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America First Party | |
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Chairperson | Jonathan M. Hill |
Founded | April 15, 2002 |
Headquarters | Boulder, Colorado |
Ideology | |
Political position | Far-right |
Colors |
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Seats in the Senate | 0 / 100 |
Seats in the House | 0 / 435 |
Website | |
americafirstparty | |
The America First Party is or was a minor paleoconservative party in the United States.
Paleoconservatism is a predominantly American conservative political philosophy which stresses traditionalism, limited government, Judeo-Christian ethics, regionalism and nationalism.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
The party was formed on April 15, 2002, when a group of Pat Buchanan supporters left the Reform Party. The party is pro-life, opposes all gun control, seeks to end affirmative action, racial quotas, and is against illegal and unlimited immigration. Buchanan himself has never publicly professed any affiliation with the party, though his books are for sale on the party's website "[A]utographed... specially for the Party". [1] The AFP has attracted individuals such as former Boston mayor and ambassador to the Vatican Raymond Flynn and former John Birch Society president John McManus. The party's web page shows recent press releases and articles on current issues which showcase the organization's positions. Until February 2010, the AFP also published a 12-page newspaper which illustrated its policy positions and focused on current problems in government.
Patrick Joseph Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician, and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior advisor to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1992 and 1996. He ran on the Reform Party ticket in the 2000 presidential election.
The Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA), generally known as the Reform Party USA or the Reform Party, is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot.
Affirmative action, also known as reservation in India and Nepal, positive discrimination / action in the United Kingdom, and employment equity in Canada and South Africa, is the policy of promoting the education and employment of members of groups that are known to have previously suffered from discrimination. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has sought to achieve goals such as bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, promoting diversity, and redressing apparent past wrongs, harms, or hindrances.
The party believed that the federal government's role should be quite limited in domestic matters, limited in foreign affairs in the Washingtonian sense, and they hold that these positions are required by the Constitution. They support enforcement of laws against illegal immigration, and on constitutional and economic grounds, they seek to end U.S. involvement with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and World Trade Organization (WTO). The America First party opposed the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, and refers to the Iraq war as unconstitutional. On constitutional grounds, the party calls for an end to all foreign aid, without exception.
The North American Free Trade Agreement is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the 1988 Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Canada, and is expected to be replaced by the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement once it is ratified.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations. The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 124 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. It is the largest international economic organization in the world.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 21 days of major combat operations, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq. This early stage of the war formally ended on 1 May 2003 when U.S. President George W. Bush declared the "End of Major Combat Operations", after which the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as the first of several successive transitional governments leading up to the first Iraqi parliamentary election in January 2005. U.S. military forces later remained in Iraq until the withdrawal in 2011.
The party supported transferring more resources to United States National Guard personnel to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.
The United States National Guard, also commonly referred to as just the National Guard, is part of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. It is a reserve military force, composed of National Guard military members or units of each state and the territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, for a total of 54 separate organizations. All members of the National Guard of the United States are also members of the militia of the United States as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 246. National Guard units are under the dual control of the state and the federal government.
The America First Party believes that all treaties the United States enters in must be subservient to the Constitution. The party supports the withdrawal from the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and any other international organization who can commit the American military to a war. The party believes only Congress has the power to declare war and commit American troops. The party also supports withdrawing from all international financial institutions, like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, because it argues that these organizations have the unconstitutional power to tax the American people and the American government. The America First Party "is totally opposed and unequivocally rejects the World Court" because it argues that the court overrides the powers of the Constitution and threatens the sovereignty of nations. [2]
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. Its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress ; the executive, consisting of the President ; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Articles Four, Five and Six embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relationship to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article Seven establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it. It is regarded as the oldest written and codified national constitution in force.
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that was tasked to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international co-operation and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development and upholding international law. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world. In 24 October 1945, at the end of World War II, the organization was established with the aim of preventing future wars. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The UN is the successor of the ineffective League of Nations.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries. The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's Headquarters are located in Haren, Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of Allied Command Operations is near Mons, Belgium.
