conclusions about why third parties have not been successful in the U.S.

18 comments:

Matthew Carr said...

In 1991, the US Taxpayers Party was formed by Howard Phillips. Eight years later, it was renamed the Constitution Party for the fact that their platform follows the idea that they understand the constitution "as the founders meant it". The party is heavily centered around Christianity and that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation. Their views are extremely far right and feature issue stances such as pro-life, pro-gun, pro-religion, anti-gay, anti-immigration, anti-tax, state sovereignty, and the removal of federal government from school and education.

The heavy emphasis on religion in the Constitution party can be shown through the fact that they believe the U.S. was founded on the principles of the bible and that it should return to those ways in government. This is also shown in that they are strongly anti-gay and that a family is a husband and wife with their children "as divinely instituted".

They have fielded numerous candidates for President since 1992, but none have ever managed to get higher than 0.19% of the population. They have never held any seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Their membership as of 2014 is 76,425 people.

The Constitution party is divided up into four sections across America- East, Mid-west, West, and South. Each section has a chairman and vice chairman that oversee the party activities within the section. There is also a national chairman and vice chairman that oversee all of the sections.

I believe that the shortcomings of this party are due to the radical conservative views the party holds, but more so on the grounds of forcing Christianity into everything in the U.S. Compared to the Republican party, the Constitution party could be seen as the extremists of Conservatism.


Lexi Miller said...

The Pansexual Peace Party (PPP) is one among many third parties in the United States. A man named Jimi Freidenker founded this party in the mid 1990s. This party would appeal to individuals who agree with the issues the PPP stand for; they are generally left wing, free-spirited people. The PPP are prochoice, just like the Democratic Party. Also, they strive to improve education, decrease the wealth gap, get universal healthcare, and decriminalize all drugs. This party is all about equality and environmental protection. To many of the Pansexual Peace Party members, they are peacefully trying to make the world a better and safer place to live, established on equality. Not many are aware of this party, as it is a very small third party. On their official Facebook page, it only has thirty-one likes. To be a countrywide third party, that is a very, very small number. It was hard to find any successes or failures of this party, as resources are limited. One success would be, even though it is very small, they are still recognized as a party and people who are interested are still hearing some of their message. The PPP works to reduce the harm people inflict on one another. The slogan of this party is, “Sex is good. Sex is great. Yay sex!” In my opinion, that slogan will not attract many people. People won’t want to vote for a member of this party if they think the only thing they care about is sex when there are more important things the country needs to worry about. Another thing is, they don’t technically have their own official website. When you go to their website, it says that it “violated the Terms of Service.” Maybe they didn’t pay the bills for it or maybe they didn’t have things necessary to be on the Internet that was inappropriate. Either or, that does not say good things about their party and doesn’t make people want to support them. Not many people support the party as information is limited and some issues may not connect with most of the public.

Anonymous said...

Matthew Smith

The American Independent Party was founded on July 8, 1967 by Bill Shearer of California. People in this party want Freedom from" Liberalism" , Marriage between men and women only, pro-life, and support of secure boarders.They are strongly in favor of the second amendment. This is also a religious party. They have had five people run for president.It is most notable for its nomination of former Governor George Wallace of Alabama in 1968. He finished with 13% of the votes. In 1972 John Schmitz got 1.42%, Lester Maddox got .21% in 1976, in 1980 John Rarick got .05%, and in 1988 James Griffin got .03% of the votes. Most if their 472,833 registered members are in the West. They have a president, vice-president, central committee chair, and a executive committee chair. To be in this party you are most likely religious. Not everyone is religious which may account for this party to not be as successful. This party wants freedom from liberals which means conservatives count for most of this party's members.

Sam B. Stewart said...

