A
former California politician and now conservative activist is so far right of
the current GOP that he wants to branch off into an “Ultra-Conservative” third
party – and Sarah Palin is the only person he wants leading it.
Steve
Baldwin is not happy with Republicans as they currently look. According to a
recent article he wrote titled “Can a Third Party be Formed Without Helping Democrats Win?” Baldwin
surveyed the conservative options for the next electorial cycle and all he
sees are socialists. You read that right.
The guy is so right-wing that he’s
accusing Republicans of socialism.
“We don’t want the GOP to pursue a “socialism-lite” agenda. We want them to go on the warpath and do whatever it takes to stop the destruction of our constitutional Republic.”
Baldwin might be their king. Running Baldwin
through the “conservative anti-Obama stereotype” checklist you find he hits
every note:
- He thinks Obama is “lawless”
- He thinks Obama should be impeached
- He wants to repeal Obamacare
- He’s a “no amnesty-close the borders” hardliner
- He wants Roe v. Wade overturned and abortion made illegal in all cases
- He’s convinced the Tea Party is being harassed by the Obama administration and the Republican Establishment
It’s
that last betrayal – Republican against Tea Party, brother against brother –
that stings the most and has caused Baldwin to give up on sticking with
traditional partisan politics. Instead, he proposes to build a new, cooler,
better, sexier conservative party with only the most conservative people
invited. No RINOs allowed.
Unlike
the Tea Party, Baldwin sees his new party as working outside of the GOP. In
fact, he plans on destroying the GOP in the process.
“It has become increasingly clear that the GOP leadership will do everything in its power to prevent the party from being influenced in any way by the Tea Party. I have given up on the GOP and a simply not sure it can ever be reformed.
“[This new party] will do to the GOP what the GOP did to the Whig Party 150 years ago: it will replace the GOP as the main party contesting the Democrat Party.”
But
who could lead such a bold, fresh movement from its infancy and usher it into
national legitimacy?
Only
one woman has that kind of power:
Yes,
according to Baldwin, Sarah Palin, a politician best known for completing just
half of her term as Alaska’s governor and demolishing Sen. John McCain’s
chances of becoming President of the United States, is the only person capable
of pulling off the tough job.
We would also need a stable of respected national conservative leaders such as Sarah Palin and others to lead the charge on such an effort.
Respected.
National. Conservative. Leaders. Well, Palin’s at least one of those things and
that’s good enough for the Ultra-Conservative Party.
Unfortunately,
Palin is currently occupied with the launch of her money-making scheme conservative news channel and will be unlikely to give it
up to lead a political party unless Baldwin can somehow guarantee that she will
receive more media attention by doing so.
What’s
remarkable about Baldwin’s plan isn’t it’s questionable conclusions, it’s the
level of detail. This isn’t a disaffected conservative yearning for a Sarah
Palin presidency, this is a man with a plan.
Later in his lengthy essay,
Baldwin says he wants to unite “conservatives, libertarians, the Christian
Right, and the Tea Party movement.” Clearly, he thinks this can be done. In his
vision, all “true” conservatives would flock to this third party because it is
everything he feels the GOP isn’t: united, pro-life, anti-gay and very
religious. If you have a problem with that, well then you must not be a real conservative.
There
is a bubble mentality that pervades the far right that is reflected in this
latest interest in pulling out from the “moderate” Republican party and making
a new one. As the political orientation shifts even further to the right, and
the echo chambers – led first-and-foremost by Fox News – become more robust,
there is an increasing sense that conservatives don’t have to even live in the
real world.
Unhindered by reality and facts, they can hear what they want to
hear, see what they want to see, and now, even have their very own political
party which tells them exactly what they want. No wonder words like
“compromise” and “debate,” once exalted, are now considered dirty and cowardly.
For the ultra-conservatives, compromise is failure and debate means having to
explain yourself. Better to simply take their toys and leave the sandbox altogether.
Author Jameson Parker covers US politics, social
justice issues, and other current events which aren't getting the attention
they deserve. Feel free follow or drop me a line on twitter.