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Editorial by Jack McLain
Former Southern States Area Chairman for the Constitution Party
It seems that never have so many folks come to us by phone and e-mail with the question, "What can I do?" They are extremely burdened. They are discouraged. They are
disgusted with the political situation. They are fed up with the two major parties. They are fearful of those who are the prospective candidates for president in November.
Most of them seem to feel that the Constitution Party has the answer to their dilemma but that we are too small to be effective. Some feel that they have answers to make us gr
ow -- answers that we somehow missed in our 15 years as a party. Some have caught the vision that they must somehow get involved in the process, that they must jump on board and work. Then comes progress!
But how shall they work for the party? We don't have jobs to offer, only volunteer positions. There's no money in it, just the wonderful satisfaction that one can be used to h
elp save our nation from oblivion.
Then comes the rub, so to speak. The most important work of a political party is not that of a political action committee, or a debate society, or that of numerous discussion
groups, but that of running candidates for public office.
With that simple revelation, the prospective worker often becomes silent. There are so many reasons why he cannot run for office that one can get weary in listening. They all
sound so legitimate. But how many candidates for office really feel that they have the time, the money, or even the full qualifications for such a venture? Many patriots may run for political office simply because they know that they are needed on the ba
llot! Isn't that a good reason?
Now we're thankful for those volunteers who maintain that there is no way that they can possibly run for office, but that they are willing to help a candidate on his way. Thes
e people are needful to the process. They can be used to help obtain petitions for ballot access, canvassing, fundraising, literature distribution, and, if experienced, even to give helpful advice or direction.
But there is a potential problem here also. If a volunteer cannot or will not run for office, and if we have no candidates running anywhere in the vicinity of the volunteer, h
is help suddenly becomes very minimal. So then we are back to the original problem -- lack of candidates for a political party whose goal is always to give the voter a CHOICE. When election time comes and voters call us to ask for whom they can vote, we
must tell them that we have no one in their district on the ballot, with the exception of our presidential candidate this year, of course.
Does this help clarify our continual appeal for more candidates? This has been our message down through the months and years, that a political party, in order to have any cred
ibility as a political party, must run candidates for public office. If a person likes the foundation and goal of our Constitution Party, to Restore Our Republic, then is it not worth the extra determined effort to run for some office, be it small or gre
at?
A student called me recently from the Miami area asking some questions about our party and the method of ballot access. She said that she was doing a report on why third parti
es in America stay small. We have news for those who would ask. We cannot blame it all on the shameful exclusion of third parties by the news media, or our exclusion from the national debates.
In one sense, those who inquire about our party, and even endorse our party, but fail to do anything more to further the cause of our party, are certainly partially to blame.
Mere acknowledgment of a political party, but not being willing to react as if the cause is crucial to the survival of America, must share the blame of our not becoming large and influential. One can easily become satisfied that he is doing his share wit
hout giving his full measure.
Every day there are opportunities to further the Constitution Party but, as we have said and written scores of times, "Have you considered becoming a candidate for local,
county, State or federal office?" A political party MUST have candidates, or it will be ineffective.
Many say that they never heard of our party until they found us "on the web." We are all to blame for this. Some ask me the facetious question, " Who will you v
ote for, Republican or Democrat?" Even some Christian news sources allow for only two choices, both of them evil.
Somehow, some way, American patriots MUST get the message: Voting for the supposed lesser of two evils is still EVIL. Americans must awaken to the evil that is being promoted
continually in America through two political parties going the same direction to bring the American Republic to its doom and conclusion.
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