The Justice Party was organized in November 2011, by the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson. The party was founded on the belief that the Democratic Party was not progressive enough. Members of the Justice Party hope to replace the Green Party as the most influential progressive third party. It has state and national levels of organization. In 2012 it had Rocky Anderson as a presidential candidate on the ballot in 15 states and a write-in in 15 more. Other candidates for offices in 2012 were Luis J. Rodriguez for Vice President, Daniel Geery for Utah Senator, and Torin Nelson for Utah’s fourth congressional district, although Nelson withdrew. None of these candidates won, but they did gain an infinitesimal percentage of votes, the highest being 0.81% for Geery.
This party would generally appeal to liberal and women voters, because of its emphasis on reforms and anti-war views. It would also appeal to environmentalists, because caring for the environment is a key aspect of the party platform. It is even mentioned in its slogan: “Economic, environmental, and social justice for all.” In my opinion, this party does not attract more voters because it is so new. Since it was only founded four years ago, and it has fairly small membership, it is largely unheard of by U.S. citizens. If it continues to spread awareness, I think it could gain a fairly large following, but this is unlikely to happen because it is so small and competing with many other progressive third parties.

Unknown said...

The Pirate Party is a fairly new third party, founded in 2006 by Rick Falkvinge. The Pirate Party believes that the sharing of movies, music, and other online arts should be legal. They are neither right nor left wing, and are not driven by ideology, but just aim to do whatever works. They support civil rights, direct democracy, participation in government, individuals over institutions, they are anti- monopoly, and value all equally. The Pirate Party says they would like to run in the 2016 election, but currently they have no candidates. The party has successfully grown to places all over, even in some states of the United States. There are between 30 and 40 Pirate parties globally and for the first time ever a member was elected into the European Parliament. In 2014, four candidates ran for state elections and received up to 18% of the votes. Regarding failures, the Pirate party has declined in membership in the last five years and many people are losing interest in their topics. In my opinion I think that this party has not been successful because it is new and although it is gaining members, the party has failed to accomplish many things that they had promised or any of their main goals. This party has strong goals and beliefs, but they will continue to decline in members and as a party if they don’t reach any of them or make progress.

Eliza Caperton said...

The American Nazi Party was founded in 1959, fourteen years after WWII ended. It appeals to individuals who believe “Aryans” (blonde-hair, blue-eyed people) are the superior race and America’s number one priority should be preserving it.
The party is anti-immigration, out of fear that other an increase in racial diversity in America will lead to a decline in “Aryans culture.” The group supports any environmental protection or reclamation because they believe Aryans “deserve to live in the best environment possible.” Also, The ANP promotes traditional gender roles in families where wives are “homemakers,” and husbands are “warriors and breadwinners.”
One of their philosophies is the need to “promote the prospect of the White American Future.” The party’s mission statement is, “We must secure the existence of our people and future White children.”
There is very little information on how the party is organized or how many members there are. The only thing they mentioned was having a grand master, but their name was not revealed.
As far as services go, the party sends out letters and emails monthly that can be received by people of any race. They also have meeting, but they are for white members only. ANP also offers magazine subscriptions, with titles like “The White Worker.”
The ANP has not been very successful since it is considered a hate group. When people hear the word Nazi, they automatically think of all their atrocious actions during WWII, no one wants to support them. Society shuns such offensive viewpoints. In addition, they have never run a presidential candidate.
The American Nazi Party is trying to convince the country that everyone needs to be sympathetic to Aryans. Since history has proven this false, America cannot take them seriously, so their main affect on our country is offending people.

Anonymous said...

The U.S.Marijuana Party was formed in 2002 by Loretta Nall from Alabama. She felt her arrest and criminal charge for being arrested with pot (marijuana) was not reasonable and created this party as a way to find others who felt the same way and to try and change things.
This party appeals to people who feel their marijuana misdemeanors are unreasonable, those who feel pot should be made legal, those who believe in the medicinal uses of marijuana should be accessible to people, people who don't believe the government has a right to regulate the growing of a plant, people with Libertarian-esque views who don't believe it hurts people, and those who want to make money growing it.
The most important part of their platform is that they believe marijuana should be legalized for personal growing and recreational use. They believe it should be legal to use at the age of 21 and that it should be used responsibly. They also want it to be illegal for employers to drug test their employees for using pot. They want people in prison for a marijuana related charge to be freed, and all marijuana related criminal records to be expunged.
They have never fielded a candidate for office but endorsed formally Gary Johnson, who ran for president in 2012 as a Libertarian. He did not win.
The Marijuana Party has never successfully fielded a candidate for office, however they and their sympathizers have accomplishes a lot. Their protests and effort to get their message heard has helped marijuana become legalized for growing, and selling (with a license), and selling with a state ordained tax in Alaska,Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Many other states have lessened the punishments that can be given for marijuana misdemeanors. The support they have from the American public is significant.
There is no official count of their members available online, but they have well established chapters in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Kentucky,Illonis, Maryland, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Alabama.
They provide their supporters and members with a merchandise store, email address of a party leader to send concerns to, a place to submit suggestions to the party, and links to helpful information concerning the use and legalization of marijuana.
They haven't been more successful due to how hard the winner take all system makes it for them to win elections. They have a lot of support but it still inst enough to push out the Democrats and GOP from the public offices. Also, many Americans still view pot smokers as nonproductive and "happy hippie" members of society, so they not taken seriously from a political standpoint.
Addison Lackey

