Another long show. Starting out I never thought I would be making shows this long. But that is how things are turning out. I will try to get this shows out weekly after all time is running out before the election.
You can email the show at MrKunzaSpeaks@gmail.com
You can email the show at MrKunzaSpeaks@gmail.com
- America's Party Platform
- The Equal Protection for Posterity Resolution
- America's Party Website
- Presidential Candidate Website
- America's Party Pledge
- When does life begin? Rational Wiki
- Alan Keyes Personal Site
(A Rough)
Show Transcript
Hello, and welcome to Mr. Kunza Speaks. For this show I will be taking a look at America's Party. I have broken up the show into four parts. Part One and Two covers the History of America's Party. Part three takes a look at the party's Leadership and Presidential candidates. Part four covers the party's Positions & Policies.
Before I begin I like to state the goals of this show. Mr. Kunza Speaks makes an effort to be objective and use only reliable information when discussing anything on this show. I try to make it clear when I am making an assumption on a matter.
I am strong supporter of critical thinking and apply it to my show. Do not take any criticisms as malice. I do not make this show to be judgmental of others. It is a goal of this show to point out falsehoods and misrepresented information.
Always bears in mind that I am only human. I can and will make mistakes. Simply put, be skeptical of anything I say. Really, be skeptical of any information show.
Before I begin I like to state the goals of this show. Mr. Kunza Speaks makes an effort to be objective and use only reliable information when discussing anything on this show. I try to make it clear when I am making an assumption on a matter.
I am strong supporter of critical thinking and apply it to my show. Do not take any criticisms as malice. I do not make this show to be judgmental of others. It is a goal of this show to point out falsehoods and misrepresented information.
Always bears in mind that I am only human. I can and will make mistakes. Simply put, be skeptical of anything I say. Really, be skeptical of any information show.
Alright with that said lets start the show.
Part 1: America's Party History.
America's Party history is inanimately interconnected with Alan Keyes. It is because of Mr. Keyes that America's Party exists. Thus lets take a look at what lead Mr. Keyes supporters to create America's Party.
But first a little background on Mr. Keyes. Born Alan Lee Keyes on August 7, 1950. Mr. Keyes is an American conservative political activist and author. He has a PhD in government affairs from Harvard University. So I should be calling him Dr. Keyes but I will stick with Mr. for this show.
Mr. Keyes biggest claim to fame is that he was a diplomat for Ronald Reagan to the UN along with other posts. Since then he has become noted as a perennial candidate for public office. Perhaps the notable campaign was in 2004 he ran against Barack Obama for his Illinois Senate seat.
In his own words Mr. Keyes says the following of himself:
"For a long while I have been involved in government, politics and citizen activism. I am Christian, Catholic, Pro-life and pro-liberty. I am sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the republican form of government it establishes. I believe the top priority of our political life is to restore respect for the existence and authority of the Creator, God and to rebuild the moral conscience and character of the American people on the basis of that respect; For God, Liberty and the Constitution."
It is safe to call Mr. Keyes a very conservative religious man.
On June 5, 2007 an organization calling itself "We Need Alan Keyes for President" launched with the goal of getting support for Mr. Keyes as a presidential candidate. The organization was outside the control of Alan Keyes. However, the group was "spearheaded by several individuals at RenewAmerica, a grassroots organization affiliated with Keyes."
The group managed to get Mr. Keyes threw his hat into the ring for the 2008 Republican nomination. Making it his third try for President. The first try being 1996 and again in 2000. The 2008 Keyes campaign opened to little fanfare. He ran on a platform of family values (A term I strongly dislike), ending the income tax, establishing state-sanctioned prayer in public schools, and abolishing abortion in just about every case.
Mr. Keyes the campaign never built up much steam. The best he did in the primaries was in North Carolina. Where he got 2.7% giving him fourth place and earning him two delegates for the Republican National Convention.
Mr. Keyes appears to have never been considered a viable candidate by the press or even those within the Republican Party. Stephen Stone, the CEO of Alan Keyes for President Committee said the follow about the 2008 campaign: "You can't mount a very effective national campaign when the media won't even acknowledge your running."
The lack of support did not seem to stop Mr. Keyes from carrying on his campaign. Mr. Keyes left the Republican party in April 15 2008. Singling out the nation's present "border issue" as a reason he left the Republican Party, calling it a "threat to the sovereignty to the American people."
