The
Constitutionist
Party

  • Our Ideology
  • Our Goals
  • The Hall System

    • Our Ideology

    We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, & the pursuit of Happiness. To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, instituting new Government and laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, that to them shall seem most likely to effect their future Safety & Happiness.
    -The Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776

    We still believe in the Constitution. We still believe in the Enlightenment principles the Founding Fathers envisioned to create our country. We still believe we should try our best to live up to that greatest of ideals Thomas Jefferson laid out almost 250 years ago: All of us are created equal, and we are all gifted with intrinsic Rights & Liberties that must be protected and promoted.

    We believe that the primary purpose of government is to protect the Rights of its citizens and promote a common good among them. We believe in the power of entrepreneurship and small business to transform the lives of everyday Americans, so that they can seize their own destiny and make their own way through the world. We believe in the power of knowledge to improve and expand the lives of all, so that a rising tide really does raise all ships. We believe that society's problems should be solved with an eye towards our past, but that we should never be afraid to make change when it is needed to better secure the Rights we have guaranteed. We believe that authoritarianism is one of the most dangerous threats to our democratic republic, or to any system of governance of, by, & for the People. We believe that compassion and tradition dictate healthcare be considered a basic right of Mankind - You cannot live your Life from a sickbed. You cannot properly exercise Liberty from a position of frailty. You cannot pursue Happiness with disease.

    We believe that America still has a bright path into the future, and that this path is best led by everyday people working together for their common good. It does not matter if you consider yourself a Democrat, a Republican, or something else, either right now or in the past. First & foremost you are an American, and if you believe in all these things too, The Constitutionist Party welcomes you to raise your torch alongside us as we light the way forward!

    Our Goals

    The Constitutionist Party has six simple goals:

    1. Make the federal government function again.
  • Reverse expansion of Executive power & degradation of the separation of powers.
    The Constitution gives the power to set taxes to Congress. So why is the President able to set tariffs unilaterally, at his whim? The Constitution creates a system of laws that is meant to bind everyone in our Republic, so why is the President above the law in all but name? This expansion of Executive power has had disastrous consequences for the stability of our nation as well as infringing on our Liberties by usurping the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution. The Founding Fathers fought to free us from this exact kind of Tyranny, and we desecrate their memory by allowing it.

  • Remove the filibuster from the Senate.
    The Senate passes fewer and fewer laws each year. It has become a tool of obstruction, not deliberation, where even a simple annual budget is now almost impossible to pass. The filibuster must be abandoned so that the Senate is able to do its work and actually pass legislation.

  • Institute the Wyoming Rule.
    Why should a Vermonter's vote count for more than a Texan's? Why should a West Virginian's vote count for more than a Californian's? The Wyoming Rule works to better equalize the number of Representatives per citizen so that House seats are apportioned more closely to where Americans actually live. The House is meant to do the Peoples' work, so it should grow as America grows.

  • Reform House elections into a system of proportional representation.
    First Past the Post voting for the House has unintentionally created a system that cements in place existing power, regardless of how corrupt or unpopular it becomes. These days, no matter which side of the political spectrum, the overwhelming majority of Americans don't vote for the candidate they want -- They vote for the candidate they dislike the least. This is unacceptable and must be reformed.

    Proportional systems of electing candidates fix the majority of the problems that cause the circus we see in the House today. Americans would no longer be subject to gerrymandering. Citizens of a minority party in a state would finally have real representation. Citizens would be able to vote for candidates they sincerely support, rather than being forced to hold their nose and continue choosing between two terrible options.

  • Establish maximum time limits by which federal appointments must be filled.
    Record numbers of federal appointments go unfilled each administration, while less and less gets done. These vacancies hobble the vital functions of government necessary to enact the Peoples' work and promote our Rights. There needs to be a time limit by which the Senate must exercise their Advice & Consent. A dysfunctional Senate should not be able to sit on a nomination indefinitely without making a decision. So the Senate should be required to hold a vote on Presidential nominations within 90 days. Similarly, the President must be compelled to make nominations within a reasonable time so that Executive incompetence doesn't decapitate our government outright.

