[Psudo]

Since I'm doing the research anyway, I thought I'd share. Here's the data I've collected about the three major third party candidates for President this election cycle, listed alphabetically by party name:

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Constitution Party
Presidential Candidate: Rev. Dr. Chuck Baldwin [Official] [Wiki]
- from Pensacola, Florida
- Pastor by trade.
- Masters Degree in theology, two honorary Doctorates in the same
- Converted from Democrat to Republican in 1980, then left the Republicans in 2000 because Bush/Cheney were too liberal.
Veep Candidate: Darrell Castle [Wiki]
- from Memphis, Tennessee
- attorney by trade
Top Priority: "fighting against one-world government is his top priority"
Other issue positions and views:
# -(from Campaign Site)- #
- No foreign or world government or entity may own any US property, in whole or in part.
- "I would disband the Department of Education."
- "To help keep your family safe and your country free, go buy a gun."
- "We will stop this international meddling...this international empire building."
- when elected, "the 'New World Order' comes crashing down!"
- "freedom of choice of practitioner and treatment for all citizens for their health care"
- "We will have a national defense that is second to none"
- anti-globalist, opposes NAFTA and other free trade agreements
- firmly opposes abortion and Roe v. Wade, instead preferring Ron Paul's Sanctity of Life Act
- "When I am President of these United States all funding for the United Nations stops!"
# -(From Wikipedia)- #
- "the invasion and occupation of Iraq was absolutely unnecessary"
- "the Mexican government is deliberately and systematically working to destabilize and undermine the very fabric and framework of American society."
- replacing the IRS with "duties, imposts, tariffs" on imports.
- the USA should return to the Gold Standard
- "the South was right in the War Between the States"
- "America was deliberately and distinctively founded as a haven for Christians"
- opposes the Patriot Act, saying that it "deprives the people of their rights"
- America has evolved to "a matriarchal society" and that it is losing the "inner toughness" of masculinity.
- cited Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson as being America's worst presidents


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Green Party
Presidential Candidate: Cynthia McKinney [Official] [Wiki]
- from Lithonia, Georgia
- former Democrat Congresswoman
- 9/11 Truther
- this incident
Veep Candidate: Rosa Clemente [Wiki]
- from South Bronx, New York
- activist by trade
Top Priority: correcting economic and legal disparities
Other issue positions and views:
# -(from Official Platform)- #
- revoke Electoral Vote system
- support "an economic system that provides opportunity, security, and dignity for all."
- "We want an end to all spying on U.S. citizens."
- "We believe that free and fair elections are not possible in the current climate"
- "any individuals [who] deny U.S. citizens their right to vote [...] should be brought to justice."
- "the rights to education, health care, housing, living wages, and freedom from racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, gentrification, and police terror."
### (What's "gentrification"? It's something about the demographics of a neighborhood changing, but Wikipedia's explanation seems useless.)
- "comprehensive federal investment in low-income families and communities, with an emphasis on people of color."
- repeal the Patriot Act "and other legislation that rolls back bedrock civil liberties."
- "workers must be free to organize unions wherever and whenever they choose."
- "carbon neutrality within the next 20 years"
- "An end to the illegal and immoral war/occupation of Iraq"
- "we need a repeal of NAFTA, CAFTA, the Caribbean FTA, and the U.S.-Peru FTA"
- "amnesty and a path to documentation of those workers who are already in this country"
- "a complete overhaul of our country's labor laws"
- "justice for victims of corporations that have participated in crimes against humanity, torture, human trafficking"
- "equal pay for equal work."
- "We Want Reparations" for slavery and other government failures
- "budget priorities[:] health care, education, wealth development, and ending enduring disparities"
- "We want the Federal Reserve nationalized"
- "full reproductive rights for women" including contraceptives, "morning after" medication, and abortion
- "We need to reject forced, coerced, or uninformed medication and sterilization."
- "Stop the War at Home" - referring to law enforcement corruption and brutality
- "an End to the War on Drugs"
- "End Prisons for Profit"
- "calls are being made that the end of race in American politics has arrived [...] But families of color are hurting the most."
Further note: The Green Party's Ten Key Values

