America First Party (2002)
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- For the political party created in 1944, see America First Party (1944).
The America First Party is a conservative third party in the United States.
The party was formed in 2002 when a group of Pat Buchanan supporters left the Reform Party. The party supports many paleoconservative causes. For example, they are pro-life, oppose all gun control, and seek to end affirmative action and racial quotas.
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[edit] Party composition
The party is largely made up of isolationists and traditional valued populists. They support stricter illegal immigration laws and would seek to end U.S. involvement with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other foreign trade agreements. The America First party opposed the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, which they described as an act of imperialism by the United States and an unconstitutional war.
The party advocates closing all United States Armed Forces bases outside the U.S., and supports transfering more resources to the United States National Guard personnel to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.
[edit] Issues
[edit] Smaller federal government
The party seeks to eliminate several Cabinet departments within the Executive branch of the U.S. federal government, such as the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Education. The party also seeks to eliminate all federal and state funding for schools, believing central government money has led to more central government control over schools; control, the party believes, should rest in the hands of local governments.
[edit] Church/State issues
The party opposes the Constitutional Supremacy Clause, professing that Biblical laws are to be followed over man-made laws. It seeks to overturn all bans on prayer in public places, including compulsory organized prayer in schools, as well overturn bans on displays of religious icons (such as tablets of the Ten Commandments) on government property and in schools.
[edit] Size and scope of the party
[edit] Ballot access
The America First Party was on the ballot in the following states in December 2004:
[edit] Registered members
The America First Party does not generally publish its membership numbers, but one source reports that in the spring of 2006, the party had 472 registered members in its Florida affiliate. [3]
[edit] Recent candidates and conventions
The America First Party ran 11 candidates for public office in the U.S. general elections of 2002.
In July 2003, the Party postponed its scheduled national convention, which was to take place on 24-26 July in Nashville, Tennessee. James "Bo" Gritz, a retired Colonel in the Green Berets and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, was invited to speak at that convention, but was later removed from the speakers' list because of his alleged connection to white supremacist groups. The party issued a statement shortly after which stated:
"All United States citizens who embrace that Constitution and adopt traditional American values are welcome with open arms into the party. The choice of an individual who supports extreme intolerance was not considered representative of our growing party whose goal is the preservation of the Constitutional Republic envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Anyone who supports theories that we hoped had died with Adolf Hitler is not welcome in the America First Party; and certainly such persons should not, and will not, be invited to speak at our convention."
On 30 March 2004, America First Party candidate Jeffrey W.T. Buck was elected to the Representative Town Meeting Assembly of Framingham, Massachusetts representing the 13th Precinct--thus becoming the party's first elected official.
On October 12, 2004, the America First Party endorsed Constitution Party candidate Michael A. Peroutka for President of the United States.
The only candidate AFP that was running in the 2006 general election is Mr. Martin Scott McClellan for Brevard County School Board - District 1 in Florida.
[edit] Candidates recently elected
- Florida: Martin Scott McClellan: Planning and Advisory Zoning Board
- Massachusetts: Jeffrey W. T. Buck: Framingham Town Meeting Member Precinct 13
- Massachusetts: Richard J. Parsons, Natick Town Meeting Member Precinct 9
[edit] See also
- American conservatism
- Pat Buchanan
- America First Party (1944)
- Constitution Party
- Third parties in the U.S.
- List of political parties in the United States