Mr. Keys picked up his old worn out Republican hat and threw it into the ring for the Constitution Party. A party that is on my list of third parties to cover. Mr. Keyes was seen as the choice to beat since he had a national profile and his departure from the republican party had been public enough to draw some press for him. Moreover, Mr. Keyes at the time say this of the Party "We have so much in common that I find it hard to believe we won't be able to work out a common basis for working together."
But once more Mr. Keyes was to be upset. This time by a Pastor and former Vice Presidential Chuck Baldwin. In what was described by Steve Kraske of the Kansas City Star as the most contentious battle in the party's history. While it may have been the most contentious national convention for the Constitution Party it was by no means dramatic. After all Mr. Baldwin wound up winning the party's nomination easily on a 384-126 vote on April 27, 2008.
There was no love lost between the Constitution Party and Mr. Keyes. In a speech by the Party's Chairman Howard Phillips he called Mr. Keyes a "the Neocon candidate" who "lingered in the Republican Party until a week ago." In turn Mr. Keyes refused to endorse Mr. Baldwin.
Once again Mr. Keyes was a man on the move. Cast out or walking away from the Constitution Party. Mr. Keyes keep his hopes for the Presidency alive. Mr. Keyes supporters started their own party America's Independent Party (AIP). Mr. Keyes claimed to have no role in the creation of this party. However it Assured that this time Mr. Keyes would win the nomination. On August 21, 2008 Mr. Keyes won the nomination for the future America's Party.
So lets recap for a minute or two. On April 15 Mr. Keyes unhappy with the Republican party left for the Constitution Party. Then on April 27 he left the Constitution Party. Finally Mr. Keyes found his place with the New formed AIP in August 21, 2008. Giving Mr. Keyes only 75 days before the election and 116 days since he left the Constitution Party.
Tom Kovach the former Chairman of the America's Party Tennessee chapter said the following about the lead up to the election. "After being struck by a shocking political betrayal in April of 2008, a small group of conservatives from across America got together with the goal of "changing the way that America does politics"... In August of 2008, only four months after that small group of people got together (mostly by telephone and e-mail; many of us have still never met in person), we put our presidential ticket on the ballots of 33 states.
On election day Mr. Keyes ended up with a total of 47,694 placing him 7th in the popular vote. 40,673 of the votes being in California where Mr. Keyes supporters within the American Independent Party (The old George Wallace Party) and the California affiliate of the Constitution Party to split in favor of Mr. Keyes over Mr. Baldwin. An event which still holds a lot venom between the America's and the Constitution party's.
What can be said about Mr. Keyes campaign is that it was quite a feat all things considered. Mr. Keyes got more votes than the Reform Party, Socialist Workers Party, and the Socialist Party along with other candidates. For a national Presidential Campaign that had very little time is something to note. Moreover in Mr. Keyes case it has to be taken into account the turnover in staff and how difficult funding the campaign must have been. After all Mr. Keyes changed party affiliation three times. How many in his staff stood with him form beginning to end and how much funds the campaign had are questions that only Mr. Keyes could answer.
Part 2: Notable events.
What happens next very hazy. It is not clear when the 'America's Independent Party' changed it's name to America's Party. Or why. I do not like making claims without information but none is to be found. I can hazard a guess as to why the name change happened.
Their exists the American Independent Party. As I stated before this is the old party that George Wallace of segregation forever fame ran under. Likely America's Independent Party and American Independent Party are simply to close and could confuse some. So a name change was needed to avoid any issues. Also, Mr. Keyes running for presidency caused a split within the party. So it could also be a small consideration to avoid more issues with the party.
There is not much else to talk about as far as the History of the Party goes. As I said before there is a lot of venom between the Constitution Party of California affiliate and America's party. In fact Don J. Grundmann, D.C. Chairman Constitution Party of California went after America's party and party chairman and Presidential candidate Tom Hoefling. An individual I will cover later on in the podcast.
Mr. Grundmann (I suppose that it I should call him Dr. Grundmaan since he is Doctor of Chiropractic and Herbalist after all it does take some work to become a doctor in pseudosciences). At any rate Mr. Grundmann has website (thecorruptionofalankeyes.blogspot.com) that showcases his thoughts on America's Party and Mr. Keyes. Moreover, It gives a very good history of the events and circumstances around the split up of the American Independent Party. Granted it is very one sided account and clearly Mr. Grundmann has a chip on his shoulder and it is very conspiratorial mainly how Mr. Keyes is a deep cover liberal. But it is understandable as to why it is that way.
