The faction of the American Independent Party lead by Ed Noonan held a state convention in Sacramento on July 5. According to one person who was there, 19 people attended, including one or two people who did not support the legitimacy of that meeting. The July 5 meeting nominated Alan Keyes for president and Wiley Drake for vice-president. It is not known if Drake attended the meeting or if he will accept the nomination. He is pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, California, and he had also attended a campaign event for Chuck Baldwin, held in southern California, the preceding week.
The faction loyal to the national Constitution Party had held a state convention in Los Angeles on June 28-29, with 35 members of the state central committee in attendance, and a total attendance of 55.
If the Reform Party of California is not getting ready to take advantage of this situation, it may be about to blow its biggest opportunity since it had a chance to take over the empty shell of the Natural Law Party of California in the period 2004 through 2006 (as, independently – not knowing about the others – suggested by Don Lake, Richard Winger, and me).
All the Reform Party of California would have to do is to morph the Party into a Reform Caucus and take over the internal machinery of the American Independent Party in 2010. Organize, run candidates, take over! Easy!
I’ve been listening to Wiley Drake’s radio show today (via http://www.crusaderadio.com ). The first twenty minutes were about America’s Independent Party, including a live interview with Tom Hoefling. Pastor Wiley was pretty enthusiastic. He’s talking about the new party using the term “we” and he flat out stated that he will be voting for Alan Keyes in November.
I was in the Reform Party, I was a delegate at the Solvang Convention and at the Van Nuys Convention. If we fight with each other we all lose.
It is that simple.
Instead of all this backbiting, lets all get together and settle this problem.
The Reform Party was split so bad that it never recovered. Lets try to stop the AIP party from the same fate.
We are all in this together and we must unite even if it takes another Convention called by the majority of all the delegates from both sides.
You want to fight in court and waste money, most of our 58 Counties are dead and the remaining Counties are running on empty.
If we do not come together and support each other, we will emd up as the Reform party did. Shame on these people that name call, start to support the party instead of taking it down.
Jeff Grage
Jeff I unstand where you’re coming from. But it is too late, Ed and his minions have done too much damage and they have no intention of burying the hatchet.
*understand
I am a registered Republican, but I intend to vote for Alan Keyes in the fall election.
Baldwin’s lack of government experience at any level pretty much makes him irrelevant as a potential candidate for president in conversations when speaking to conservative voters who might vote outside the box of lesser of two evils.
Bob Barr at least has government experience although his activities post Congress and his embracing the Libertarian Party platform give cause to question his conservatism.
That brings us to Alan Keyes if we are still talking about saving the Constitution and Declaration of Independence as the Organic Law our nation is founded upon.
I campaigned for Ron Paul when he ran as a Libertarian candidate for president. It is a very hard sell to convince conservatives to embrace the Libertarian Platform and its position on drugs, sex, etc.
Alan Keyes is our best shot right now at saving what remains of our Organic Law when the conservative base pretty much stayed home during the primaries not finding a candidate they could vote for in good conscience.
I don’t agree with every single thing any of the candidates stand for. I do agree with core values that some of the candidates stand for.
I can also work through petty issues as our founding fathers did who few seemed to agree with each other a majority of the time including James Madison who was against including an enumeration of individual rights in the Constitution since the peoples individual rights were already covered in the Declaration of Independence. Madison eventually championed the Bill of Rights to get the Constitution ratified.
…
The Constitution Party needs to be nationwide and on the ballot in every state. This constant splintering and bickering equals no change. Alan Keys may be a great man; however, if he doesn’t get the nomination then his supporters act like children and ruin the ability for Republicans like myself to join a Constitution Party in California. We don’t want to be associated with a splinter American independent Party led by Mormons. We want to join the Constitution Party. CP all the way every day in every state means growth and political clout. It’s that simple.