Exploring the third party field

So, what can we do to make the Office of the President great again? Well, what conservatives cannot do is give up their principles. We continue to fight on. How? There's a couple of ways. They're not easy, they're long-shots, but they're necessary when both parties and each of their bandwagon of loyalists have failed us.

The first is the obvious: a third party candidacy. Agreement upon which is the tricky part.

There's probably the widest known of them, the Libertarian Party, who's national convention to determine it's candidate falls on May 26-30, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. And in a season where we witnessed 16 Republicans vying for their top spot, this party has more candidates vying for that nomination (18 total)! Libertarians have a litany of issues that may appeal to secularists, but unfortunately miss the mark with many conservative values. So, are there any options to consider there? Austin Petersen is likely the most attractive candidate for conservatives (spending cuts, flat tax, audit the Fed, 'Ellis Island' immigration, reform entitlements, overturn Obamacare, defend Life, and more!). Here's some dates/events/personalities that may help you decide...

• April 1st - the first nationally televised Libertarian Party presidential forum on Fox Business’s Stossel.




• May 12th (that's TOMORROW, folks!) - RT America to host presidential debate for Libertarian Party candidates.


• Next Monday, May 16th - the final Libertarian Party presidential primary debate in Las Vegas.



TheLibertarianRepublic: Next Monday, May 16th, Penn Jillette will moderate the final Libertarian Party presidential primary debate in Las Vegas. Former Governor Gary Johnson, cybersecurity guru John McAfee, and TLR founder Austin Petersen will debate on a variety of topics ranging from the war on drugs to censorship. There are tickets available to attend the event.

All proceeds will go to benefit Opportunity Village, a non-profit dedicated to serving children and adults in the southern Nevada with intellectual disabilities.

The debate will take place at Opportunity Village- Engelstad Campus, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm (PT). The event will be filmed for later broadcast, though Austin Petersen may stream it live like he has done with many prior debates.

There is a rumor that theBlaze will be collaborating with the Libertarian Party of Nevada to broadcast on their network, but nothing is official yet.

With the Fox Business presidential debate, Russia Today’s live debate, and now this one moderated by a libertarian icon, Libertarians are getting more exposure than ever. Will this exposure translate into votes? November is seven months away; we will have to wait and see.

There's also the Constitution Party, which is probably much more attractive to disaffected conservatives (particularly those of faith), but doesn't have near as much steam behind it (or honestly charisma) as the libertarians, as it wrestles to gain ballot access throughout all the states. Nonetheless, The Constitution Party has already selected its presidential and vice-presidential nominees! Visit the campaign website here and check out the nominees' acceptance speeches...

And yet a third option is for #NeverTrump to ramp things up and run a conservative third party candidate!

TheResurgent: As conservatives come to the end of sitting shiva over Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party, many in the #NeverTrump movement are wondering: what next? After all, honorary American citizen Winston Churchill had a little something to say about surrender. A third-party conservative candidate can accomplish something positive this election cycle even if winning the White House remains the remotest of wild dreams.

1. A conservative third party will lay out the principles of the conservative movement of the future – a new Sharon Statement of non-negotiables.


2. It will deny Trump the White House.


3. It will give conservatives a reason to turn out and vote down ticket, when many might otherwise stay home and create a disastrous year for state and Congressional races.


4. It will get a conservative on stage to communicate the conservative message to the country.


5. It will make it more difficult for Trump to ignore conservatives as a voting bloc.

This year, Tea Party conservatives have learned the hard lesson that we are not just the minority of the electorate, we’re a minority even within the Republican Party. But a determined minority can do a great deal to sway the path the country; self-described liberals have never broken 25 percent in polls, yet they’ve undeniably deeply influenced the history and culture of the United States. An organized conservative third party bid has real, tangible benefits, and declares us as what we ought to strive to be – a vocal, organized remnant standing athwart history, yelling ‘Stop!’”

Short of talking Cruz into a third party run, which he's pretty much ruled out (however garnered the endorsement of the Conservative Party USA, just sayin'!), here's your third party options (thus far).

Are there any other options? Certainly...next blog...

Related links: The Unorthodox Roadmap for a Conservative Presidential Win
Anti-Donald Trump Forces Gear Up For Third-Party Challenge

ADDENDUM: Liz Mair presents 4 ways to oppose Trump besides voting for Hillary that are reflective of the above post and the next...

TheFederalist: American voters have had about a week now to start trying to get comfortable with living in a world where, barring extraordinary and historic action, they will be faced with a Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump general election contest.

To many of us, this feels like a choice between being shot or being shot. But if key leaders in the #NeverTrump movement have it their way, there just might be a way for those voters to get out alive—just maybe.

Here are the options various Never Trump leaders are actively pursuing right now to try to deliver an alternative choice for Americans as they head to the polls this fall.

1. Support the Libertarian Party Candidate


2. Keep Working the Delegates


3. Place New Names on the Ballots in All 50 States


4. Form a New Political Party

A lot of factors will dictate which, if any, of these options takes precedence in the next few days and weeks. But for the time being, all remain actively on the table, with a late April Suffolk University poll showing that only 60 percent of Republican primary voters were committed to supporting Trump if he is the nominee, and rumblings from Bernie Sanders voters about refusing to support Clinton.

The fact that high-profile Republicans like Sasse, Romney, Jeb Bush, and—for the time being, anyway—Paul Ryan are refusing to commit to vote for Trump or Clinton also gives these options legs, at least for the foreseeable future. Then there is the fact that 2016 is manifestly already a very weird, out-of-the-ordinary political cycle—something that is as heartening now as it was disconcerting three weeks ago to people opposing both Trump and Clinton.

Stay tuned: The bottom line is that Never Trump could still play a very significant role in 2016.

For more details on these four options, go to the source here.

Related link: A Viable Path to Victory