Mr. Grundmann also made comments on America's Party and Mr. Hoefling in the comment section of a Ballot Access News and on an independentpoliticalreport.com article.
It appears that Mr. Grundmann has taken it upon himself to along others to point out the conspiracy that Mr. Hoefling is part of. It is quite a good read a link can be found on the Podcast Blog and on the Podbean page.
When commenter said this of Mr. Hoefling "Ask yourself, would you vote for a man who has qualified for food stamps his whole life?" a comment which earned the following reply "If you are going to make allegations, proof helps. You may or may not be accurate about Hoefling and food stamps, but how would I know?"
I will share some of the exchange between two commenter's claiming to be Mr. Grundmann and Mr. Hoefling:
The supposed Mr. Grundmann comments "Hoefling is a mole within the conservative movement. From personal experience I can warn anyone dealing with him to watch out for, and expect, a knife in the back. He is a front for an extensive mole operation within the conservative movement of our nation. This treacherous and treasonous operation is extremely well funded and is connected to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and the moderate Republican Establishment. Their objective is to drain the energies of the conservative movement and to betray it whenever possible so that the maximum damage can be inflicted."
In turn the supposed Mr. Hoefling stated the follwoing: "Mr. Don Grundmann’s comments above are a wild flight of imaginative falsehood and, if they do not meet the criteria for libel, nothing does. And latter on comments "Don, get help. That’s all I can say to you."
Things get quite heated from there. Mr Grundmann responded with the following: "Is that all that you can say Tom? How about apologizing for your corruption and your role in the attack upon the CP (Constitutional Party). And now you pretend to be a conservative??? What a farce! You are the perfect example of a total fake." Then goes on to detail Mr. Hoeflings crimes. Mr. Grudamann goes on the state "As a, by choice,sub-human without a conscience you are known as a sociopath... The now result of that is you will continue to betray as many people as you can to give you ” happiness ” during your miserable existence. The then result to follow is that you will have your own personalized room in hell where you can ” enjoy ” and relish your backstabbing betrayals for all eternity. It will be a richly deserved finale to the existence of a moral and literal coward.... Enjoy your stay in hell."
Mr. Hoefling replied with the following: "Don, I pray that somehow God opens a way at some point for you to reconnect with reality. See ya."
Which earned the following comment from Mr. Grundmann: "Tom Hoefling – Always the coward."
The affair carries on for more comments between Mr. Grundmann and others. It is quite an exchange between commenter's.
Part 3: Leadership & Candidates
Okay getting back to the affairs of America's Party. Lets carry on the next part of this podcast and take a look at the current leadership of America's Party.
It is not clear if Mr. Keyes is still involved with the Party. This is an assumption on my part but I do believe that Mr. Keyes is not active with the Party. I base this assumption of the fact that his often updated personal website (LoyalToLiberty.com) has a link to the old America's Independent Party site and not the new America's Party site. Granted the old site has been retitled by America's Party but the link title is still bears the old name on Mr. Keyes site.
From that I would say it is safe to say that Mr. Keyes has very little to do with the party now. I found no comments by him on the matter. I tried to reach Mr. Keyes on this issue but Mr. Keyes never replied to any of my messages. I even went so far as to tweet him on the issue. So I will again state this is all assumption on my part and it could all be wrong.
There is only one name that I could dig up that has a current leadership role with the party and that's Tom Hoefling.
Mr. Hoefling is the Chairman of America's Party. Also, he is the party's 2012 Presidential candidate. So I should be able to kill two birds with one stone and cover the leadership and candidate in this podcast.
I failed to find any other individuals affiliated with the party, at lest on a national level. The party does have 'Leadership Round Table' for each state some have a chairperson, others do not.
Even the party's vice president candidate J.D. Ellis (Tennessee) Vice Presidential Nominee is a ghost. All I could find on Mr. Ellis is that he is the Tennessee state chairman for America's Party. Furthermore, Mr. Ellis is minister of a Church of Christ, and an anti-abortion activist.
That is it for Mr. Ellis. I attempted to contact the campaign. I simply asked if they had a biography of Mr. Ellis or even just some basic background on the individual. However, as if the time of this podcast they have not contacted back this show. So for now this is best I can on Mr. Ellis.