Maya Iliff said...

The Libertarian Party was formed in 1971, and has grown ever since. In fact, if you visit their website, you will not leave without seeing the declaration that the LP is "America's largest third party." Their platform is all about total and complete individual liberty, and their slogan is "Minimum government, maximum freedom." They draw from the social views of the Democrats, supporting gay marriage, the legalization of marijuana and the right to choose. However, most of their economic platform borrows from the right, supporting low taxes and cuts (or eliminations of) welfare and food stamps. There have been a few candidates who have run for office, the most notable being Ron Paul, who ran for President in 1988 with the Libertarian Party. He failed to win, and decided that he needed to run under the GOP label if he actually wanted to create Libertarian change. The biggest success for the Libertarian Party came in 2012 with Texas Governor Gary Johnson. He was on the ballot in 48 states, and got 1% of the popular vote (over 1 million votes). However, the party as a whole has failed to remain unified as they have grown. Their party, though small in comparison to the two main parties, is just big enough to allow for factions. Half of the party supports moderate reform in terms of popular issues (tax cuts, gun deregulation, and the lagalization of drugs), while the other half supports a more "purist" veiw, claiming that true freedom can only be achieved in an (almost) anarchist society.

About 250,000 people are paid members of the Libertarian Party. The LP has organizations and affiliations in all 50 states. In West Virginia, there is a campus organization at WVU and Marshall. If you pay a due of at least $25, you get a membership card and a subscription to their newspaper. The website lists different levels of donations, and perks you can get if you are a top donor. For example, if you pay $25,000 or more, you get VIP passes to conventions, banquets, and can even meet with presidential candidates! They also sell merchandise on their website.

In my opinion, the Libertarian Party has been very successful considering that they are a third party. There are currently 145 Libertarians holding office in the U.S.! I think that the only reason that this party has not been more successful is simply that they are a third party. Like Ron Paul, most politicians with Libertarian views have accepted that it is impossible to be elected President under a third party, and have chosen to run as a Republican. Though Libertarian views are held by many Americans, the party to represent those veiws came about 200 years too late to even be considered by the public, much less the mass media.

Tre Miller said...

Tre Miller
I was given by our lovely instructor Mrs. Stotler, the Reform party. The party was established in 1995 by Ross Perot. The party is based in the middle of the political spectrum, labeled as "moderate, centrist, and populist" Meaning people who don't lean heavily toward either side of the spectrum might take interest in this party. The party believes strongly in electoral reform, and strong financial ethics. The reform party has had successful candidates such as Jesse Ventura, Mae Schunk, Bob Acker, Janice Miller and Diane Mckelvey. A notable accomplishment for the party would be that they have had at least one active office holder over the last fifteen years. The party began to organize in the early 90s by a group of politicians with new ideas and different opinions than politicians in the two main party's. The Reform party offers services like job creation, healthcare, tax policies, and national security. I feel like this party has not been successful as of late because of the reoccurring issues that took place in the early 2000's. The issues were heated debates between the reform party and other political groups that sought out to victimize reformers. An example of propaganda is on the party's welcome page, it lists all their accomplishments, positive views, and successful campaigns. After doing background on the party it is obvious they have had a more less unsuccessful past in politics.

Ally Dengler said...

