A guide to American political parties

[KennyR]

On my wandering around the internet, I found this (http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm) interesting article on all the various US political parties. Despite being a two party system in practice, the USA does have a respectible number and range of parties for every conceivable ideology, easily the most diverse I've ever seen.

I mention this as very interesting because it contains two parties that we've been arguing about for quite some time, socialists and Nazis.

Consider the American Nazi Party for instance:

"This miniscule party -- while purportedly denouncing violence and illegal acts -- blends left-wing economic socialism, right-wing social fascism and strong totalitarian sentiments."

...which is almost word for word what I've been trying to tell people in the Hitler birthday thread. :-)

And real socialists:

"The SPUSA are true democratic socialists -- advocating left-wing electoral change versus militant revolutionary change. Many of the SP members could easily be membersof the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party. Unlike most of the other political parties on this page with "Socialist" in their names, the SP has always been staunchly anti-communist."

Which again I've been trying to tell people for maybe two years now, that socialists aren't necessarily communists or dictators, and are often totally opposed to communism. If I was a US voter, I'd vote for them (even though they haven't got a snowball's chance in Barbados of being elected).

Well, apart from gloating (grin), this thread does have one other real purpose - I'm curious about all you others too. Be honest now, if we all lived in the USA and it wasn't a two party system, and if all these parties could be trusted to govern the country, which one would you choose based on their policies?

[iamaboringperson]

A guide to American political partiesI knew this would be a kennyr thread!

"This miniscule party -- while purportedly denouncing violence and illegal acts -- blends left-wing economic socialism, right-wing social fascism and strong totalitarian sentiments."


...which is almost word for word what I've been trying to tell people in the Hitler birthday thread.


So you're just going along with the propaganda again.

Well, apart from gloating (grin), this thread does have one other real purpose - I'm curious about all you others too. Be honest now, if we all lived in the USA and it wasn't a two party system, and if all these parties could be trusted to govern the country, which one would you choose based on their policies? (What?? Can't we make our own party?)
Um ... does Republican count? :-D

[T_Bone]

Well, hell voting anything other than Republican wouldn't do any good.

If I had the only vote that mattered, i'd vote Libertarian for a change, the current Republican party hast lost sight of it's goal of a smaller Federal footprint.

[KennyR]

@iamaboringperson

Propaganda? It's not a politically-biased site, it's informational. Just admit you were wrong - about Nazis and socialists. And I was right. Again.

And you'd only choose Republican? With so many liberals and pseudo-lefties in it? Why not Libertarian or one of the other rightist parties?

[Bobsonsirjonny]

Beyond the pro-life, pro-gun ..


Am still reading through the list - but just came across that statement. It made me laugh.. The notion that someone is pro life, yet believe it to be their right to carry a device which is designed primarily for killing...


It gets better


Beyond the pro-life, pro-gun and anti-tax views that you'd expect to find, the American Party also advocates an end to farm price supports/subsidies, privatization of the US Postal Service, opposes federal involvement in education, supports abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency, supports repeal of NAFTA, opposes minimum wage laws, opposes land use zoning regulations and opposes convening a Constitutional convention. Of course, the AP also opposes the United Nations, the New World Order, communism, socialism and the Trilateral Commission.


Quite mixed up in their beliefs. They seem quite a bad mix of allowing Free markets to run amock at the detrement of others, while being both very authoritarian and libertarian at the same time.. They are very libertarian when it comes to allowing Buissness to do what the hell it likes, but no so much with the freedoms it would afford you as a person. Also - how can you be a Christian and not have any sense of social justice? Christ was all about social justice. These people have it wrong.

[Bobsonsirjonny]

Hahaha - The FVP try and use Christianity as an excuse not to pay taxes. Pure Junk, there are several accounts in which Jesus says or implies that paying taxes is neccessary.

I dont understand getting rid of taxes - sure I think ours in the UK are to high, and have issues with the value for money that we get. But to remove all taxes is absurd.. still, they wont be able to fund their army I suppose...

[Bobsonsirjonny]

So many one issue parties too. Number of parties set up just to legalise pot..

According to the polictical compass people, when I emailed them, they said that from my score, and what I have said I'm pretty much a social democrat. But after reading that long list I dont see how I can affiliate myself to any of them. Sure there are some things I agree with, but then they throw some kind of extreme I strongly disagree with into the mix..

[MAD]

Hoya!

I had a look... Boy those "We are on mission from God" parties are SO fun. Potentially dangerous too.
After all, every religious fanatic has the same view...