Okay, I just covered the vice president candidate for America's Party.
Getting back to the party leadership America's Party has a Chaplain for the Party. Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD.
But first a little background on Mr. Keyes. Born Alan Lee Keyes on August 7, 1950. Mr. Keyes is an American conservative political activist and author. He has a PhD in government affairs from Harvard University. So I should be calling him Dr. Keyes but I will stick with Mr. for this show.
Mr. Keyes biggest claim to fame is that he was a diplomat for Ronald Reagan to the UN along with other posts. Since then he has become noted as a perennial candidate for public office. Perhaps the notable campaign was in 2004 he ran against Barack Obama for his Illinois Senate seat.
In his own words Mr. Keyes says the following of himself:
"For a long while I have been involved in government, politics and citizen activism. I am Christian, Catholic, Pro-life and pro-liberty. I am sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the republican form of government it establishes. I believe the top priority of our political life is to restore respect for the existence and authority of the Creator, God and to rebuild the moral conscience and character of the American people on the basis of that respect; For God, Liberty and the Constitution."
It is safe to call Mr. Keyes a very conservative religious man.
On June 5, 2007 an organization calling itself "We Need Alan Keyes for President" launched with the goal of getting support for Mr. Keyes as a presidential candidate. The organization was outside the control of Alan Keyes. However, the group was "spearheaded by several individuals at RenewAmerica, a grassroots organization affiliated with Keyes."
The group managed to get Mr. Keyes threw his hat into the ring for the 2008 Republican nomination. Making it his third try for President. The first try being 1996 and again in 2000. The 2008 Keyes campaign opened to little fanfare. He ran on a platform of family values (A term I strongly dislike), ending the income tax, establishing state-sanctioned prayer in public schools, and abolishing abortion in just about every case.
Mr. Keyes the campaign never built up much steam. The best he did in the primaries was in North Carolina. Where he got 2.7% giving him fourth place and earning him two delegates for the Republican National Convention.
Mr. Keyes appears to have never been considered a viable candidate by the press or even those within the Republican Party. Stephen Stone, the CEO of Alan Keyes for President Committee said the follow about the 2008 campaign: "You can't mount a very effective national campaign when the media won't even acknowledge your running."
The lack of support did not seem to stop Mr. Keyes from carrying on his campaign. Mr. Keyes left the Republican party in April 15 2008. Singling out the nation's present "border issue" as a reason he left the Republican Party, calling it a "threat to the sovereignty to the American people."
Mr. Keys picked up his old worn out Republican hat and threw it into the ring for the Constitution Party. A party that is on my list of third parties to cover. Mr. Keyes was seen as the choice to beat since he had a national profile and his departure from the republican party had been public enough to draw some press for him. Moreover, Mr. Keyes at the time say this of the Party "We have so much in common that I find it hard to believe we won't be able to work out a common basis for working together."
But once more Mr. Keyes was to be upset. This time by a Pastor and former Vice Presidential Chuck Baldwin. In what was described by Steve Kraske of the Kansas City Star as the most contentious battle in the party's history. While it may have been the most contentious national convention for the Constitution Party it was by no means dramatic. After all Mr. Baldwin wound up winning the party's nomination easily on a 384-126 vote on April 27, 2008.
There was no love lost between the Constitution Party and Mr. Keyes. In a speech by the Party's Chairman Howard Phillips he called Mr. Keyes a "the Neocon candidate" who "lingered in the Republican Party until a week ago." In turn Mr. Keyes refused to endorse Mr. Baldwin.
Once again Mr. Keyes was a man on the move. Cast out or walking away from the Constitution Party. Mr. Keyes keep his hopes for the Presidency alive. Mr. Keyes supporters started their own party America's Independent Party (AIP). Mr. Keyes claimed to have no role in the creation of this party. However it Assured that this time Mr. Keyes would win the nomination. On August 21, 2008 Mr. Keyes won the nomination for the future America's Party.
So lets recap for a minute or two. On April 15 Mr. Keyes unhappy with the Republican party left for the Constitution Party. Then on April 27 he left the Constitution Party. Finally Mr. Keyes found his place with the New formed AIP in August 21, 2008. Giving Mr. Keyes only 75 days before the election and 116 days since he left the Constitution Party.
