Pubdate: Sun, 27 Nov 2005
Source: Janesville Gazette (WI)
Copyright: 2005 Bliss Communications, Inc
Contact: http://www.gazetteextra.com/contactus/lettertoeditor.asp
Website: http://www.gazetteextra.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1356

WHITEWATER COULD BE HOME TO NEXT BIG POLITICAL PARTY

When a small group of anti-slavery activists met at a one-room
schoolhouse in Ripon, Wis., in 1854, the Republican Party was born.

If things go as one rural Whitewater man has planned, Wisconsin could
be home to another big-time political party.

Bernie Dalsey, 47, had become so disgusted with American government
and politics that he felt compelled to start his own party. He's
calling it the Justice Party, and he hopes it's going to make a big
splash in America's political arena by combining common-sense ideas of
both the Democrats and the Republicans.

"I feel there's a big void," Dalsey said, referring to the idea sets
the two major political parties offer and why he wanted to start a
political party. "I thought, 'What the hell? Nobody else is doing it.'
So I've given this a lot of thought over the years. Nothing ventured,
nothing gained, right?"

Dalsey called the Federal Election Commission and the Wisconsin State
Elections Board to get authorization for the party name to appear on
the ballots, if any candidates surface.

He set up a nonstock company to help manage funding and a Web site
dedicated to publicizing the party's ideas to the world.

Right now, Dalsey is the only official member of Justice Party,
although several people he's spoken with agree with many of his stances.

Dalsey predominantly leans to the left side of the political spectrum,
believing the Democrats are marginally better than the Republicans in
a two-party system. Among his leftist ideals, Dalsey wants to see
national health care, supports abortion rights and would like to see a
higher tax on the wealthy.

But his views also accept several of the staunch Republican stances,
such as gun rights, opposing same-sex marriages and closing America's
borders to illegal immigrants.

"It doesn't make any sense to me to take everything from just the
left, the right or the middle," Dalsey said of his broad spectrum of
views. "There are good ideas on the left, the right and in the middle.
It's best to see what makes sense."

Some of the ideas go to the extreme that very few mainstay Republicans
or Democrats candidates would endorse, including closing all overseas
U.S. military bases, severely limiting special-interest dollars in
political campaigning and eliminating all foreign aid.

Dalsey is targeting nonvoters as the people most willing to follow the
Justice Party. They are a large group that might be more open to the
ideas of a new party. They also might be fed up.

"A lot of them are either ignorant or indifferent (about major-party
candidates), but a lot of people are just completely disgusted,"
Dalsey said. "A lot of people are out there just voting for the lesser
of two evils."

Dalsey said a new third-party ticket is the answer, especially if it
combines views from both sides. The ideas just might take a while to
catch on. Dalsey is hoping for just six Justice Party candidates to
appear on ballots throughout Wisconsin in 2006, whether it's for a
Senate position, Assembly seat or perhaps even the governor's office.

He doesn't wish to be a candidate himself after twice running
unsuccessfully for state Assembly as both a Green and Libertarian.
Rather, he wants to get the party name on the map.

By 2008, he's hoping for even more candidates on the ballot. From
there, the party could start thinking nationally.

"It's an outrageous concept," Dalsey said of getting the party off the
ground. "But so many people are disgusted-just flat out disgusted. I
don't see this as being all that difficult."

While Dalsey doesn't see the proposition as being difficult, he
realizes the chance of total success are incredibly slim. The United
States has predominantly been a two-party system since its inception
as a country.

If the party fails in the political world, which it could, "I'm not
going to be disappointed any which way," Dalsey said. "The only way I
will be disappointed is if I personally don't give this my best."

Dalsey is giving it his best shot by starting a grassroots campaign to
spread the word about the Justice Party. He is scheduling speaking
arrangements to such organizations as the Wisconsin Democracy
Campaign, making contacts with former third-party candidates and
contacting media outlets about his ideas.

"As outrageous as it is to start a party, it's doable over the long
run," Dalsey said. "There are such voids to fill. Trade deals, foreign
aid, military bases, the drug war, national debt. There are so many
big ticket items that the parties won't touch (to change). The trick
is having the right mix that will bring people in."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin