Politics?
Hazel and I were sitting on our front porch today and I was just musing over some thoughts about politics, mainly because I had just got done reading some of the vitriol over on the Duluth Citizens' Blog. I started thinking about political parties and it occured to me to wonder how many political parties were there, besides the main two... thanks to Mondopolitico and DC's Political Report, I had my answer...
there's 212 federally registered separate and distinct parties!! No wonder we have political muddle! Some of these parties have several sub-parties with different names. Just think what they could do if they united. Some are very specific to the area where they're located, but they're still a federal political party. It gets really confusing! One of the most interesting things was that a lot of the more radical right-and-left wing groups started after the 2000 Presidential elections. (Many of them are now nearly memberless...)
I went to every stinkin' one of them and read their platforms. If Jeopardy had a category entitled "Obscure Minor Political Parties," I think I'd have a shot at winning it. Here's the list along with some of my comments. Hope you enjoy it. If there's no link, they don't have a website or a article on Wikipedia.
- ACE Party
- Airenson Socialist Party - *sigh* Exclamation points?!?
- Alaskan Independence Party
- All-African People's Revolutionary Party
- America First Party
- America Founding Fathers Party (of Colorado)
- American Beer Drinker's Party - found in.dog's new party!
- American Energy Party of Nevada - pdf file, be warned...
- American Fascist Party - I think it's very interesting that AOL is the host site of the American Fascist Party....
- American Heritage Party of Washington
- American Independent Party of California - Affiliated with the Constitution Party
- American Independent Party of Massachusetts
- American Nationalist Union
- American Nazi Party
- American Pagan Party of Massachusetts
- American Reform Party - A splinter group of the Reform Party
- American Synthesis Party - this is what Stephen Hawking on drugs as the chair of a political party would do... don't read unless you want a headache.
- Autonomy Party - this one's out of Minnesota. One of its tenets is "We believe that all radical political organizations should be given access to free photocopying, laminating and other duplicating procedures (according to VERY limited parameters, of course). Radical political organizations are often strapped for cash, and could benefit immensely from free photocopying." Hmm....
- Balance Party
- Being Human Party of Utah
- Birthday Party - started by two conservative high schoolers. Yup.
- British Reformed Sectarian Party of Florida - yeah, you gotta love a party whose only platform is to "outlaw the boom-boom-boom bass laden music which reverberates through businesses, restaurants, schools and residences all throughout Florida."
- California Secessionist Parties - there's actually 5 of them. All of them want California to leave the US and become an independent country.
- Cascadian National Party
- Centralist Party of Georgia
- Centrist Party
- Christian Falangist Party of America - not quite Nazis, not quite Fascists, it's the Falangists!
- Citizen Party of Florida
- Common Good Party
- Common Sense Party - spent 20 minutes on here. Still couldn't figure out what their platform was. Also known as The Revolution Party.
- Commonwealth Party
- Communist Party USA
- Committee for a Unified Independent Party
- Concerned Citizens Party -
- Concern for People Party
- Confederate Party - come on, give up already! You lost!
- Conservative Parties
- Conservative and Populist Party
- Constitution Party
- Constitution Action Party
- Constitutionalist Party
- Cool American Party - yeah, they think they're cool...
- Cool Moose Party of Rhode Island
- Corrective Action Party
- Covenant Party of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Creator's Right Party - yeah, pretty much what you think it's going to be...
- Democratic Party (DNC)
- DFL Party
- Democratic Nonpartisan League
- Democratic Patriotism Party - I think this party is having a personality conflict...
- Democratic Socialists of America
- DC Statehood Green Party
- Diamond Party Voters League - I fully expected to hear the DeBeers music on this website...
- Emigration Party of Nevada -
- Expansionist Party - did you know that the United States is too small?
- Faith & Patience Inc. NPGG
- Falconist Party
- Family Values Party - yeah, this one was priceless. Check out the photoshopped photo. Not sure what he was trying to do there, add a yarmaluke?
- Feline Party
- First United & Independent Party of God of Florida
- Freedom Party
- Freedom Socialist Party
- Freedom Restoration Party of New York - affiliated with the Independent American Party
- Freedom Socialist Party of Washington
- Fusion Party - guess they couldn't fusion their way to a completed website
- Gibublican Party - I really wanted to know what the hell this was!
- Global Justice Party - I think they have the coolest website...
- Green Party
- Green Party USA
- Green Independent Party of Maine
- Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts - Affiliated with the Green Party
- Guilty Party - uh....