Tom Kovach the former Chairman of the America's Party Tennessee chapter said the following about the lead up to the election. "After being struck by a shocking political betrayal in April of 2008, a small group of conservatives from across America got together with the goal of "changing the way that America does politics"... In August of 2008, only four months after that small group of people got together (mostly by telephone and e-mail; many of us have still never met in person), we put our presidential ticket on the ballots of 33 states.
On election day Mr. Keyes ended up with a total of 47,694 placing him 7th in the popular vote. 40,673 of the votes being in California where Mr. Keyes supporters within the American Independent Party (The old George Wallace Party) and the California affiliate of the Constitution Party to split in favor of Mr. Keyes over Mr. Baldwin. An event which still holds a lot venom between the America's and the Constitution party's.
What can be said about Mr. Keyes campaign is that it was quite a feat all things considered. Mr. Keyes got more votes than the Reform Party, Socialist Workers Party, and the Socialist Party along with other candidates. For a national Presidential Campaign that had very little time is something to note. Moreover in Mr. Keyes case it has to be taken into account the turnover in staff and how difficult funding the campaign must have been. After all Mr. Keyes changed party affiliation three times. How many in his staff stood with him form beginning to end and how much funds the campaign had are questions that only Mr. Keyes could answer.
Part 2: Notable events.
What happens next very hazy. It is not clear when the 'America's Independent Party' changed it's name to America's Party. Or why. I do not like making claims without information but none is to be found. I can hazard a guess as to why the name change happened.
Their exists the American Independent Party. As I stated before this is the old party that George Wallace of segregation forever fame ran under. Likely America's Independent Party and American Independent Party are simply to close and could confuse some. So a name change was needed to avoid any issues. Also, Mr. Keyes running for presidency caused a split within the party. So it could also be a small consideration to avoid more issues with the party.
There is not much else to talk about as far as the History of the Party goes. As I said before there is a lot of venom between the Constitution Party of California affiliate and America's party. In fact Don J. Grundmann, D.C. Chairman Constitution Party of California went after America's party and party chairman and Presidential candidate Tom Hoefling. An individual I will cover later on in the podcast.
Mr. Grundmann (I suppose that it I should call him Dr. Grundmaan since he is Doctor of Chiropractic and Herbalist after all it does take some work to become a doctor in pseudosciences). At any rate Mr. Grundmann has website (thecorruptionofalankeyes.blogspot.com) that showcases his thoughts on America's Party and Mr. Keyes. Moreover, It gives a very good history of the events and circumstances around the split up of the American Independent Party. Granted it is very one sided account and clearly Mr. Grundmann has a chip on his shoulder and it is very conspiratorial mainly how Mr. Keyes is a deep cover liberal. But it is understandable as to why it is that way.
Mr. Grundmann also made comments on America's Party and Mr. Hoefling in the comment section of a Ballot Access News and on an independentpoliticalreport.com article.
It appears that Mr. Grundmann has taken it upon himself to along others to point out the conspiracy that Mr. Hoefling is part of. It is quite a good read a link can be found on the Podcast Blog and on the Podbean page.
When commenter said this of Mr. Hoefling "Ask yourself, would you vote for a man who has qualified for food stamps his whole life?" a comment which earned the following reply "If you are going to make allegations, proof helps. You may or may not be accurate about Hoefling and food stamps, but how would I know?"
I will share some of the exchange between two commenter's claiming to be Mr. Grundmann and Mr. Hoefling:
The supposed Mr. Grundmann comments "Hoefling is a mole within the conservative movement. From personal experience I can warn anyone dealing with him to watch out for, and expect, a knife in the back. He is a front for an extensive mole operation within the conservative movement of our nation. This treacherous and treasonous operation is extremely well funded and is connected to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and the moderate Republican Establishment. Their objective is to drain the energies of the conservative movement and to betray it whenever possible so that the maximum damage can be inflicted."
In turn the supposed Mr. Hoefling stated the follwoing: "Mr. Don Grundmann’s comments above are a wild flight of imaginative falsehood and, if they do not meet the criteria for libel, nothing does. And latter on comments "Don, get help. That’s all I can say to you."