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Libertarian Party
Presidential Candidate: Bob Barr [Official] [Wiki]
- from Georgia
- federal prosecutor by trade
- former Republican Congressman
- appeared in the movie Borat!
Veep Candidate: Wayne Root [Wiki]
- from Las Vegas, Nevada
- sports broadcaster by trade
- longtime stanch Republican
Top Priority: "to drastically reduce spending"
Other issue positions and views:
# -(from Campaign Site)- #
- "Government should stop acting as the welfare agency of first resort"
- "The free market [...] should be the foundation of America’s energy policy."
- law enforcement powers "must be limited to those truly necessary to protect Americans and which are consistent with the Constitution."
- Regarding Iraq: "withdrawal without undue delay"
- "American foreign policy should emphasize [...] defense, not foreign intervention."
- "Our veterans deserve the medical treatment necessary to care for their injuries sustained in the line of duty."
- "consumer-oriented health care" reform
- "the Fed’s almost total control over the money supply" should be reconsidered
- the federal government out of marriage entirely
- no discrimination "based on race, religion, sexuality or any other personal characteristic."
- "transform our immigration bureaucracy and process"
- "Meaningful tax reform begins with reining in government spending."
- opposes restrictions to "the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition to law-abiding citizens."
- calls the eminent domain decision "one of the Supreme Court’s worst decisions in modern times."
- "education will best serve the children of America if it occurs within a competitive private system rather than a government system."
# -(from Wikipedia)- #
- member of the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union
- reversed his previous strong stance against medical marijuana in 2007
- opposed the $700 billion financial bailout bill

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None of them are ideal, but the Libertarian guy seems at least not to be a total wackjob. I may vote for him if I can't force myself to vote for the lesser of two evils again.

This would look better as one of JJ's charts.

[Zipperfish]

Thanks Psudo. The Green Party down there sounds a lot more left than the one up here. And the Constitution Party--wooo-wheee! "The South was right? That's a pretty provocative position!

I'm not sure what the dictionary definition of "gentrification" is, but in the political sense it usually refers to wealthier people moving into poorer districts and pricing them out of an area. The term was common in Vacnouver a few years back when it became fashionable to build higher-end condos in Vancouver's Dowtown East Side (which I think has the highest junkie per square meter count than anywhere else in North America).

I'd definitely vote Libertarian if they could come up with a serious environmental platform (stop companies from privatizing benefits while socializing risks, in Libertarian parlance).

[Psudo]

Yeah, I read about 80% of the Green Party candidate's Campaign Platform, and almost none of it had to do with the actual environment. It's all about leveling the economic disparities. I'll be a little more inclined to believe people when they say environmentalism is Communism in disguise from now on, at least as it pertains to US politics.

And what was with the Constitution Party position about the US being a matriarchal society!? That's insane to even have a campaign platform on.

[Psudo]

Positions over which I disagree with Bob Barr:
- He's eager to withdraw from Iraq. I see 2/3rds of the country under local control as a sign that victory will occur soon enough, allowing us to leave without the short-sighted haste that plagued our entrance.
- I think government should continue to promote marriage in little ways such as marriage contracts and minor tax breaks. He disagrees.
- I prefer his pre-2007 harsh stance against medical marijuana, though I don't think the US President's view on the issue has much influence on the law.
- What is "Consumer-oriented health care reform"? It's too vague to support or oppose.
- Depending on the details of his proposed limitations of law enforcement, I might or might not disagree with him.

Positions over which I disagree with John McCain [Official]:
- McCain wants to "break our nation's strategic dependence on foreign sources of energy" by drilling everywhere (except ANWR) and investing in alternative fuels. It's a decent plan, but I prefer Barr's "leave it to the Free Market" approach.
- McCain's website says nothing about the HUGE issue of massive government spending. He's looking to cut taxes (which is good), but says nothing about cutting spending (which is bad, and far more important).
- His site says "Climate change is the single greatest environmental challenge of our time." I radically disagree.
- "John McCain will implement temporary worker programs" that I see as illegal immigration loopholes.
- John McCain supported the $700 billion bailout that I still find reprehensible.

Further note: McCain's site mentions a national service initiative program dedicated to "Renewing America's Civic Purpose". I hadn't heard of that before, and I totally support it. Actually, my overall opinion of McCain raised a little from reading his website.