    • 2. Sever the ability of the social internet to manipulate Americans, while maintaining expansive free speech protections, so that we can create a healthier experience for all.
  • Clarify in law Section 230 liability against personalized algorithmic curation.
    Newspapers are liable for their content because they edit the paper -- They pick & choose what readers can and can't see. Section 230 shields websites from liability for content users post. It must be cemented in law, websites that use personalized engagement driven algorithms to hide or drive content must be considered editors, and thus liable for the content they have actively chosen to show users. Fortunately, most websites would not need to change anything to comply with this!

    Let's look at some examples. On reddit, content can be hidden from users but reddit doesn't actively decide which content. Users choose topics they're interested in for themselves. Reddit offers ways to sort content within those topics, but does not hide/filter content from people and it is not designed to target a specific user or group with how it chooses to sort that content. In its current form, reddit would not need to make any changes to comply with this proposed law. Similarly, news websites often have comment sections attached to articles. These would also be unaffected as the comment sections are not filtered by algorithms. Finally, audio streaming services would not need to make changes to comply with this proposal. While they do have algorithms that choose content, it is based on popularity of the song itself and a playlist chosen by the user, rather than hinging on some personalized aspect of the user's engagement.

  • Establish public systems & methods that allow for Americans to acquire a persistent digital identity, which also maintains personal anonymity, that would allow for online accounts to verify their humanity.
    Bots & AI agents have become the scourge of the social internet. They are employed in enormous numbers by advertisers, political organizations, megacorporations, and foreign adversaries to manipulate us against one another. People have no reasonable way to tell if the account they're interacting with is a person or a machine. That fact allows these shadowy manipulators to effectively divide Americans against ourselves, convincing us of the most insane things about one another, and it must be stopped before we destroy ourselves. Anonymity must also be maintained, no matter what, so that Americans cannot have their Rights to Privacy, Speech, & Association infringed upon.

  • Establish publicly available, end-to-end encrypted protocols that support using the above identity to easily transfer photos, videos, & other personal content between services.
    One of the most difficult problems with the modern social internet is freedom of choice. User choice is crippled before they can even act by creating walled gardens which prevent you from having true control of your personal online content. If you decide that Instagram, TikTok, etc. aren't right for you anymore then what can you do? Try to sort through years of pics & posts to figure out what's worth keeping? And all so you can start over again.

    Why can't we simply have control of our data and content? Why can't we simply pick up and move where we choose? Why do the robber barons insist on stifling our free expression? Just as the Constitution entitles every American with the Right to Freedom of Movement among the States, we must also establish an analogue in law for Freedom of Movement online regarding our own identities.

    • 3. Reform electoral financing to remove the undue influence of money on our politics.
  • Enact legislation and/or amendments to prevent untraceable dark money from snuffing out Liberty, by twisting our political ecosystem.
    America only works when Americans can shape our own way through the world, void of outside influence.

  • Devise methods and tests to prevent realistic AI generated content from destroying government of, by, and for the People.
    Pandora's Box has been opened. We cannot kill AI, but we must stop it from killing us.

    • 4. Enact a 2nd Square Deal, restoring fair rules of commerce so that small businesses can effectively compete in the 21st Century.
  • Once again enforce the Robinson-Patman Act.
    It is vital for local economies and small businesses to be able to get supplies and services at the same price as competitors who dwarf them.

  • Once again enforce the Sherman Antitrust Act.
    Why do we keep allowing Big Business megacorps to keep consolidating into greater & greater monopolies? It has to stop so that we can enjoy free trade.

  • Review/Revise federal penalties for white collar crime.
    If the practice earns more than the punishment then violating the law isn't illegal, it's the cost of doing business. Flat fines for white collar criminals are not good enough and must be amended to a percentage of profits.

  • Massively expand access to capital through Small Business Administration programs while also reducing the complexity of starting your business.
    So that we may all seize our own destiny and to keep that old-fashioned American spirit burning strong.

    • 5. Enforce humane immigration reforms that address the causes & incentives to immigrate rather than endlessly pouring more & more money into tyrannical secret police who infringe our own Rights & Liberties, while also being hopelessly outnumbered by the very problem they claim to contain.

    You cannot police someone looking to improve their life. It is an intrinsic, instinctual drive within all of us. Make no mistake, some kind of law enforcement at our borders will always be needed, but pouring an unlimited torrent of money at the border ignores the basic causes of over-immigration. The only sustainable solution is to address the incentives. That leaves two areas to work with: The reason for someone to immigrate to the US & the conditions in their home country which lead to the decision to leave. Since we have almost no control over the conditions in foreign nations, we must work here at home to fix things.

