What is the relationship between the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party? Both parties platforms are very similar. I know that they have their differences, but I would like to see the parties work together to bring change to this country. Do the two parties ever meet with each other? If not, shouldn't they?
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The Constitution Party should change it's name, as it can be misleading to people not aquainted with the platform (listed above) which is rather extreme in my view. Further, I would take historical issue with some of the claims made in said platform, particularly the one about all the founders being Christians.
E.g, "This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Hmmm... and here i was thinking some of the founders were merely deists. Yes, many of the original inhabitants of European descent were leaving the ol' country for religious freedom. But some just came to make money. And others just were seeking adventure. Others leaving bad debts and children behind. A million reasons could be supplied other than religion to explain why people came here.
If the founders were so engrossed with christianity - and it was their intent to found the christian nation the Constitution Party says they intended, why not more explicit reference to such in the declaration of independence or in the Constitution itself? References to a 'creator' in these important documents (as opposed to Jesus Christ, or "God" or the 'Lord God', or "our father in heaven" -- when appealing to natural rights seems to be a sign that perhaps the CP got this wrong.
I dont blame the libertarian party from distancing themselves from the Const. Party. Now, if the LP could get more than 3% of a national vote...
"It's not a war on drugs. It is and always has been on a war on personal freedom."
The platform is most likely referring to the 17th-century founding of the colonies, the charters of all which were explicitly Christian. The American nation was in existence before 1776.
"But some just came to make money. And others just were seeking adventure. Others leaving bad debts and children behind. A million reasons could be supplied other than religion to explain why people came here."
True but irrelevant. The colonists were still Christians, even if only in a nominal sense, and their institutions and legal codes were shaped by a Christian common law heritage. This is not at all in dispute historically.
I don't have an axe to grind, since I am not a member of the CP. But accusing them of historical illiteracy is going a bit far, I think.
"So although a lot of the two parties' platforms look similar, there are serious cultural differences that often make it difficult for the two groups to work together." Comment by jnvjewell.
I agree with this statement, but the two parties stand for almost all the same philosophies. I think most Constitutionalist's would agree with Libertarians that abortion should be a states rights issue and Constitutionalists do not believe we are to force Christianity upon others, but believe we must not forget that this nation was founded by men with strong Christian convictions. This is supported by their writings. Ron Paul feels this way and I think he had strong support from libertarians.
I just feel like we need to work together if we are going to make a change to this country.
Your point is accurate as far as operating on the federal level is concerned. It is when you start talking about state and local issues that the arguing will begin in earnest. If abortion policy is returned to the states, for example, the common ground on the U.S. Constitution will no longer help the two parties when it comes to settling that issue at the state level. As both parties are trying to ramp up their state and local organizations, this is becoming more and more of a barrier to their cooperation.
The Preamble to the current Constitution Party Platform
The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States.
This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been and are afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries.
The Constitution of the United States provides that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." The Constitution Party supports the original intent of this language. Therefore, the Constitution Party calls on all those who love liberty and value their inherent rights to join with us in the pursuit of these goals and in the restoration of these founding principles.
The U.S. Constitution established a Republic rooted in Biblical law, administered by representatives who are constitutionally elected by the citizens. In such a Republic all Life, Liberty and Property are protected because law rules.
We affirm the principles of inherent individual rights upon which these United States of America were founded:
That each individual is endowed by his Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness;
That the freedom to own, use, exchange, control, protect, and freely dispose of property is a natural, necessary and inseparable extension of the individual's unalienable rights;
That the legitimate function of government is to secure these rights through the preservation of domestic tranquility, the maintenance of a strong national defense, and the promotion of equal justice for all;
That history makes clear that left unchecked, it is the nature of government to usurp the liberty of its citizens and eventually become a major violator of the people's rights; and
That, therefore, it is essential to bind government with the chains of the Constitution and carefully divide and jealously limit government powers to those assigned by the consent of the governed.
our founding fathers must have gone through the things, thats maybe why they choose the word " Creator" and not Christ Jesus. Because they where political and this in the 1700's
To comment further on the constitutional parties differences with the libertarian party. If you go to the constitutional parties website you will find that their first words in their platform identify themselves as a christian organization (which I totally disagree with when it comes to political parties, and I myself am a christian). Secondly, and this is where I got really angry. they believe non christians are here as guests, and are not truly citizens of the United States.
"Secondly, and this is where I got really angry. they believe non christians are here as guests, and are not truly citizens of the United States."
Is this in the CP platform? I didn't see anything like that when I looked just now. Paste a quote, if you don't mind.
The Constitution Party describes itself as conservative on social and cultural issues much more so than the Libertarian Party. For example, the CP is strongly pro-life, so much so that there was a big to-do when the Nevada affiliate moved to make certain exceptions to that plank. The LP tries to leave the question open in an attempt to appeal to people from both camps. Another example: the CP is more forthrightly pro-religious than the LP.
In the LP you will find lots of counter-culture types such as recreational marijuana users who would never fit in with the CP. When Ron Paul ran for president on the LP ticket in 1988, lots of LP members were very angry because he was too middle-class in his appearance and speech.
So although a lot of the two parties' platforms look similar, there are serious cultural differences that often make it difficult for the two groups to work together.