The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) was founded on June 23, 1967 as a left-wing group opposed to the Vietnam War. The PFP today is blatantly known as the "socialist feminist party," and the party's activities only appear in California today. This party is most likely to appeal to left-wing liberals. This party also might appeal to environmentalists, socialists and African-Americans due to the Black Panthers' (a virulently racist group that meant to cause violence against whites, Jews, and law enforcement officers) leader, Eldridge Cleaver and his involvement and presidency in the PFP. This party was strongly against the Vietnam War, which ultimately was the source of this party being started. The Peace and Freedom Party also believes in socialism, feminism, democracy, racial equality and environmentalism.
As previously stated, the leader of the Black Panthers, Eldridge Cleaver was the PFP's President in 1968. Cleaver's background says a lot about the party and their beliefs and their dedication to equality. When Cleaver was elected President of the PFP, he was a convicted felon. He later managed to become a Reagan Republican (ironically) and was later a crack cocaine addict. The fairly well known Benjamin Spock, also known as "the baby doctor" was a socialist and, highlighting the main idea of the PFP, a strong opponent of the Vietnam war, was also the PFP presidential nominee in 1972. Rosanne Barr, a fairly well-known comedian, was nominated for President in 2012 and was on the ballot in three states but failed to win the election with sixth place. Native American activist, and imprisoned cop killer, Leonard Peltier was the Presidential nominee in 2004 but only appeared on one state's ballot. In 2008, when Ralph Nader was running for the Presidency, the PFP allowed Nader to use their California ballot line, due to the fact that the party clearly supported him.
The Peace and Freedom Party has often times been dominated by Marxists-Leninists (aligned with the communist Workers World Party (WWP), which later split into the militant revolutionary Party of Socialism & Liberation (PSL)), Trotskyists, and other true democratic socialists. This domination is a downfall on the side of the Peace and Freedom Party. In 1996, though, the party successfully blocked an attempt by the WWP to capture the PFP's Presidential Nomination, and also the California ballot spot. The PFP finally regained California ballot status in 2003, which was a big success on their part.
I was unable to find the full size of the Peace and Freedom Party, but it said enough when I found that the party gained 40,000 members in three years and 15,000 of them being between January 1 and February 10, 2003. I was unable to find the ways that the PFP was organized, but the website states many times that their main business operations occur in California, though their website does have a "national" option. The PFP offers the National PFP Alliances.
In my opinion, this party has been unsuccessful due to their unprofessional members of their party and not very sophisticated nominees. When I was browsing on the party's Facebook page, I found a picture they had posted just following the recent Paris attacks saying, "DON'T PRAY FOR PARIS... fight against hateful religious ideology." In my opinion, not many people in this world will, especially this nation, will agree with that post. If anything, I believe that the PFP is making people turn away from them and their beliefs more quickly and much easier.

James Kidwell said...

The Canary Party, founded in 2011, appeals to individuals seeking liberation from the health regulations the United States sets as standards for the safety and regulation on public health, immunizations, and preventative care. The entire party’s platform lies on the basis of obtaining the right to choose if children should be vaccinated, even if not administering vaccination may compromise the general public. They also speak of suspected conspiracy within the United States government on the regulation of immunizations on children. Their theories range from the push of immunizations being for governmental profit, to the immunizations causing harm and or illness.
The Canary Party has never fielded any candidate for office, however they are prominent in making an attempt to have their voice heard in other ways. For years they have tried to appeal a 1986 legislation on immunization regulation, without success. They also speak of quotes from CDC scientists, Thomas Williams, on their website. They make it seem as if the CDC had been covering links on vaccines and autism, but upon further inspection on the suggestions made, there was no physical evidence to support their claims and accusations of the CDC and scientist. Another contrast found in the website, which differs in claims to CDC data, was the harmful effects of thimerosal in vaccinations. Thimerosal, an agent to prevent the growth of bacteria in an already cultured vaccination, had not been found to be a link in any side effects or harms, although the website stated it directly caused ADHD, autism, and food allergy. Though the party is trying to appeal to the public with shocking information, many of their information is inaccurate or unspecified, the use of words such as countless and or unknown, shows the lack of specification.
The party does not speak of a specific membership on their website, however looking at social media the party’s page has just under 17,000 likes, showing that around that number of individuals are showing interest. The party has a limited amount of services to the public on their website, however, they offer any who are interested to sign up to receive information. They also have contact information on their website for those who have questions and or feel it necessary to contact an individual representing the party directly.
In personal opinion I feel that the party has had little success politically due to their narrow minded views. Their views are also rather radical. Many would feel the implementation of legislation that rules in favor of this party would be a direct risk on individuals, both adults and children. The general public uses vaccinations as a preventative to major outbreaks and epidemics of serious and or largely common illnesses that are common at time of vaccination or even used in an attempt to keep one from contracting illness later in one’s life. The practice of vaccination and preventative medicine is very important to the general public and political leaders to ensure public health and safety. The fear the nation has over worldwide epidemics, and the want to keep their children as safe and healthy as possible will most likely have a leg up, and a greater support, than those promoting something that may very well compromise the general health of the nation.