    The Constitutionists propose a 3 part solution:

    1) Begin to heavily fine businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Those fines need to be a percentage of profits so that the practice of violating the law is never more profitable than the punishment.

    2) Reform our system of immigration so that, without displacing the Americans already here, we can continue to hold strong to our values so proudly displayed on the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

    3) Provide a clean slate to illegal immigrants who can demonstrate that they have long been working here and integrating into American society without committing crimes. To be clear, this will not be an offer of citizenship. This is simply calling it water under the bridge and giving these folks a green card, allowing them to start the citizenship process over if they so choose. No, it may not feel like a good thing to do for many of us, and you're right that it isn't fair. The unfortunate fact is that enormous parts of vital industries depend on the immigrants who are already here. Some 45% of agricultural workers and a full quarter of all construction employees are illegal immigrants. To run them all out at once would decimate us, cause famine, and topple the delicate social order. We're already seeing its effects as grocery prices continue to climb. This offer would not be extended to any who couldn't show a history of residence or who have committed a felony/violent crime.


    6. Act on practical solutions that will make material improvements in Americans' lives.

    These solutions include, but are not limited to:

  • Amend the ACA so that pre- & post- natal care is fully covered nationwide.
    Starting a healthy family should not require a copay. The medical costs of giving birth should not be able to weigh down your family's future.

  • Work with families, economists, & care providers to find long term solutions that make childcare affordable for all.
    It's a disgrace that daycare costs as much as, or more than, a mortgage.

  • Enact universal paid paternity leave, available to both parents.
    Starting a family is stressful enough. The safety of your job & income should never be effected by that choice. A tax scheme will be set up to reimburse small businesses, so the program does not become a burden on them.

  • Tackle the affordability of everyday necessities by working from both sides of the equation.
    Affordability is more than just trying to bring prices down. In fact, lowering prices is one of the most difficult things to do without completely crashing the economy. While there can certainly be headway made there, it would be both easier & simpler to improve affordability by working to increase pay.

  • Review/Revise federal law around building codes, and enact trade policy that will reduce material prices, to massively boost the number of available homes while also reducing the cost to acquire housing.
    We will also need to do the same at the State level to affect local ordinances around home construction. All kinds of housing will be included, but emphasis will initially be placed on lighter/medium density housing for purchase, such as condos & townhouses. This will also accompany tax incentives for developers to make it more lucrative for them to build starter housing for younger Americans.

  • Enact universal healthcare into law, enshrining it as the Right it should be.
    Public or private, it doesn't matter. The poorest American should worry about how they will afford healthcare just as much as the richest does.
    •


    The Hall System

    Just as a family is the basic unit of human society, the Halls are the basic unit of the Constitutionist Party. The Hall System is inspired by fraternal organizations, such as the Fraternal Order of Eagles or The Elks, and like those organizations its primary purpose is to benefit the community. By doing so we attempt to remain grounded in the communities politics is meant to be beholden to. Halls will provide a common ground for Members to advocate for and collaborate to make material improvements in their local area. Through these acts, both big & small, the Constitutionists will draw citizens to our views and grow the support necessary to field candidates for office at all levels of government.

    Halls will organize themselves and elect leadership so that they all can perform acts of good in their community. It only takes a small commitment to better your community, but larger commitments will be rewarded with candidacy. Hall leadership will pass the names of prospective candidates up the chain so that the system selects for men & women of high standards and great integrity, who are truly worthy of public office. Keep in mind that these acts do not need to be large, complicated events. Hall functions can be expansive, like hosting a chili cook-off in the community to raise funds for repairs to the local library. Hall functions can be simple, like a group of Members spending a Saturday mowing yards for disabled veterans. You might be surprised at the great power small actions can have to improve your community.

    Additionally, Halls and Members who wish to run for office will not accept gifts, favors, or other emoluments from any individual or organization whose net worth equals, or is greater than, $1 Billion. Billionaires who want to contribute to the Constitutionists' goals will have to do so through personal action, rather than buying us like toys.

    The only requirements to join the Constitutionist Party are to:

    Be of voting age.
    Be a citizen of the United States.
    Vow that you shall not advocate for the overthrow of the US government by force or violence.


    Instructions for Hall incorporation pending.