Things get quite heated from there. Mr Grundmann responded with the following: "Is that all that you can say Tom? How about apologizing for your corruption and your role in the attack upon the CP (Constitutional Party). And now you pretend to be a conservative??? What a farce! You are the perfect example of a total fake." Then goes on to detail Mr. Hoeflings crimes. Mr. Grudamann goes on the state "As a, by choice,sub-human without a conscience you are known as a sociopath... The now result of that is you will continue to betray as many people as you can to give you ” happiness ” during your miserable existence. The then result to follow is that you will have your own personalized room in hell where you can ” enjoy ” and relish your backstabbing betrayals for all eternity. It will be a richly deserved finale to the existence of a moral and literal coward.... Enjoy your stay in hell."
Mr. Hoefling replied with the following: "Don, I pray that somehow God opens a way at some point for you to reconnect with reality. See ya."
Which earned the following comment from Mr. Grundmann: "Tom Hoefling – Always the coward."
The affair carries on for more comments between Mr. Grundmann and others. It is quite an exchange between commenter's.
Part 3: Leadership & Candidates
Okay getting back to the affairs of America's Party. Lets carry on the next part of this podcast and take a look at the current leadership of America's Party.
It is not clear if Mr. Keyes is still involved with the Party. This is an assumption on my part but I do believe that Mr. Keyes is not active with the Party. I base this assumption of the fact that his often updated personal website (LoyalToLiberty.com) has a link to the old America's Independent Party site and not the new America's Party site. Granted the old site has been retitled by America's Party but the link title is still bears the old name on Mr. Keyes site.
From that I would say it is safe to say that Mr. Keyes has very little to do with the party now. I found no comments by him on the matter. I tried to reach Mr. Keyes on this issue but Mr. Keyes never replied to any of my messages. I even went so far as to tweet him on the issue. So I will again state this is all assumption on my part and it could all be wrong.
There is only one name that I could dig up that has a current leadership role with the party and that's Tom Hoefling.
Mr. Hoefling is the Chairman of America's Party. Also, he is the party's 2012 Presidential candidate. So I should be able to kill two birds with one stone and cover the leadership and candidate in this podcast.
I failed to find any other individuals affiliated with the party, at lest on a national level. The party does have 'Leadership Round Table' for each state some have a chairperson, others do not.
Even the party's vice president candidate J.D. Ellis (Tennessee) Vice Presidential Nominee is a ghost. All I could find on Mr. Ellis is that he is the Tennessee state chairman for America's Party. Furthermore, Mr. Ellis is minister of a Church of Christ, and an anti-abortion activist.
That is it for Mr. Ellis. I attempted to contact the campaign. I simply asked if they had a biography of Mr. Ellis or even just some basic background on the individual. However, as if the time of this podcast they have not contacted back this show. So for now this is best I can on Mr. Ellis.
Okay, I just covered the vice president candidate for America's Party.
Getting back to the party leadership America's Party has a Chaplain for the Party. Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD.
The Chaplain was "charged with disobeying an order and kicked out of the Navy for attending a political rally in front of the White House in March 2006 dressed in his Navy uniform, a violation of military regulations." Since that time the Chaplain has been involved with various controversies. Including "praying for the death" of Barry W. Lynn the head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
He also runs the Pray in Jesus Name Project. A group that makes up petitions for and against various things. Petitions include: "Tell Congress: Defend Traditional Marriage -" to "Petition to President Obama to stop endorsing Islam -"
However, it is not clear what the Chaplain's role is for America's Party.
So getting back to what I know. All I have to work with is
Mr. Hoefling.
Mr. Hoefling is 51 years old. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska on December 20, 1960.
He is married and a Christian of what detonation is a open question. However, he stressing the importance of his faith the following quote is just one example "My work is dedicated to my God; to all the patriots who came before us in self-sacrifice for liberty; to all of those who now faithfully serve our country; and to the posterity that will enjoy the blessed fruit of all their labors."
Mr. Hoefling was the campaign director for Mr. Keyes 2008 bid for the Constitutional Party nomination and the political director for Mr. Keyes' group America's Revival.
Other than that I cannot find to much on Mr. Hoefling. Well, other than the biography on his campaign website. Which says the following on Mr. Hoefling "he is a long-time conservative political activist, organizer, and consultant. Over the course of twenty years he has at various times worked on campaigns at all levels of American politics, in most parts of the country."
Mr. Hoefling also hosts a live call in steaming radio show called "America's Summit" that airs every Tuesday and Thursday.