Anonymous said...

Meagan Doherty

The Green Party of the United States is one of the largest third parties in the country. This party was first founded in 1984 when sixty-two people came together in St. Paul, Minnesota at Macalester College and formed the first green organization in the United States. The GPUS was first named Committees of Correspondence and a few years later the name was changed to the Green Committees of Correspondence. The goals of this organization included gender, race, ethnic, and class equality and expansion. In 2001, this Green organization changed its name to the Green Party of the United States and formally earned National Committee status. This Green Party tends to appeal to environmentalists and those who believe in moving towards a greener Earth and environment. People who believe in Grassroots Democracy, one of the GPUS’s Ten Key Values, would also likely appeal to the Green Party. Those who do not agree with our political system and its dependence on money and media will most likely agree with certain values of this party as well. Anyone whose beliefs align with the Ten Key Values of this party will likely be inclined to prefer or appeal to this party.
The Ten Key Values are recognized and approved by most members of this party, also known as the Greens. They include grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom, social justice and equal opportunity, nonviolence, decentralization, community based economics, feminism, respect for diversity, personal and global responsibility, and future focus and sustainability. These are the issues the Greens stand for. Members of this party believe the gap in economic status and the unbalanced distribution of wealth in America is unfair and should be changed. They blame these issues on large corporations and their involvement in our government. An emphasis is also placed on everyday citizens becoming active participators in the formation of a “greener” society. They have hopes to restore the foundations of nature; global warming is one of their top concerns.
In the 1996 presidential election, Ralph Nader was on the ballot in twenty-two states representing the Green Party and had a total of 685,297 votes casted for him. Winona LaDuke was chosen by Nader to be his vice presidential candidate for this election. Nader and LaDuke were nominated at the first Green nominating convention that was held at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. Though Ralph Nader only received 0.7 percent of the nation’s votes, his name was well known throughout the election and the Green Party was at least recognized by the public. Nader ran for office again in the 2000 presidential election and this time received a total of around three million votes. This showed a strong escalation of support of the Green Party among the states. The Green Party has had other candidates run for presidential office such as Cynthia McKinley and David Cobb in later elections. Despite candidates’ names being present on presidential ballots in this party, like the other third parties in recent decades, the Green Party has failed to win a presidential election. Even though Ralph Nader did not win neither the 1996 election nor the 2000 election, the support of the Green Party of the United States sharply increased, which was an overall success for the party. Other successes of the party include Green Party representatives who currently hold local, state, and national offices as well as those who have held offices before them. The party’s large number of supporters and members they currently obtain can also be considered an achievement.

Anonymous said...

Meagan Doherty, continued

According to www.2012election.procon.org, there are currently 246,145 registered members of the Green Party of the United States, making it one of the largest third parties in our country. The Green Party is organized into local, state, and national levels of membership and governing. Members are encouraged by the party to form and establish state and local caucuses so they may be expressed at Green National caucuses. The Green Party has a Presidential Nominating Convention every four years where they nominate one of a few candidates who were voted for in either a primary or some other formal process. They also hold Annual National Meetings which are held for participation and informative purposes. Of the fifty states in our country, forty-five of them, as well as the District of Columbia, have a Green Party or a party closely affiliated with the Green Party of the United States.
To become a member of the Green Party of the U.S. you must pay annual dues of varying amounts. Members of the Green Party, or Greens, are eligible to receive a discussion journal about the party called, “Green Social Thought”. Other services this party offers include being able to subscribe to the party’s strategy list and email newsletter.
In my opinion, the Green Party of the United States has not experienced success in recent years because of the lack of media attention and money they receive. The media, for the most part, focuses on the Democratic and Republican candidates only. Rarely do candidates who are Independent or of a third party get recognized by the media. Green Party candidates are not allowed to participate in televised Democratic or Republican debates, which are one of the most essential and effective ways for candidates to provide their stances on issues and appeal to the American public. The lack of income and donations the Green Party experiences comes from the small number of members compared to the two major parties. Without the money to advertise their candidates and promote the party, the Green Party is at a great disadvantage.

