On the Conservative Movement...

One of the more interesting political lessons I have learned in life came in the form of a term paper for a Political Science class.  The paper began as a comparison of political party platforms over the past 100 years.  It turned into a study of something very different from my original intent.  It morphed into a study in how the Republican Party has suppressed the Conservative movement in America for well over 100 years.

My first discovery was that of a little known third party called the Prohibition Party.  Sure, you’ve heard of Prohibition…and the repeal of Prohibition, but what most Americans are completely unaware of is that there was actually a long-standing political party called the Prohibition Party that went far beyond just the alcohol issue.  During its modest rise, it was the voice of what Liberals today would call “the Righteous Wing”.

The Prohibition Party was the first party to call for the abolition of slavery in its party platform.  The Prohibition Party was the first party to call for women’s suffrage.  They were on what we today would call the right side of any number of social issues.  Unfortunately, the Prohibition Party was also the first party to call for an income tax.  To their credit, they soon recognized the error of their ways and became the first party to call for a repeal of the income tax.

The Prohibition Party was, essentially, the conservative right wing movement of the mid 1800’s to early 1900’s, though it still exists marginally to this day.  They were and are distinctly Christian in tone and, much like the current Constitution Party, every Prohibition Party platform has begun with an acknowledgement of God and His blessings.

What I discovered about their political platforms…and those of the Republicans…was that virtually every single significant plank of every single platform of the Prohibition Party showed up four years later as planks in the platform of the Republican Party.  It was a fascinating "coincidence".

Understand that this was the very era during which the Republican Party was infamous as being the party of big business (which holds true to this day despite the best efforts of Conservatives).  But…in order to bring more voters under its tent, the Republicans essentially absorbed the social conservative movement, undermining their independent efforts by commandeering their positions on social issues…and all other issues just for good measure.  “After all”, as the Republican reasoning went, “it isn’t like it matters what we put in our platforms.  Platforms are just words and promises that we have no intention of keeping anyway!”  As with the Democrats of today, their philosophy was, "SAY ANYthing to gain power, then you can DO anything you wish."

There is a tendency among well-meaning folks to believe that we should always work together to bring about “change from within”.  We have seen this attitude reflected in the modern conservative movement over the past 30 years as they have worked to change the Republican Party from within during the Reagan era and beyond.  At times they’ve even been "allowed" some impact.

What these neo-conservative folks need to realize, however, is that…it’s not going to happen!  This has been the Republican political tactic for well over 100 years and they have gotten exceedingly good at “appealing” to the moral majority…at “appearing” socially or even fiscally conservative…only to go to Washington and end up “supposedly compromising” and voting with moderates or even liberals.

The very point of this article is to point out that the Republican Party is still today (and will be tomorrow) the party of Big Business.  It is in their interest, just as it is in the interest of the Socialists (I mean, the Democrats), to kill all competition in the form of small business opportunity.  It is a necessary and pragmatic evil to them that they must tolerate those “naïve conservatives” in order to gain power.

As we have watched the collective merger of corporate America, it is almost as though the anti-trust laws don’t even exist anymore.  Both parties clearly favor (in practice) drowning any would be entrepreneurs in red tape and regulations, though out of differing motives of which I will write elsewhere.  (And...don't even get me started on the social issue side.)

I thoroughly enjoyed (and was completely disgusted by) the story out of Georgia about three young girls who had their lemonade stand shut down by police because they failed to secure the necessary business license, peddler’s permit, and food permit…along with paying the accompanying fees of $50 per day.  Can anyone seriously say with a straight face that our nation has a free market economy anymore?  Is this REALLY the kind of nation we want for our children?

It is time for a FOuRTH Party!  Not just “yet another third party”… Not just another party of protest… Not just another party centered around some rich, charismatic personality…  Certainly not just another party of some “lesser evil”…  And, frankly, not some religiously or ideologically narrow single-issue party appealing only to some fractional segment of our free society.  All such attempts represent errors of third parties past!  It's time for the FOuRTH Party!

It is time for a true political alternative that stands for what’s right and true for ALL Americans...a government that acts only upon what we can more or less all agree upon.  It is time for a political alternative that uses social media and new more-open ways of conducting party business so that every person literally does have a voice in the process.  We have the technology to change the face of politics in America, and it is time for people to connect with people and circumvent entirely the back-room dealing, old guard, dysfunctional parties of days gone by.

Welcome to the FOuRTH Party!  YOU ARE at the heart of the foURth party!