The party believes that all foreign aid is unconstitutional and should be ended; consequently the United States should withdraw from any international organization that provides aid to foreign nations. [2]
The America First Party is firmly against what it claims is the New World Order and any one-world government because they believe that it would be unconstitutional and "it will end up enslaving all people except the elite." [2]
The party seeks to eliminate several Cabinet departments within the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, such as the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Education. The party also seeks to eliminate all federal funding for schools, believing that federal government money has led to more federal control over schools—control, the party believes, that should rest in the hands of local governments. [2]
The party opposes the idea that the Constitution bars expressions of religious faith in the public space. It supports allowing mandated organized prayer in public places, especially in public schools, as well as allowing displays of religious icons (such as tablets of the Ten Commandments) by the government on public property, [2] and recognizes the "Judeo-Christian heritage of our shared values". America First Party believes in the free exercise of religion. [3]
The party believes that the 16th Amendment was never properly ratified and must be repealed. The income tax would then be replaced by half of federal revenue coming from excise taxes and tariffs, and the other half coming from usage fees and a national retail sales tax. (They oppose having both an income tax and a sales tax simultaneously. [2] )
The America First Party supports the right to keep and bear arms and Second Amendment believing it to be "largely responsible for [America's] independence and sovereignty". [2]
The America First Party is strongly against illegal immigration and wants the enforcement and strengthening of all immigration laws. The party would like the American military or the United States National Guard to patrol the U.S.–Mexico border. The party believes all legal immigration, with exceptions for families, should be halted for 10 years "restoring America's traditional level of legal immigration at a limit of 250,000 per year". For legal immigrants the party would like to see a campaign to teach them English, American history, and civics. [2] The party believes all immigrants who want to become citizens must be proficient in English and know American history and the Constitution. [3]
List of states for which The America First Party achieved ballot access by year of first appearance on ballot:
The America First Party ran 11 candidates for public office in the U.S. general elections of 2002.
The party's 2003 convention was canceled due to infighting. Alleged white supremacist Bo Gritz was scheduled to speak, much to the dismay of many party members. The party released a press release condemning Bo Gritz saying: "anyone who supports theories that we hoped had died with Adolph Hitler is not welcome in the America First Party." [7] [8] On October 12, 2004, the America First Party endorsed Constitution Party candidate Michael A. Peroutka for President of the United States.
The only AFP candidate nominated in the 2006 general election was Martin Scott McClellan for Brevard County School Board - District 1 in Florida. He lost with 24% of the vote, running second in a three-way race.
For the 2008 presidential election, the AFP encouraged voters to make up their mind between either Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr or Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin. The party also ran Mike Eller for Ypsilanti City Council - District 3 in Michigan. He came in second out of three candidates with 27% of the vote.
In 2018 the AFP is allegedly running Alan White for the governorship of Maine, Peter Davis for the governorship of Texas, and Paul Young for U.S. House from Vermont's at-large Congressional district.[ citation needed ]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Pete Murdock | 440 | 60.03% | |
America First | Mike Eller | 242 | 33.02% | |
Independent | Ted Windish | 47 | 6.41% | |
Total votes | 729 | 100% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Michael L. Krupp | 7,781 | 40.64% | |
Independent | Robert Jordan | 6,627 | 34.62% | |
America First | Martin Scott McClellan | 4,736 | 24.74% | |
Total votes | 19,144 | 100% |
Article Six of the United States Constitution establishes the laws and treaties of the United States made in accordance with it as the supreme law of the land, forbids a religious test as a requirement for holding a governmental position, and holds the United States under the Constitution responsible for debts incurred by the United States under the Articles of Confederation.
The Libertarian Party (LP) is a political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, laissez-faire capitalism and shrinking the size and scope of government. The party was conceived at meetings in the home of David F. Nolan in Westminster, Colorado in 1971 and was officially formed on December 11, 1971 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The founding of the party was prompted in part due to concerns about the Nixon administration, the Vietnam War, conscription and the end of the gold standard.
The Constitution Party, previously known as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party, is a national political party in the United States. The idea that the principles and intents of the U.S. Constitution remain relevant in human relations was the origin of the 1991 founding. Founding members included 2016 presidential candidate Darrell Castle and former acting Office of Economic Opportunity Director Howard Phillips. The party platform is based on originalist interpretations of the Constitution and shaped by principles it finds set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution and the Bible.
Michael J. Badnarik is an American software engineer, political figure, and former radio talk show host. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2004 elections, and placed fourth in the race, behind independent candidate Ralph Nader and the two major party candidates, George W. Bush and John Kerry. Two years later Badnarik ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the 2006 congressional elections for Texas's 10th congressional district seat near Austin. In a three candidate field, Badnarik came in third, receiving 7,603 votes for 4.3% of the vote.
The Personal Choice Party (PCP) was a United States political party whose presidential candidate for 2004 qualified for the ballot in the state of Utah.
James Gordon "Bo" Gritz is a former United States Army Special Forces officer who served for 22 years, including in the Vietnam War. His activities in retirement, notably attempted POW rescues in conjunction with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, have been controversial.
