A Third Party Alternative To McCain?

(AP)  The same conservative Christian activist who called a meeting last fall to discuss backing a third-party candidate to counter a possible Rudy Giuliani candidacy is revisiting the idea as Sen. John McCain closes in on the Republican presidential nomination.

Bob Fischer, a South Dakota businessman and anti-abortion activist, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while he could back the Arizona senator over either Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama, he made clear that he and others in the evangelical movement are not content with those choices.

"I'll be working in other ways to see that we have additional choices as conservatives," Fischer said.

He declined to elaborate, but held out hope that Mike Huckabee might mount an improbable comeback, or that another "good conservative, Godly, Christian pro-life" GOP candidate somehow emerge to supplant McCain. The Arizona lawmaker has opposed abortion during his four terms in the Senate.

Fischer also volunteered an alternative scenario: supporting the nominee of the fledgling Constitution Party.

Although some conservative Christian activists are warming to McCain, Huckabee's success with that voting bloc in recent primaries and caucuses shows that much work remains for McCain.

Several Christian conservative leaders dismiss renewed talk of a third-party strategy, but any significant loss of conservative Christian voters could spell trouble for McCain in a close general election.

"Some of these folks might be trying to send a signal to McCain," said Mark Rozell, a political scientist at George Mason University. "There are also some people in that movement who believe McCain is hopeless. And they're not bluffing."

McCain already faces danger if conservative Christians are not energized about his candidacy, and the prospect of a third-party candidate siphoning off even a half-percentage point of McCain support could be a difference-maker, Rozell said.

Last fall, Fischer called a meeting in Salt Lake City as Christian conservative leaders attended a separate gathering of the ultra-secretive Council for National Policy, an umbrella group for the movement.

Most attendees of Fischer's meeting, including Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, agreed to support a minor-party candidate if Giuliani emerged as the Republican nominee, according to Dobson and others in attendance. Another group suggested creating a new party, but no consensus emerged, Dobson wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times.

Several Christian conservative leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Fischer has invited them to a follow-up meeting next month in New Orleans coinciding with another Council for National Policy meeting.

Fischer would not confirm nor deny a meeting, but said, "If I told you we were, I think the success of that meeting would be greatly compromised."

Mat Staver, who heads the conservative Christian legal group Liberty Counsel, said blunting McCain with a minor-party candidate has scant support because McCain is much closer to social conservatives on issues than Giuliani.

Former GOP presidential candidate and conservative Christian Gary Bauer, who endorsed McCain this week, also was dismissive: "I think the third-party idea has effectively gone the way of all bad ideas," Bauer said.

Fischer said that for large numbers of social conservatives to entertain backing McCain, he would need to reverse himself on several positions, including his support for relaxing restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Fischer said if McCain prevails short of doing that, he and many other conservatives "will not work as hard as we could" to elect him.

He then raised the possibility of Christian conservatives lining up behind the Constitution Party, citing its conservative moral stances and ability to get on state ballots, a steeper challenge for an entirely new party.

The Constitution Party, which calls itself "completely pro-life, pro-gun, pro-American sovereignty and independence," has secured spots on about 16 state ballots and hopes to exceed 40, national field director Gary Odom said. The party has nominated founder Howard Phillips as its presidential candidate in the past and will select its candidate in April.

Said Fischer: "The Republican Party needs to remember that (the Constitution Party) will nominate a conservative. If the Republican Party wants to avoid defeat in November, they need to do the same. There are no votes to waste in this election."

[pakaal]

"the possibility of Christian conservatives lining up behind the Constitution Party"

I wonder if Christians in general would be comfortable with a party that wants the US to end all foreign relations with other countries, create a tariff system on imports that would drive prices up, get rid of the Dept. of Health and Dept. of Education, and - my personal favorite - the right of states to secede from the "united states". "We had to destroy the US in order to support the Constitution!"

Interesting political platform, but would most Christians really feel that sort of extremism is worth voting for? Maybe. Most Americans in general? Very doubtful.

[pakaal]

The Theocons can align themselves with whomever they want, it''s a free country. But if they think there''s a magic "good conservative, Godly, Christian pro-life" candidate just waiting somewhere to be found and who could then get the momentum up to first beat Huckabee (who I''d argue is the most Charismatic far-Right Evangelical out there, and the Theocon''s best chance), then McCain, followed by Obama or Hillary, have been watching too much American Idol.

Unfortunately, the Southern Baptist and Evangelical sectors on the Right sold their "silent majority" talking point too well, it encouraged folks to think that was actually true.

The fact is most folks are not in-your-face Christians here in the US, and don''t really want to force their views on everyone else. They''re probably as nervous about a "Christian first, American second" candidate as the rest of us Americans. Faith can play a part in our lives as a set of core moral beliefs, but only those at the very fringe think they''re right and everyone else is wrong and are going to Hell. The rest of us would just rather not turn America into another Theocratic government like Iran or Saudi Arabia.

[ov442]

At least the 3rd party conservatives are not hippocritically jumping on the bandwagon like so many others to support a candidate they dont want just because hes a republican.
The wagon jumpers are all about Power and greed, they dont care about their own principles because they dont mean anything.
McCain has flip flopped just as much as Romney has just to gain power and be the nominee.
Pathetic.
Voting for huckabee or ron paul shows more character.

[infidel_us]

I''m going to write in Ronald Reagan.

[taddles-2009]

I always thought Ron Paul''s views were more libertarian than Republican. Perhaps that''s what we need, a strong Libertarian party.

[david1737]

I would vote Ron Paul on third party ticket.

[taddles-2009]

"left that institutes policies that range from socialism to fascism.

Posted by mvanbiljon at 06:05 PM : Feb 14, 2008"

Based on the evidence of the past 8 years of "conservative" government that is an incredibly stupid comment. It is the right wing conservatives who have debased our Constitution by trampling on habeas corpus and the 4th amendment right of freedom from illegal search and seizure.

If you want espouse the "conservative" concepts of small government, fiscal responsibility and individual responsibility than you must by definition reject everything the Bush administration, and by extension a MccCain administration, stands for. To do otherwise labels you a hypocrite in the most strenuous way.

If you think the Bush administration has done anything but USE the Christian right and the true conservatives in this country for their own vile ends than you are a myopic fool.

[quetzal0666]

A Right Wing Evangelical Party.....
so sweet, for now, but be forewarned nothing
good ever comes out of nominating preachers to high office, eventually they will want to dictate
morality to the rest of us and the world,
they will turn this country into a Religious intolerant society,.....
they will opress free speech, trample on the Bill of Rights, and do it all in the name of God....

[Syndicate]

I would like for McCain to win this. A third party on the right would garuntee a Democratic victory. I think that if the conservatives do this they screw them selfs. Their will be a lot of people that will stop putting up with their bull$hit. We have tolerated their right wing nominations for awhile. Now its our turn. If they don''t get in line with the party then they can go to hell. However I fully support their right to commit political suicide. I kinda like Obama too.

[kansas1946]

Yea!! A third party. That is a great idea.