Why I Joined The Constitution Party

[Volitzer]

Why I Joined The Constitution Party
Chuck Baldwin

by Chuck Baldwin
Constitution Party 2004 Vice-Presidential Nominee

Let me give you some background information about myself. I was raised in a strong Christian family. All the men in my family were tradesmen and were, therefore, members of various trade unions. As such, they were all proud, hard-working Democrats. So was I - until the early 1980s.

I switched my party affiliation to the Republican Party when it became obvious to me that the Democratic Party had left its conservative principles and had been taken over by a variety of left-wing special interest groups. I was a registered Republican until this year (2004).

However, my support for the Republican Party had nothing to do with making David Rockefeller wealthier, and though I favor less taxation and less federal spending, my primary reasons for making the switch had less to do with economic considerations and more to do with moral and constitutional ones.

More than twenty years of active support for Republican candidates and causes, however, leads me to the conclusion that, in the end, there is little difference between the two major parties at the national level. Such a statement may sound trite and redundant to party loyalists, but for me it is a studied conviction.

It seems to me that, in the end, both parties are marching to the same drummer with only a slightly different cadence. The major difference seems to be that of control not course. Indeed, both parties seem headed in the same direction. Consider the following:

*Clinton enjoyed coziness with Communist China's ruling elite which influenced his public policies. Bush enjoys coziness with the same Chinese elite, but he also enjoys coziness with several Middle Eastern, Muslim elite which is influencing his public policies.

*Democrats support an open-border policy on immigration. Bush and his fellow Republicans do, also. Bush even goes further by intending to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

*Both Democrats and Republicans want the president to have fast track trade authority. Leaders from both parties support NAFTA, GATT, the WTO, NATO, the World Bank, the IMF, MFN for Communist China, etc. President Bush is currently pushing the New World Order envelope even further by promoting the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

*Both Democrats and Republicans consistently vote to increase the welfare state. Both parties continuously authorize more power to an ever-burgeoning federal bureaucracy at the expense of personal liberty and constitutional government. In this area, President Bush has eclipsed the Democrats by successfully pushing an unconstitutional Patriot Act through Congress and by increasing federal spending to levels not seen since Lyndon Johnson.

*Clinton brought foreign troops to our military bases for the purposes of cross training and intelligence sharing. Bush has continued this policy.

*Clinton and his fellow Democrats supported embryonic stem cell research, but it was President Bush who gave such research official, legal status.

*Bush's "faith based" socialism increases federal involvement and authority over religious activity in a way that Clinton or Gore could never have dreamed.

*Both the Democratic and Republican parties support more federal land grabs of private property. Neither Party has any intention of outlawing abortion-on-demand. Both parties are committed to granting legitimacy to homosexuality. Neither Party wants to return authority for education back to the states and local communities.

*Loyalists from both sides will overlook practically any deficiency of character, any breach of trust, or any violation of principle when committed by a standard bearer of their own Party. Therefore, in the end, what is the difference?

Beyond that, if President Bush is reelected in November, it is almost certain that he would re-institute the military draft and would even become the first President in U.S. history to draft America's daughters. In addition, Mr. Bush would, in all likelihood, appoint pro-abortion justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and would continue his unconstitutional, imperialistic propensities to unilaterally invade foreign countries without a declaration of war from Congress.

For these, and many other reasons, I could no longer in good conscience stay in the Republican Party. Therefore, earlier this year, I joined the Constitution Party. It is the only Party at the national level that stands for the fundamental principles upon which our nation was built. It is the only Party that truly shares my pro-life, pro-liberty, and pro-constitution convictions.

At some point, regardless of consequences, every person of honor and integrity must decide to draw a line in the sand and put principle and right ahead of pragmatism and appeasement. For me, that time is now!

Chuck Baldwin is the founder and Pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, Commentator

© Chuck Baldwin