A few words to CP dissidents

I had interesting conversation with John Lofton on the phone today. Lofton is former Washington Times reporter and a, to use his words, "recovering Republican." He has website called The American View and a radio show as well with former Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka. The website is the nerve center of the CP dissidents who are displeased that the party's national committee would expel the Nevada IAP affiliate because its chairman Christopher Hansen has differed with the national party with the no exceptions on abortion plank in the party platform.

Judging from this conversation and others I've had with other CP dissidents, I can sense alienation and disgust with the process of politics altogether. If that process calls for them not to expel the Nevada state party for Hansen's views on abortion, then they would rather not have any part of it. In fact I told one CP members who deciding on whether to continue with the CP that he best leave politics altogether if all he wished for the CP was to be a sect that didn't really care if it won or loss elections. Ultimately, like it or not, winning and losing, having influence and making a difference is what politics is all about.

But even then they are not quite ready leave the arena altogether. Abortion alone compels them to stay. But what can they do if they wish not to violate their sincere beliefs by engaging in the pragmatism of politics?

There were two main points to my book Beating the Powers that Be that I wanted to make to non-major parties. 1). That they had to get away from ideology alone and focus on culture, demographics and economics to build their parties into effective organizations. 2). One need not engage in elections alone in order to have an effective political movement. In this regards, the CP dissidents who are pondering their next move, should forget about forming a brand new party and instead devote themselves to educating or "preaching" their views on the Christian foundations of the United States and the U.S. Constitution to Christians across the country whether through churches or Bible study groups. I think they will find a receptive audience. There's a lot murmuring going in such venues that they want more out of their political activity than to be just ward-heelers for the GOP and getting little to show for it. They're fearful that they will be perceived as controlling and supporting an unpopular president and an unpopular war. Me thinks they're looking for a new purpose and a new meaning in politics which is a need that's waiting to be met.

Peroutka's Institute on the Constitution could meet that need and serve themselves far better than forming a new a political party. After all, you can run in as many elections as you like and yet you'll be wasting your time unless the culture is favorable to your policies and positions on issues. Culture is what drives politics and religion (or lack thereof) drives culture and the dissident CP members feel (and I concur) that modern Christianity is doing a great disservice to the current political climate. Promoting their beliefs on the Constitution and law to a larger Christian audience and influencing that audience could do the CP and other true conservatives more benefit in the long than fighting destructive intra- party battles. If they're looking for a new path to follow, hopefully God will show them the way.

---Sean Scallon