Mr. Hoefling won the party's nomination on a on-line nominating convention on February 18, 2012. Also what is very unique about Mr. Hoefling's campaign is that the "campaign does not accept financial contributions"
Mr. Hoefling (Source)
And that is more or less what I could find on Mr. Hoefling. You can read his full biography on tomhoefling.com.
One more thing to note on Mr. Hoefling is the following from ProlifeProfiles.com. Mr. Hoefling is "committed to the absolute obligation to protect every innocent human life. He is a Tier 1 a perosn that advocates for personhood protection right now pro-lifer."
Well we just covered the Leadership of America's Party as well its History and even it's Candidates. Leaving only the Positions of the Party to go over.
Part 4 Positions & Policies
Before we begin it should be noted that the Presidential candidate completely supports all of America's Party Positions and holds them to be his own. Also, all of the information for this part of the show comes directly off of the party's website.
What is unique about America's Party is that the Party does not ask for donations. They explain their position as follows:
"America's Party does NOT accept financial contributions. We intend to change America's political culture, by example.
For too long now, we've had government by the media and by the money, instead of government of the people, by the people, for the people. This cannot continue, if we are to remain a free, self-governing people.
That's why America's Party will not seek financial contributions. Our work at the national level is being done on a strictly volunteer basis. Instead, we're asking you to directly support fully-vetted, proven, principled candidates, so that 100% of your precious resources will go directly to the most important work."
That's why America's Party will not seek financial contributions. Our work at the national level is being done on a strictly volunteer basis. Instead, we're asking you to directly support fully-vetted, proven, principled candidates, so that 100% of your precious resources will go directly to the most important work."
America's Party stance on donations is very unique. For minor party this position may prove to be rather wise. After all no one would very expect America's Party to match the fund-raising power of a major party. Furthermore, it allows the party to seem as if they are taking a higher mortal road in politics.
Yet, It does beg the question of how pays for what. Their has to be bills that party pages the do have a website after all. So far, it appears that Mr. Hoefling takes care of their website.
America's Party is a conservative party. The party takes a typical right wing stance on mainstream topic.
Basically the main focus of the party appears to be
abortion. In order to become a member to the party you must Pledge that you believe in God, that you only support different sex marriage, and are completely against abortion.
As stated before the party is very much so against abortion. The have the following platform called:
"The Equal Protection for Posterity Resolution A Resolution affirming vital existing constitutional protections for the unalienable right to life of every innocent person, from the first moment of creation until natural death."
The party is against all forms of abortion and possibly euthanasia. Anti-Abortion is one their core principles taking up almost of half of their Party Platform. A link to the resolution can be found on the notes. Basically the party states that is the will of God and the Constitution to "protect Life". Furthermore, they state that "Modern science has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that the individual human person's physical existence begins at the moment of biological inception or creation"
To say the lest this is a delicate issue that should be throughly examined. This cannot do the topic justice in this short time. However, as I stated before this show will point out falsehoods and misrepresented information. It more than fair to say that America's party has misrepresented
information on this subject. The Party ignores that Current scientific thinking "main viewpoint (on when life begins), and the one that possibly best reflects the reality of the situation, is that there is no one point where life begins. Instead, the beginning of life is a continuous process. It may have a start where there is "no life" and an end where there "is life", but there isn't a clearly defined boundary."
The rational wiki has a good entry on the subject a link can be found on the Podcats notes.
America's Party also supports the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Stating the following: "The right of self-preservation and self-protection is inherent in all persons, communities and societies, which is why we fiercely defend the indispensable provisions of our Second Amendment. Liberty cannot be protected if the people have been stripped of the physical means of doing so."
This a common conservative stance on gun rights. It is not clear on which arms people have the rights to. Nor does it express their thoughts on background check and so on. It is a bit fuzzy as to how far their support for gun rights go. It is fair to say that one does not expect to much detail on this positions.
The party supports "Private Property Rights" saying that "Private property, the ownership of the means of production by the people, is a cornerstone of American liberty. Without it our free enterprise system, our free markets, and our republican form of self-government cannot endure. Without it, we cannot prosper. That is why we will defend against any trespass against this most basic, cherished, and necessary of our God-given, unalienable rights. That is why we will only pursue policies that will strengthen the economic position of the individual, the family, and the local community."
