Anchoress, I have a great deal of respect for your writing and thoughtfulness, even when I disagree. I’m sorry to say here that I disagree with your characterization of the ACP as the Right’s fringe.
I’ve been following it since the beginning and just started participating. I searched the site for these comments you quoted, and couldn’t find anything like them. There are, from your post, obviously other sites that feel like that.
The general consensus seems to be that McCain is better than the alternatives, so they’ll vote for him. I will too, unless something extraordinary happens in the meantime. Like any group of individuals though, others aren’t voting for him, and others are undecided. Of those that are not or undecided, they have good reasons for their decision. And other people are trying to talk them into changing their minds, but always politely and logically.
The main goal is not to pick the ‘perfect’ candidate for this election. It is just to start awareness and see where it goes. Various people have been contacting potential candidates, creating objectives, writing principals, among other activities. And of course, we’re trying to get a hold of where to go with this.
As for the idea of a third party, I think there is a serious need for it at this moment. Both parties are more like coalitions of special interests crammed together to gain and hold power than like groups of people with similar principles. Any chance of serious reforms are currently slim; critical issues just won’t be allowed to be debated, let alone voted on. Earmarks, gerrymandering, term limits, encouraging private sector individuals to get involved in politics – these are all issues that I believe a third party can bring to the forefront.
Interestingly enough, both parties seem to be showing cracks in their coalitions, so creating an effective third party now may not necessarily mean that victory is ensured for Dems in the future. It may be that the ACP doesn’t run candidates for awhile in the national elections, just in locals, until there is enough interest. Or maybe this will simply cause the reform issues to be discussed in mainstream circles. Or, perhaps, it will just create a renewed, sincere interest in polictics. In any case, I believe it’s worth a shot.
Incidentally, you’ve been upheld there as a great example of what classy blog posts should be like. On members’ blogs and on the site, you’ve also been called influential, persuasive, thoughtful, polite, engaged, in perspective, and great at ‘a**whuppin’ of the Left’.
Many, if not most, people there can also identify themselves as ‘pro-troop, pro-second amendment, pro-God fiscal conservative[s]‘.
I invite you to come take another look and run some searches. No, not everyone there is perfect of course, and not everybody agrees on everything, but I believe we are still a good group.
Thanks for the consideration!