Anonymous said...

Theo Whiddon

The highly liberal Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) was founded by C. E. Ruthenberg, an outspoken Marxist and, later, long-time leader of the party. It is widely said to have been founded in 1919, but some information claims that it was truly founded in 1924. Today, the party is led by Ohioan John Bachtell, who continues to uphold the CPUSA's liberal views. Despite their small size, they have fielded multiple candidates for presidential office and are highly organized, at both local and larger levels.
The CPUSA upholds classic communist views: unity and representation for the working class, equality for every individual - including non-white people and women, and the crippling of big corporations. More recently, specifically in their 2001 party constitution, open support was demanded for those of marginalized genders and sexualities. All of this, and their support of a $15 per hour minimum wage, is certain to attract a young, liberal audience, or people who are of minority groups.
In order to maintain their appeal and their constitution, the party is highly organized. They have a yearly dues system of $60 for most members or $24 for low-income members. Anyone who is accepted by application process and pays their dues may attend club-hosted meetings at the local or regional levels. In addition, they host an annual national convention. However, the website still has the information for the 2014 convention, implying that activity has further slowed within the party. They don’t have any official numbers accessible, but the CPUSA is currently believed to only boast around 2,000 members, corroborating the idea that activity has slowed. In terms of services for members, their site is positively unclear regarding this, outside of monthly club meetings.
It hasn’t always been slow, though. In 1976, they claimed their biggest victory since the early thirties: CPUSA presidential candidate, Gus Hall, and vice-presidential candidate, Jarvis Tyner, secured 0.07% of the vote, or 58,709 votes. On two other occasions, the CPUSA secured chunks of the votes, but never enough to push them closer to winning than 4th place. Since Gus Hall’s final campaign, they haven’t had any candidates of their own, although they’ve endorsed many Democratic candidates. Their attempts went further downhill with the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, which John Bachtell described as a “major setback” in an interview.

Anonymous said...

Theo Whiddon, continued

Unfortunately, despite the party’s long history, its association with what many Americans see as a dread disease - communism - is holding it back from gaining any true ground. Their membership, although only nebulously defined, has undeniably fallen since the late eighties and early nineties. Much of this is because of their association with the now-fallen Soviet Union. During the time of the Soviet Union, it became very common for Americans to both hate and fear it. It only makes sense that they would similarly hate and fear the CPUSA, which makes even more sense given that the CPUSA received longtime funding from the Soviet Union. The CPUSA’s other major downfall is their extreme leftism. As we see with both of our country’s major parties, moderacy has become necessity. The CPUSA is simply too left to appeal to enough Americans for it to gain true ground.
Further, merely looking at their site brings to mind bias. They do not mention their widely-known support of Leninism, implying that they don’t condone his actions. The classic ‘sickle and hammer’ insignia, which is still widely used by many communist organizations worldwide, has been redesigned to be more minimalist and less associated with the American nightmare, the Soviet Union. Their pages regarding beliefs and policies mostly hinge on equality for all people of all walks of life, while not going into depth on their anti-capitalist views which would likely alienate many Americans.
Ultimately, the CPUSA is a well-organized party with strong views that is simply too left for the American public. Despite their past victories, their membership numbers are being driven into the ground, and they are no longer able to even run candidates for office. Even so, they hold strong with their classic Marxist-Leninist views and continue to attempt to sway the American public ever in their favor.

Anonymous said...

Hannah Abdelaal

The Prohibition Party

The Prohibition Party was founded in 1869 at a convention in Chicago by John Russell. It was a convention attended by twenty states frustrated with the nation’s failure to address the alcohol problem in the country. Out of the twenty states who originally joined, only nine showed up to the first convention three years later in 1872. It has been dubbed “the nation’s oldest third party”. They were associated with unions such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union of 1874 and the Anti-Saloon League of 1893, even though they did not have the political backbone the Prohibition party had.