- Gun Owners' Rights Party of Colorado - takes you to a pdf file. What I found most interesting was that the chair of this party is also the chair of the ProLife Party in Colorado...
- Guns and Dope Party of California - Equal rights for ostriches! Yes! I found my political home!
- Hawaii Independence Party of Hawaii
- Hawaii Kingdom Party of Hawaii
- Heart Political Party - I was hoping the 80s band started a political party. Alas.
- Humane Liberation Party of Sacramento, California
- Idealistic Party of People - yeah, I'd be on extended hiatus, too, reading David Frum's book.
- Independent American Party
- Independence Parties - there's a bunch of these in different states. I linked to the Minnesota website. Most visible member: Jesse Ventura
- Independent Party of Florida
- Independent American Parties
- Independent Citizens' Movement Party of the Virgin Islands
- Independent Democrats of Florida
- Independent National Committee
- Industrial Workers of the World Party
- Integrity Party of New York - they're having a barn burning! Woo! That's way better than those tired old DFL caucauses!
- Internet Party - I don't know what's more sad: the fact that their original website domain name was not responding or the fact that the only reason they're called the Internet Party is because they got started on the Internet.
- Jefferson Party
- Jeffersonian Party - they actually have six people elected to the House of Representatives. Very Interesting....
- Knights Party - Yeah, it's the KKK. Please don't visit their website.
- Labor Party
- League for the Revolutionary Party
- Left Party - " We live in the epoch of the senility of the capitalist system."
- Legal Party
- Legal Marijuana Party of New Jersey
- Liberal Party - more liberal than the Democrats, more powerful than a locomotive, it's the Liberal Party!
- Liberal Progress Party
- Libertarian Party
- Libertarian National Socialist Green Party - I don't even know where to start to tell you about this one...
- Liberty Union Party of Vermont
- Light Party
- Local Party
- Marijuana Party - their slogan pretty much says it all: "A movement to pretty much legalize pot …"
- Marijuana Legalization Parties
- Marijuana Reform Party of New York
- Moderate Party
- Monster Raving Looney Party of the United States - wins the best name award... next to the National Barking Spider Resurgence Party....
- Mountain Party of West Virginia
- Multicapitalist Party
- National Alliance - more Aryan power! Whee!
- National Barking Spider Resurgence Party - the only thing I learned from this website is what a barking spider is.
- National Christian Party
- National Socialist Movement
- National Socialist White People's Party
- National Union Party - they were the Republicans before the Republicans
- Native American Party - Go Chief Jack!
- Natural Law Party
- Nebraska Party - Affiliated with Constitution Party
- Neo Whig Party - ROFL...
- Netocratic Party
- New Party
- New American Independent Party
- New Black Panther Party
- New England National Party of Massachusetts
- New Federalist Party- they want to censor the internet... hmm...
- New Progressive Party of Wisconsin
- New Union Party
- New Unionist Party of Minnesota - Go Jeff Miller, Go!
- New World Party of Wisconsin
- National Nihilist Party - No purpose, no meaning in existance - let's join the political rat race!
- No Political Affiliation Party of Florida - oh, come on now. Are you kidding me?!?
- Pacific Green Party of Oregon - Affiliated with the Green Party
- Pacifist Party
- Pansexual Peace Party - I was hoping this party was cool... I was disappointed.
- Clean Sweep Party of Pennsylvania
- Partido Acción Civil - Civil Action Party of Puerto Rico
- Partido Frente Socialista - Socialist Front Party of Puerto Rico
- Partido Independentista Puertoriqueño - Puerto Rican Independence Party
- Partido Nacional de la Raza Unida - United People Party
- Partido Nuevo Progresista - New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
- Partido Popular Democrático - Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
- The Party Party - they've got a song and they're supported by Gallagher. Yeah.
- Peace Party
- Peace & Freedom Party
- People's Party - blah blah blah serve its citizens blah blah current government bad blah blah blah....
- Personal Choice Party of Utah - they'd better watch out. Wal-Mart may come after them fairly soon...
- Personal Rights Party
- Planetary Engineering Party
- Populist Party
- Pot Party
- Progressive Parties
- Progressive Alternative Party
- Progressive Labor Party
- Progressive Pro-Action Party
- Prohibition Party - yup, still around... still hate booze... but with added hatreds now!
- Pro Life Party of Colorado - remember our Gun Owners' Party guy? Yup.
- Providential Party - the only member is Sterling D. Allan.
- Pushy Party- ????
- Radical Party
- Reform Party
- Reformed Conservative Party of North America
- Republican Party (RNC)
- Republican Moderate Party of Alaska
- Revolutionary Communist Party
- Right to Life Party of New York
- Romantic Transcendentalist Party of the United States - I think I want to join... oh wait...