I have previously heard about the Nazi Green Party and this site gave me more info.
Lol. They are Nazis but have nothing against blacks, Jews gays and so on... In other words, they are Nazi hippies! ;-D

I did NOT know there was (were actually) MANY commie parties on Uncle Sam's soil!!! :-o
Boy life migh have been hard for them ;-)

More or less on the same topic, I have seen on tv yesternight that Jean-Marie le Pen has been booed by a crowd in Wales. Muihahahahaha! Serves him right! In good ol' Europe we KNOW the meaning of Fascism, don't we?

Be funky

M A D

[AccyD]

KennyR wrote:
Propaganda? It's not a politically-biased site, it's informational. Just admit you were wrong - about Nazis and socialists. And I was right. Again.

Ever the modest one Kenny.

[Glaucus]

AccyD wrote:

KennyR wrote:
Propaganda? It's not a politically-biased site, it's informational. Just admit you were wrong - about Nazis and socialists. And I was right. Again.

Ever the modest one Kenny.No, but he's right, and the right-wingers on this board would rather saw off each of their limbs before admit they made a minor, trivial mistake!

- Mike

[KennyR]

Modesty loses its meaning after the 50th time you're forced to tell people basic definitions they should know from High School.

[T_Bone]

Bobsonsirjonny wrote:
Hahaha - The FVP try and use Christianity as an excuse not to pay taxes. Pure Junk, there are several accounts in which Jesus says or implies that paying taxes is neccessary.

I dont understand getting rid of taxes - sure I think ours in the UK are to high, and have issues with the value for money that we get. But to remove all taxes is absurd.. still, they wont be able to fund their army I suppose...

All taxes? hell no, just Federal Income tax.

It's the States that provide most of the services anyway, let the States handle it within their already present tax collection system.

[KennyR]

What's immediately obvious is that many of those parties (like the America First Party) still cater to people with a very "survivalist" attitude. The sort of very right wing 'never try to tell us to do anything' feeling.

Well, that's ok for a frontier, but when you live in a well structured modern civilisation, there has to be at least some give to the take. America's frontiers all moved on at least a century ago. They want to keep their land and their freedoms, but they must pay federal taxes to do this, otherwise there is no impartial law system to look after them, and no federal police or army. But I suppose they want to be their own police and army too!

And the final irony is, that their dogmatic religious taint takes away all the freedoms they think they're giving themselves. Go figure.

[T_Bone]

KennyR wrote:

America's frontiers all moved on at least a century ago. They want to keep their land and their freedoms, but they must pay federal taxes to do this, otherwise there is no impartial law system to look after them, and no federal police or army. But I suppose they want to be their own police and army too!

Federal police are unconstitutional. The constitution expressly prohibits the Federal government from maintaining a police force. (Yes, the FBI is technically unconstitutional)

The goal of eliminating Federal taxes is simply a way of restructuring the government into a more efficient Confederate system, where instead of the Federal government taxing, then distributing to the states, the states would simply tax directly and pay for it's own services.
[/quote]

[iamaboringperson]

instead of the Federal government taxing, then distributing to the states, the states would simply tax directly and pay for it's own services.
Which is exactly as Australia was back in the good old days.

[KennyR]

Just been to the Pansexual Peace Party. I'm not sure if their politics are actually valid (main slogan: sex is great!), but it actually does have a great anti-Libertarian article in it, here (http://members.tripod.com/Hail_Eris/eris/PPPP/liber.htm). Very nice read.

The ideal of laissez-faire is very seductive, especially to ambitious entepreneurs, but it ignores the plain fact that private institutions like corporations can be just as tyrannical as governments. Moreover, our government in the U.S. is, at least in principle, constrained by the constitution and the voters. Corporations in the absence of government regulation would be unbounded authoritarian structures. They are already, in my humble opinion, far more oppressive to our citizens than any government entity. The rank and file of our citizenry are constrained to participate in an economy that is essentially shaped by corporate interests that are consolidating their power in fewer and fewer hands. Without the hand of government to limit private power, we end up with effective slavery: sweat-shops, company towns, no collective bargaining, and a life with few choices for most.

Woo!

[Bobsonsirjonny]

lol - Read it and weep Ima ;-) :-P

[KennyR]

Another nice Libertarian critique (http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html). Especially funny is this (http://world.std.com/~mhuben/onelesson.html) bit. :lol:

Libertarians are as ideologically flawed and practically dangerous as Communists. I wouldn't ever accept them as a "serious" party.

[Bobsonsirjonny]

I believe in social justice - but im also a libertarian.. :-)