A Better Path

     Very few voters have any idea at all what a "third" party presidency in general might look like, let alone what the presidency of specific candidates would look like if they were elected. This post is an attempt to remedy that situation and give a rough prediction of what a Hoefling presidency might look like based on his stated positions and historical precedent. Given the fact that it is highly unlikely that he would be elected - more than anything else the campaign provides an outlet for "protest" votes and, most importantly, builds a viable alternative for the future - this is a purely hypothetical exercise. However, it can be enlightening to imagine what the world might look like: it just might look good enough to take a risk to get it there.

     If voters were to experience a near-miraculous change of heart on election day and reject the false choice they have been given between Romney and his ideological twin, Obama, one could reasonably expect the political world to be shaken up - turned upside down, if you will. The election of a third party candidate, especially a write-in candidate, would constitute a "shot across the bows" of the elitist faction. The momentum from this victory could be enough to overcome, at least for the first few years, the natural resistance of major party politicians to third party candidates and provide an opportunity to implement a conservative agenda.

     Tom Hoefling is a staunch constitutionalist. A Hoefling administration would, according to what he has said, favor the repeal of any and all federal legislation that cannot be justified by the Constitution. This would include Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other forms of wellfare programs. Here a distinction must be made between favoring and achieving the repeal of these programs. The president has limited authority - that of an adviser, really - when it comes to the actions of the legislative branch. It is not likely that the career politicians in Congress would consent to running afoul of a large segment of the population by eliminating their pet wellfare programs. A few might join in to restore the Constitution, faced with looming insolvency and growing debt, but these would not be likely to achieve significant gains, unfortunately.

     On the other hand, there is a strong faction in Congress lobbying for decreased spending and taxes generally and this faction lacks only a leader. Hoefling would be, unlike Romney or Obama, a dedicated voice advocating the reduction of both taxes and spending, meaning that it is probable that significant gains would be made in reducing both taxes and spending. Perhaps, although this is unlikely, the coalition of Hoefling and the conservatives in Congress could push through the elimination of the federal income tax and its replacement with the Fair Tax. This would be a massive step forward in replacing government dependency with individual freedom and responsibility and would be the greatest victory for conservatism in the country since the election of Ronald Reagan.

    A Hoefling presidency could have an enormous impact on the Supreme Court. While Romney promises to appoint justices who would be strict constructionists, Hoefling has given reason to believe that he actually will nominate such justices. Whether these justices are seated is dependent on the resolve of the Republicans in the Senate, but at least the Senate's choices would be conservatives.

      It is on abortion that a Hoefling administration would have its greatest impact. He has promised to issue a presidential finding that the unborn are persons under the law, covered by the protection of the 14th amendment. This alone would provide a major step forward for the unborn, however he has also promised to close every abortion clinic in the country by executive order, using states' preexisting laws prohibiting murder. Realistically this would be unlikely to succeed. It would be opposed by even supposedly "pro-life" politicians and would be violently opposed by advocates of legalized abortion. However, in the unlikely event that it did succeed it would save millions, even billions, of lives. Even if it did not, it would establish an environment that could foster the eventual abolition of abortion.

      All things considered, a Hoefling administration could expect to be opposed by the establishment of both parties. The wave of momentum from the unprecedented election of a third party candidate (even Abraham Lincoln, the last third party candidate elected, had more recognition) could allow the implementation of a portion of his agenda. This would probably include the perennial Republican causes of lowering taxes, reducing spending, cutting government, and limiting abortion, along with this election cycle's particular project, repealing Obamacare. There is just a chance that a Hoefling administration could also achieve some of its more ambitious goals, such as the abolition of abortion or the placement of failed, unconstitutional wellfare programs on the path to ultimate extinction. In the end, even a small percentage of Hoefling's agenda would do more to advance conservatism than every president since, and maybe including, Ronald Reagan. Even if Hoefling didn't win the presidency a respectable loss would do more to advance conservatism than a victory for either Romney or Obama. Now isn't that something worth voting for?

For a new birth of freedom!