Elections in the United States are held for government officials at the federal, state, and local levels. At the federal level, the nation's head of state, the President, is elected indirectly by the people of each state, through an Electoral College. Today, these electors almost always vote with the popular vote of their state. All members of the federal legislature, the Congress, are directly elected by the people of each state. There are many elected offices at state level, each state having at least an elective Governor and legislature. There are also elected offices at the local level, in counties, cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages. According to a study by political scientist Jennifer Lawless, there were 519,682 elected officials in the United States as of 2012.
The Populist Party of Maryland (PPMD) is a populist political party active in Maryland since 2003.
The Oregon Republican Party is the state affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Wilsonville. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in February 1857 as the "Free State Republican Party of Oregon" and held its first state convention after Oregon's admission to the union on April 1, 1859.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian/conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by David H. Koch and Charles Koch. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one of the most influential American conservative organizations.
Darrell Lane Castle is an American politician and attorney from Memphis, Tennessee. He was the Constitution Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2008 presidential election and for President in the 2016 presidential election. As the presidential nominee, Castle received 202,348 votes, and placed sixth nationwide.
The Libertarian Party of Louisiana(LPL) is the Louisiana affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The state chairman is Rufus Holt Craig, Jr. It is the third largest party in Louisiana and one of five officially recognized parties in the state. The LPL has two legislative accomplishments to its credit, one a friendlier ballot access law passed in 2004, and the other, a defeat of a bill which would have redefined any party under 40,000 registered voters as a "minor" party and not deserving of federal primary elections. The party is currently organizing individual parishes with their own party committees and is fielding candidates in state and local elections.
America's Party, founded as America's Independent Party, is a conservative American political party formed in August 2008 in an offshoot of the Constitution Party by supporters of Alan Keyes, with the goal of an alternative to the Republican and Democratic party system. It selected party leader Tom Hoefling in the 2012 presidential election, and Hoefling sought the party nomination again in the 2016 Presidential election.
The Boston Tea Party (BTP) was a United States political party named after the event known as the Boston Tea Party of 1773.
The Populist Party was a political party in the United States between 1984 and 1996. It was conservative and often white nationalist in its ideology. The party was unrelated to the original American Populist Party or other American parties that have used the same name. Willis Carto helped found the Populist Party, which eventually served as an electoral vehicle for Ku Klux Klan member David Duke.
Gary Johnson was the governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 and ran for president in 2012 and 2016. In December 2011 he announced he would pursue the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party for the 2012 general election. The Libertarian National Convention in May, 2012 chose Johnson as the party's candidate. In November 2014, Johnson announced he would pursue the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party for the 2016 general election. Johnson has taken positions on many political issues as revealed through his public comments, his gubernatorial record, his Our America Initiative and his campaigns to win the Republican and Libertarian nominations.
The Justice Party USA is a political party in the United States. It was organized in November 2011 by a group of political activists including former mayor of Salt Lake City Rocky Anderson as an alternative to what he saw as a duopoly of the two major political parties. One of the major goals of the Justice Party is removing corporate influence and other concentrated wealth from politics.
The Virgil Goode presidential campaign of 2012 began when former U.S. Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia announced his decision to seek the 2012 presidential nomination of the Constitution Party in February 2012. During the nomination campaign, he put forth a four-point plank that included his plans to restrict immigration, balance the federal budget, decrease the size of government, and institute congressional term limits.
Deez Nuts was a satirical candidate, portrayed by Brady C. Olson, who ran in the 2016 United States presidential election. His form to run for office was filed with the Federal Election Commission in late July 2015. In polls conducted by Public Policy Polling in Iowa, Minnesota and North Carolina in mid-August 2015, he polled at 8, 8 and 9 percent respectively, garnering the attention of the media. On October 11, 2015, Deez Nuts announced on his Facebook page his intention to run for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, citing his eligibility despite not being a member of the House itself and the scarcity of candidates. A poll performed in mid-August 2016 showed Deez Nuts slightly edging out Harambe and Jill Stein in Texas, with 3% of the vote.
The 2016 presidential campaign of Darrell Castle, lawyer and 2008 Vice Presidential nominee of the Constitution Party began on the eve of the Constitution Party National Convention in April 2016. On April 16, the Constitution Party nominated Castle on the first ballot after he won 184 votes out of the 339.5 cast to win the nomination with 54.19%. His running mate, Scott Bradley, was nominated by voice vote. In his acceptance speech, Castle stated that he wanted to speak the American public,
in defense of liberty and against tyranny. I speak for the republic and against the fascism that seems to be enveloping us. The general government was created by the sovereign states for a specific purpose; that purpose was to protect our God-given rights. Anything that runs afoul of that purpose is therefore illegal and unconstitutional. And since virtually everything this government does runs afoul of that purpose, virtually everything it does is illegal and unconstitutional.
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