Rochester, Minnesota’s daily newspaper, the Post-Bulletin, ran this story on April 7 about the Independence Party’s convention for the First U.S. House District. The story is notable because it shows that former Congressman Tim Penny is still active with the party, and also it shows that Frank MacKay (national chair of the Independence Party) is still working to build the party, although with a focus on 2012, not 2008. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this story.
Just shows how ‘hungry’ middle aged, middle income, middle class, Mid Americans are for an option in the ‘Radical Middle’!
What a shame Californians Richard Winger, Philip Sawyer, and Donald R. Lake were ignored in the spring of 2004 when they [we] suggested that the Post Buchanan reform movement jump into the vacated shells of the Natural Law Party. The United Party of Idaho did so with less than $50 and in less than two months in 2006…….
May be the third party types are just not smart enough to survive, much less thrive!
so does this mean the party will not run anyone for President this year?
I’m sure the New York Independence Party will nominate someone for president. It has been ballot-qualified since 1994 and it never skipped having a presidential candidate. In 1996 it ran Ross Perot; in 2000 it ran John Hagelin; in 2004 it ran Ralph Nader.
The Minnesota Independence Party could, possibly, help build a national ‘centrist’ third party. But, I am not sure that this will happen.
Jesse Ventura basically lost interest in the party when he won in 1998, and the party did little to try and build its state infrastructure.
The result is that it manages to get enough votes (5%) to remain a major state party, but little else. The MN Greens and Libertarians compete for a distance fourth place.
It has not decided — really — what they stand for and thus they have quasi-libertarians and ‘middle-of-the-road-avoid-controversy-‘ candidates.
A major option for them would be IRV. I suspect that the party might actually do slightly better if IRV was used.
Don,
Once again: It is time for you and your friends to come back home to the Peace and Freedom Party. Thank you for mentioning that we (Richard, Phil, and Don – hey, that sounds like a Beatles song) had that good idea. “We’re so sorry, Uncle Albert,” the rest of them did not do “a bloody thing all day”!
Phil
What a fraud, In Min Mackay says he is a Ind Party Chair, while he also says he is a Reform Party head honcho as well. He is just a wanna bee poltico Boss. Another Shawn O’Hara. Lets find out where the dough people sent to the web site he recently removed went to?? Sounds like another Attorney General probe.
Keep traveling around Frankie and showing those pockets.
Shawn O’Hara, of course, lost last month’s Dem primary for US senator.
Shawn is still pushing his plan for snow cone stands at rest stops.