From that it is clear that
America's Party is pro-capitalism. Their stance is very common for conservatives. It does not express their thoughts on free trade or unions and so on. Or what strengthen the economic position of the individual, the family, and the local community means policy wise.
America's party is for "Restoring limited government". Meaning that they believe that "All existing functions of the Executive branch that are outside of those Enumerated Powers must be eliminated." and they state the following "All spending and regulation by the Legislative branch that lies outside the Enumerated Powers must cease. Judges who attempt to legislate from the bench, or who abandon the clear principles of our Constitution, must be checked if liberty and justice are to prevail in our society once again."
Nothing really new here for anyone that knows anything about current right wing thought. The notion of
legislate from the bench is a common theme among the right. One day their I may even been a show on the topic. However, what I will say now is that
legislate from the bench or Judicial activism is open to debate.
The simple truth is that what one may see as judicial activism may be legitimate judicial review or a more modern interpretation of the law that reflects changes is knowledge and society.
Moreover, it is not clear what America's Party intents to do in order to stop so called
legislate from the bench.
Carrying on. America's Party believes in the old "Peace through Strength" adage that Ronald Reagan used. In fact the party appears to think very highly of Mr. Reagan. His name, quotes, and picture are to be found rather often on the party's website.
The party states that "We believe in a supremely strong, prepared, and well-equipped civilian-controlled United States military, and a bold, visionary and intelligent program of principled constructive engagement with the rest of the world. For us, "peace through strength" is not a mere slogan. It is the means of survival for our country in a very dangerous and often hostile world. Our friendship should be a sought-after possession of all men and women of good will everywhere in the world. Our enmity should be something that all rightfully fear."
Once more nothing all that different here than the Republican Party. Pro- Military is a common theme in American right wing politics. What this means policy wise is once again difficult. While one should not necessary expect detail on this positions. It is hard to tell if the party is an interventionist party or not. Or even what their thoughts are on America's various
current
foreign engagements.
America's Party is for tighter boarders stating the following "We demand the immediate securing and continuous vigilant maintenance of our sovereign territory and borders. We oppose any private or governmental action that rewards illegal entry into the United States in any way, and demand speedy and full enforcement of our laws concerning all such activities."
It is not clear if the party is anti-immigration or simply for tighter border control and spending. Furthermore this is another issue that should have a show in and of itself.
Carrying on America's Party is for "Repeal of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments" saying the following the matter "We consider the federal income tax to be destructive of our liberty, privacy, and prosperity. Therefore, we are working to bring about its complete elimination and the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We recommend that the current system be replaced by an equitable, simple, noninvasive, visible, efficient tax, one that does not destroy or even infringe upon our economic privacy and liberty."
We also call for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment. Its enactment greatly reduced the power of our state legislatures and state governments – which are much closer to the people – and damaged our system of federalism."
We also call for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment. Its enactment greatly reduced the power of our state legislatures and state governments – which are much closer to the people – and damaged our system of federalism."
The party is for ending the income tax. Something that Ron Paul argues. It is a common theme in Libertarian tax thought. The notion being that the income tax is an unfair tax. Often whenever this position is argued. The arguing party usually supports a flat tax or some alternative. It is still open as to what tax system America's Party supports.
As for the repealing of the
Seventeenth Amendment. This stance is something unique. The 17th amendment allows for the "Direct Election of Senators". The notion has become a theme among the Tea party movement. The idea is that the state picks the senator thus the state is somehow better represented in Washington. It is a uncommon position and one that is hard to understand. The notion is that the people of a state are not as able to pick their own senators as the state is for them. America's Party does say that this system would be 'much closer to the people' however it begs the question are not the people of a state close enough to themselves?
The final platform of the party is Marriage and the natural family. They state the following "We seek the passage of a Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and oppose all attempts everywhere to redefine marriage as being anything but what it has always been: the union of one man and one woman. Since the natural family is the basic God-given institution of our civilization, and the nursery of our future, it must be protected from all who would destroy it."
Common enough among thoughts for anyone familiar with Conservative thought. This issue is another warrants a show. However, to say that if a civilization allows for same sex marriage our future is at stake can safely be called fear mongering. There exists no evidence for that statement. However, it does how the language of the issue has evolved with the times.
Well that concludes this Show on America's Party. Hopeful you found it informative. If this Party interests you in any way be sure to check out the notes for this show as you can various party related links.
Thanks for listening.
