Since the Philosopher has given up on academia and is currently volunteering with a political campaign in MA, my interest in doing something related to campaigning has been renewed. I was looking at the Conservative Party of CA website tonight, and reviewing the party's tenents:

The Basic Tenets of Conservative Party

1. Principal of Subsidiarity – Government works best at the local level. The closer the control of government is to the people, the more interest citizens hold in political proceedings and operations.

2. American Exceptionalism: Conservatives believe that America is a country of a distinguished founding, historical experiences and a unique path to the future. We do not take lightly these characteristics. Thus, we do not believe that American institutions should be imposed upon nations of dissimilar origins and experiences.

3. Government cannot legislate a perfect life for its citizens. Government’s role is to make life tolerable and to allow citizens to achieve their best. Legislation has limited ability to change our true social condition. Politicians have unethically preached to the public they have a right to steady economic betterment.

4. Citizens have a contract with the past, the present and the future to:
a. Preserve the best of our ancestors and change only that which leads to a
better civil and social existence.
b. Voluntarily assist those less prosperous.
c. Conserve natural resources for our posterity

5. Government should not “do.” Government must have limited intrusion in the marketplace. Government actions should pertain to fair and just competition.

6. The Federal government has reduced the citizens responsibility in life by overextending its participation in education, economics, food and housing. Americans should be active citizens, not subjects.

7. Taxation, a free grant from the citizen to the government, has become extortion and the two national parties have used taxation as a means to create division among the citizens of the United States. Government re-distribution of wealth creates a covetous nature in the recipients. Spending of citizens ethically and legally earned money and consuming our posterities resources are not signs of a virtuous political organization.

8. Conservatism has been mistakenly defined as a philosophy of avarice and consumerism. Nothing could be further from the truth, as conservatives believe that success is to be shared in a voluntary manner with poor and less fortunate. The primary benefits of charity is ascribed to the voluntary donor and the recipients of material goods from a central authority show no gratitude.

9. Those who believe that redistribution of wealth is an entitlement will themselves cause detriment to their posterity due to a lack of restraint much like consumerists believe our natural resources are purely for present consumption.

I find #2, 3, and 5 questionable. Re: #2, I agree that the American system should not be imposed on a society with different values and culture, but the use of "American exceptionalism" as a part of the explanation just rubs me the wrong way.

The Constitution Party was supposed to be represented on the ballot in California by the American Independent Party in the last presidential election. (But certain party members were able to engineer having Alan Keyes be the party's candidate instead.) I still find the Constitution Party's platform to be more agreeable. (How strong are the ties between the Constitution Party and the Austrian school though?)


There is a list of Constitution Party candidates for California offices in 2010 here. Chelene Nightingale is running for governor. I took a quick look at her stand on environmental issues, and this struck me:

Since our farmer’s need for water and our citizen’s need for water has become a political football, I’m ready to fully explore privatizing our water sources.

Who would own those water rights, or be able to acquire them? It seems like a very bad idea, so why even consider it, instead of a different solution that would be a more comprehensive plan for dealing with the state's many problems?

Can anyone running for state office really succeed with a radical decentralist agenda?

I suppose I should drop by the Libertarian Party of CA website as well.

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