So I donno. It's pretty neck-and-neck between the two. Heh, maybe I should call in to some right-wing radio show with my comparison. =]

[Tiler]

"Go ahead! Throw your vote away!"

[Psudo]

"Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos."

[Pseudonym]

Psudo wrote:

Positions over which I disagree with Bob Barr:
- He's eager to withdraw from Iraq. I see 2/3rds of the country under local control as a sign that victory will occur soon enough, allowing us to leave without the short-sighted haste that plagued our entrance.
- I think government should continue to promote marriage in little ways such as marriage contracts and minor tax breaks. He disagrees.
- I prefer his pre-2007 harsh stance against medical marijuana, though I don't think the US President's view on the issue has much influence on the law.
- What is "Consumer-oriented health care reform"? It's too vague to support or oppose.
- Depending on the details of his proposed limitations of law enforcement, I might or might not disagree with him.

Positions over which I disagree with John McCain [Official]:
- McCain wants to "break our nation's strategic dependence on foreign sources of energy" by drilling everywhere (except ANWR) and investing in alternative fuels. It's a decent plan, but I prefer Barr's "leave it to the Free Market" approach.
- McCain's website says nothing about the HUGE issue of massive government spending. He's looking to cut taxes (which is good), but says nothing about cutting spending (which is bad, and far more important).
- His site says "Climate change is the single greatest environmental challenge of our time." I radically disagree.
- "John McCain will implement temporary worker programs" that I see as illegal immigration loopholes.
- John McCain supported the $700 billion bailout that I still find reprehensible.

Further note: McCain's site mentions a national service initiative program dedicated to "Renewing America's Civic Purpose". I hadn't heard of that before, and I totally support it. Actually, my overall opinion of McCain raised a little from reading his website.


So I donno. It's pretty neck-and-neck between the two. Heh, maybe I should call in to some right-wing radio show with my comparison. =]

My problems with the Libertarian Party stick out a bit more than that. Have you ever watched some of the Libertarian films about whether the income tax is illegal and such? They start out sounding fine and dandy, but about halfway through each one I have watched, they turn into some sort of conspiracy film and I have to do a double-take. Their monetary policy, while appealing in its removal of inflation and such, would be unworkable in the modern world economy, where the fiat system is absolutely necessary. I would much prefer if the Libertarian Party would return to the conservative coalition that rallied together in the Reagan Era and actually work within the Republican Party to help pull it back towards reason. By removing themselves from it, they will merely exacerbate the problems of the Republican Party and the neoconservative movement controlling it.

[Psudo]

I'm not advocating the Libertarian Party generally; if they had a reasonable chance of winning, I'd be a little worried about voting for the party regardless of the candidate. But since voting for Obama or McCain both already feel like throwing my vote away, I wouldn't mind tossing a little respect towards the right-wing libertarian ideology that Barr personally seems to support. It's not my ideology, but it might be closer than the other options.

I'd still be a Republican, just a disenfranchised one.

[Pseudonym]

I guess I'm considering the same option, but I can't truly justify taking that option to myself. I would prefer to vote off the main parties in more local elections, where my vote will help direct the feel of the party, while I support it in the larger national sense.

[CanadianJeff]

Holy cow is that Constitution Party party nuts. I mean wow. They sound about as right wing as you can get. I mean the gun stance alone makes me want to smack my head.

I hope he does realize that having a gun in the home during a robbery or confrontation INCREASES your risk of getting shot by the suspect.

http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-kellermann.htm

Not to mention some of his comments about America being for Male Christians in his ideal world. My goodness hasn't the man heard of a wonderful little thing called freedom of religion?

[Psudo]

I'm pretty far right-wing, but he's got me beat. Except on international trade, where he supports protectionism and most right-wingers in America today support free trade. His ridiculous radicalism isn't merely right-wing extremism, but extremism generally.

[bootlegga]

The Constitution Party sounds like it wants to turn the clocks back about 150 or so years...slavery (Abe Lincoln worst President & the South was right), no income taxes but plenty of tariffs/trade duties, re-instating the man as king of the castle, etc.

They don't need a platform, they need a time machine...

[Psudo]

To be fair, I don't think the Constitution Party is advocating slavery so much as advocating state's rights; demonizing Lincoln for denying the states' right to secede from the Union is still ridiculously extreme, but it's an order of magnitude less ridiculous than advocating slavery.