This party most likely appeals to ultraconservative people. Most actual members are “dry” (nondrinking) Republicans. The founders considered themselves conservative Christians, and most of the people who joined afterward considered themselves the same. Most people who join support anti-communist views. The party itself tries to appeal to people who are supporters of women’s rights and racial equality.

The most obvious issue that the Prohibition Party stands for is the policy of no drinking. They believe that alcohol and tobacco are the roots of most evil and should be done away with. They oppose abortion and assisted suicide. Gambling is another activity that they do not condone and wish to make illegal. There are many things Prohibitionists want to keep the same as they are now, however, such as foreign relations and education. Social Security is voluntary, but people must decide whether or not they want to be part of it before they turn twenty-five.

Prohibitionists field a candidate every year for office, but they usually do not make it very far. The exception was John Bidwell, who ran in 1892. He was the most popular Prohibitionist to ever run, winning 2.3% of the popular vote, which at the time was 271,000 votes. Their most recent candidate is Jack Fellure, who is currently running to be the presidential candidate for 2016. Jack Fellure was born in West Virginia, and has tried to run for president every election year since 1988. In 1992, when the Federal Election Commission asked him for his platform, he handed them a copy of the 1611 King James Bible. Originally, he ran Republican, but then he decided to seek the bid of the Prohibition Party, with which he succeeded. He is 84 years old.

Ms. Stotler said...

Hannah Abdelaal, continued

Clearly, their biggest success has not been in the Presidential field. Rather, it was at the grassroots level with the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1919, which banned alcohol. Unfortunately, it did not work out as well as they had hoped. Prohibition, defined as the event in the United States, did not make it illegal to drink alcohol, just to manufacture it. It was extremely hard to maintain. Gang violence sprang up dramatically, and speakeasies hit their peak. Bootlegging (the illegal manufacturing of alcohol) was the most popular it had ever been. The 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, and that was the Prohibition Party’s biggest failure.

As far as organization goes, the Prohibition Party has the potential to have a committee in every state. As of now, there are committees in a whopping two of them. People can also be Action! Prohibitionists who work individually and are not registered with any chapter. Finally, there are some third-party coalitions who are too small to be chapters, but do the same things as the larger chapters. In terms of service, they mostly point people in the direction of the Salvation Army and several different rehabilitation centers. If they can’t stop the consumption of alcohol, they can at least do what they think will reduce the negative consequences of it. They also have a merchandise store.

Obviously, this party has not been successful for many reasons. The most detrimental reason being that people simply love their alcohol too much. It contributes too much to the national economy. In 2010, it was responsible for 3.9 million jobs, and generated $400 billion dollars. Getting rid of that would be too much of a burden on our economy. People are also too diverse to be unified behind such a radical idea as not drinking. It just isn’t feasible.

Anonymous said...

Savanna Petway

The Light Party is also known as the Love and Light Party. The Light Party currently has about 1,500 members. However, Light Party members also believe that everyone "in truth is already a member in that everyone in their heart of hearts supports 'Health, Peace, and Freedom for all.'" They run on a 7-point platform. This platform consists of project health, Eco-nomic Reform, Project Peace, Project Light, Artainment, Global Peace Center, and National Initiative for Democracy. The founder of the Light Party is physician, human ecologist, and artist Da Vid. No successions were advertised, and it can be inferred that there were none, likely due to the lack of elected officials. The Light Party was founded in 1984 as the Human Ecology Party. Da Vid was a write-in candidate for President in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Many different elements from the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and Green parties are reflected through the Light Party's message. Members of these parties are most likely to be infatuated with this third party. The Light Party endorses Ralph Nader because of his interest in third parties and parties related to the Light Party, such as the Green Party. The Light Party hopes to improve spiritual awareness. They want to accomplish why we exist and to enable each other to take responsibility in improving your life and others. Products from the Light Party include a health elixir, and a spiritual journal to help one become more healthy. The most reasonable cause of the unpopularity of the light party may be strongly due to their small number of members. Not only does their small congregation constrict them, but also mechanisms that the government uses to shut third parties out of government. The light party mainly focuses on environmental and spiritual issues with the arts and they are not very broad on many of the things of which they hope to accomplish. Therefor, they are tightening their appeal to those that agree with their issues instead of being more moderate like more popular parties.