Alternative Political Parties Talk About Joining Forces

Third-party activists meeting in Murray sense Americans' frustration with Republican, Democratic parties

By Christopher Smith
The Salt Lake Tribune
Copyright January 24, 1999

Murray, UT - Figuring that most Americans are fed up with both the Republican and Democrat parties, alternative political party leaders met in Murray this weekend to discuss combining forces.

"We do believe an awful lot of people are frustrated because they don't see the principles that made America great being represented by either the Democrat or Republican parties," said Florida evangelist Phil Stringer, a member of the national American Party.

He was one of several third-party activists participating in the first national conference of the United States Independent American Party, created last may as an offshoot of the Utah Independent American Party.

"People are looking for alternatives to the monopoly parties," said Bruce Bangerter of Murray, acting chairman of the national party who twice ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate seats in Utah. "People feel they are wasting their votes."

Bangerter said the new national party wants to draw small political organizations "under one umbrella" in hopes of exerting a unified voice at the ballot box. In Utah, he said the party has about 70 active members and its candidates collected "a few thousand" votes statewide in the last election.

But the new party finds itself at odds with one of the most successful alternative political organizations, Ross Perot's Reform Party, which stunned pundits recently when Reform Party member and former pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura was elected Minnesota's governor.

"We are certainly pleased with their success, but Ross is pro-choice and we are not," said Bangerter.

Stressing a platform of anti-abortion and "restoring Christian precepts to government," the fringe parties gathered in the Murray City Hall said they may have common g round in which to unite.

"We want to establish a beachhead in the hopes of doing well in 2000," said Dan Hansen, chairman of the Independent American Party of Nevada. "We'll either hang together or hang separately because our country is going down the drain of immorality."