- Royalist Party of America - okay. Aside from the MIDI file of the "Masterpiece Theater" theme... rejoin Great Britain? Under the rule of Elizabeth II? Do they realise that the British monarchy is nothing but a figurehead?
- Save Jobs Party of New York - blank slate... all that needs to be said..
- School Choice Party of New York
- Scorched Earth Party - I am *so* joining this party!
- Social Democratic Party
- Social Nationalist Party
- Socialist Party USA
- Socialist Action
- Socialist Equality Party
- Socialist Labor Party
- Socialist Workers Party
- Solipsist Party
- Southern Independence Party - when are they going to realise they lost?!?
- Spirit of America Party- Only click if you have a) a fast computer and b) a tolerance for rantings and ravings by weirdos. Actually, this page reads like the Duluth Citizens' Blog. Hmm...
- Star Party - the fact that their slogan reads like a "Chicken Soup For the Soul" mantra says it all..
- Statesmanship Party
- Students Rights Party
- SuperHappy Women's Party of Nevada - you do really want to read this constitution. Trust me. It's great.
- Surfers Party
- Taxpayers Parties - Affiliated with the Constitution Party
- Thermodynamics Law Party - why do I feel like watching "Solyent Green" when I'm at this website?
- Third Party
- Third Party of North Carolina
- Timesizing.com Party of Massachusetts
- Truth and Action Party - Oh Dear God.
- United Party of Idaho
- Unification Party
- United Citizens Party of South Carolina
- United Fascist Union - Jack Grimes. Wasn't he the CIA agent in the last few Bond movies?
- Unity Party
- USAbility Party - At least I know I won't waste more of my time going here...
- Veterans Party
- We The People Party
- Whig Party
- White People's Party of Nevada - part of their platform? To place white people on the Endangered Species list...
- White Working Mans Party of Minnesota I don't know what saddens me more, the fact that this is based in Minnesota or that they have a dating service.
- Workers Party
- Workers Socialist Party - scroll down below the ads, it's there...
- Workers World Party
- Working Families Party
- World Political Party - World United States Politics... sounds like Dubya created this party!
- World Socialist Party
- Party X - "You are X."
- Party Y - website suspended.. hmmm... Google says that Party Y stands for electing 10 candidates 30 or younger to the US HofR... perhaps they were doing it doing school hours.
Comments
I very much enjoyed that list. I knew I was in for a good time when the second one down (Airenson Socialist Party) spelled it "Stario types".
Posted by: Sandraker | July 1, 2006 12:33 AM
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I couldn't even believe some of the things I read or saw. It was just mind-boggling.
Did you have a favorite?
Posted by: tamara | July 1, 2006 07:21 AM
It's nice to know that we still have the Surprise Party... .
Posted by: adam | July 1, 2006 05:54 PM
that tears it...i'm forming my OWN political party.
I'm thinking the Antisocialist Party sounds good. It'll be the political wing of the Black Sock Society...
Posted by: in.dog.neato | July 2, 2006 10:02 AM
Excellent listing!
One note: #82 needs a minor revision -- it says Independent Party of Florida (code: INT), but links to our Independence Party of Florida (code: IDP) website, instead. We get mistaken for them a lot because they don't have a website or platform readily accessible.
Your point about the rise in party formation following the 2000 elections is right on the ball. I can tell you our (state-level) party's membership dramatically increased after both the 2000 and 2004 elections, and has actually doubled between 2004 and 2006.
One of the reasons for the slow growth of "third party" options is that people don't think the smaller parties can ever win -- and yet the 2000 and 2004 elections showed that the difference between winning and losing a state can come down to fewer people than make up one of these minor parties, and winning or losing one state can make a difference between winning or losing a national election. Furthermore, people forget that the local- and state-level government offices often go unopposed due to voter apathy, so a little motivation can go a longer way if applied at the grassroots level.
The next biggest reason is that most minor parties are formed by those with agendas that veer sharply toward one extreme or another, which alienates a majority of people. Centrist parties are hard to develop because people are so conditioned to think in polarized terms (black/white, conservative/liberal, pro-whatever/anti-whatever) that they have a hard time understanding a party that doesn't fit into that mold.
Posted by: Shauna Ayers | April 16, 2007 11:44 PM
Thanks for the list. I found one that I like. One that seems moderate and pragmatic. It is the NEW AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY. Thanks so much.
http://www.newamericanindependent.com
Posted by: Dan | September 16, 2007 06:38 AM