The Five Minute Con

Earlier today I poked my head into the Constitution Party of Minnesota's State Convention. My schedule didn't permit me to spend much time there, but I did briefly say a few words to Leo Heinze, the long-time Party Treasurer and editor of the monthly newsletter. He's a quiet, unassuming gentleman who stays in the background, and took me a year or two to figure out that he is the driving force behind the party. I'd like to get to know him better.

He was Minnesota's representative to the National Committee's Party Platform Convention in Tampa last month. As Austin Cassidy has been reporting, this is where a major party dispute concerning the Nevada State Chairman's position on abortion developed (the Chairman is not against the right to abort a rapist's baby).

There was a failed resolution to disaffiliate the whole NV organization, and it nearly carried. Consequently, some of the state parties have picked up their marbles and disaffiliated themselves. It reminds me of the America First Party split.

Actually, it’s a bit deeper than that. Behind the splintering is a reversion unto primary loyalties. In this case it’s Evangelicals vs. Mormons. Just a small preview of what will happen to the Republican Party when the Bible belt notices Mitt Romney. Further splintering means sooner or later every religious and ethnic group will have their own political party, and armed militias, I suppose.

I am somewhat disillusioned in political parties. As I read in the latest issue of Chronicles, "politics has devolved into a team sport, many of the conservative rank-and-file are happy just to be 'winning'."

So I wasn't too upset at missing the body of the convention. The main thrust of the convention seemed to the endorsement of this election cycle's only statewide CPMN candidate-- Benjamin Powers for Senate. In past years, non-partisan yet conservative political clubs (like Minnesotans for Immigration Reform and the John Birch Society) had set up display booths at CPMN conventions, and I was primarily interested in them. Unfortunately, the only booth I saw this year was Chronicles contributor Sean Scallon selling his latest book. I picked up campaign literature, the convention agenda, and a few other promotional materials. Then I headed off to do some yard work while the morning was still cool.