Awaken the Bull Moose!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time to reawaken the Bull Moose!

Ok, I know what you are thinking. The Bull Moose?

Yes! The Bull Moose!

But first, a little history –

The Bull Moose Party (Progressive Party) was an American political party formed in 1912, with roots that seeped back to 1909, in response to changes President Taft had made to the platform of the Republican Party. These changes were meant to set the Republican Party on a course of strict conservatism. The Progressives wanted to see a return back to where Roosevelt had left the party when he departed the presidency in 1909.

In reality, the platform of the Bull Moose split the party, and delivered the 1912 election to Woodrow Wilson. The Bull Moose was able to nominate and elect a number of federal and local officials from 1912 to 1916, but by the election of 1918 all of the prominent members of the party were re-absorbed into the Republican Party except one. Whitmell Martin of Louisiana became a Democrat.

Many members of the Bull Moose were left stranded, and felt out of place within the Republican Party. They lingered, mostly unsuccessfully, within the party until the mid-1930’s, when they found a home in FDR’s New Deal Democrats.

The Bull Moose Progressive Party would see resurgence in the elections of 1924 and 1948, but no lasting impact after either election.

The Bull Moose had an interesting platform, one that would today be considered a cross between various elements of the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian and Green Party platforms. They believed in strict fiscal conservatism, social libertarianism, strong environmental stewardship, and an adherence to as pure a democracy as one could find in representation. Among their key issues were:

•          A National Health Service to include all existing government medical agencies.
•          Social insurance, to provide for the elderly, the unemployed, and the disabled
•          Limited injunctions in strikes
•          A minimum wage law for women
•          An eight hour workday
•          A federal securities commission
•          Farm relief
•          Workers' compensation for work-related injuries
•          An inheritance tax
•          A Constitutional amendment to allow a Federal income tax
•          Reformed immigration policy

The political reforms proposed included

•          Women's suffrage
•          Direct election of Senators
•          Primary elections for state and federal nominations

The platform also urged states to adopt measures for "direct democracy", including:

•          The recall election (citizens may remove an elected official before the end of his term)
•          The referendum (citizens may decide on a law by popular vote)
•          The initiative (citizens may propose a law by petition and enact it by popular vote)
•          Judicial recall (when a court declares a law unconstitutional, the citizens may override that ruling by popular vote)

However, the main theme of the platform was an attack on the domination of politics by business interests, which allegedly controlled both established parties. The platform asserted that:

“To destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”

To that end, the platform called for

•          Strict limits and disclosure requirements on political campaign contributions
•          Registration of lobbyists
•          Recording and publication of Congressional committee proceedings

As you can see, many of the issues they wanted to see introduced to the American political system have been adopted into our current system.

Along with this platform they believed in strict control of the national treasury, a strong military defense, increasing conservation and preservation actions within the natural areas of the country, and a renewed belief in social equality, regardless of race, gender, nation of origin, or faith.

As a matter of fact, the party immigration stance was built around a speech Roosevelt had given in 1907, where he said:

'In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.'

The ultimate demise of the Bull Moose was caused by one of the strongest fundamental urges in human nature. They refused to compromise. Even with each other. Many of the foremost members of the party held strong convictions of how they saw the US and its role in the world, and would not take no for an answer.

So why awaken the Bull Moose today? Simple.

Many Americans today are put off with the negative infighting that has taken over the American political system. Our current political parties find themselves solidified into positions much the same way the original members of the Bull Moose found themselves a century ago. The more Republicans and Democrats sink in to their respective positions, the further bogged down our nation becomes, bringing us closer and closer to a philosophical civil war, if not another physical one.

It is also time to reign in our priorities, and begin the careful balance of reopening the dialogue between the parties in order to promote compromise and move our nation forward.

Among our platform issues:

•          A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution
•          Equaling the rights of all Americans, such that no one social, ethnic, gender, orientation, or creed is able to suppress others or elevate itself above the fray.
•          Comprehensive immigration reform based on the principles set forth by Theodore Roosevelt.
•          Securing of our nation’s borders, while strongly protecting our national interests abroad.
•          A comprehensive environmental ethic, based on the writings of Muir and Pinchot, which will allow the US to take the lead on environmental issues in the international arena, while balancing the interests of our industries at home.
•          Social welfare reform designed to lift those in need out of poverty, while giving them the tools and skills necessary to compete in the employment market.
•          Education reform that focuses more on education then on reform, including strong national standards and benchmarks, while preserving educators’ personal freedom in how to meet those goals.
•          A strong national defense, focused on dealing with those global areas identified as current or potential hot spots around the globe.
•          Restoration of personal liberty to the masses.
•          Enhanced adherence to the principles of the Bill of Rights.
•          A restructuring of the size of the federal workforce, placing more emphasis on a well-trained field staff while cutting the ever increasing layers of administration and bureaucracy.
•          A renewal of JF Kennedy’s “Ask not” principle.
•          Greater emphasis on personal responsibility in the lives of the citizenry.
•          A rededication of our responsibilities to the men and women who have worn a uniform in defense of our nation.
•          A national voter ID system.
•          Repeal of the Bush Tax cuts for those individuals making more than $250,000, and families making more than $500,000. Permanent passage of the tax cut for all others.
•          Full enactment of the DREAM act.
•          A strengthening and expansion of the Welfare to Work program signed into law by President Clinton, with the eventual goal of 100% participation.
•          Random drug testing and background checks for all parties receiving or benefiting from long term public assistance.
•          Long term commitment to investing in innovation and R&D conducted here inside the US.

In addition, there are a few additional reforms that we feel are necessary –

•          Reforming the Filibuster process, forcing the major players on both sides of the issue to the table, with penalties to all parties for lack of compromise.
•          A constitutional amendment preventing elected officials and political appointees from collecting pay in times when there is no budget, to include a prohibition on back pay once the situation is resolved. Continuing resolutions would not count as budgets.
•          A feasibility study looking into a complete overhaul of the tax system, and a sliding scale flat tax indexed to the poverty level.
•          Giving all territories the ability to choose between a fast track to statehood, independence, or maintenance of the status quo.

And of course, an attack on the domination of politics by business interests, which still controls both established parties. Our platform shall assert that:

“To destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”

To this end, we shall endeavor to work within the system to reform the system, with the betterment of the people as our first priority. To go about this any other way would send the impression that we no longer believed in the system as a whole.

The inability to compromise pulled apart the original Bull Moose. Let us hope that the same does not happen to our nation as a whole.