Q: Exactly who are you guys?

A: We're a grassroots effort to create a new political party from the ground up. Fiscally conservative, small-government and socially moderate. (Leave morals to the states and communities, where they belong.)  The ACP was formed in 2008.  Just to be clear, the Conservative Party of New York State is not affiliated with us; they are a state-only party formed in 1962 and do not have any connections with parties outside New York.

Q: Why a third party? Don't those always fail?

A: Most third parties are started because the viewpoints of their organizers are well outside the political mainstream. The ACP is only out of the mainstream if you define what has been going on in Washington for the last couple of decades as "mainstream." Pork-fests, entitlement programs, tax cheating, sale of public offices -- none of these are mainstream America. We support our families, raise our children, support our troops, defend our borders, work hard, play hard, pay taxes and are willing to give others a fair chance. Our country was founded on the principle of individual freedom and personal responsibility and limited - but purposeful - government and that is where we want to get back to. We believe most of America believes in the same things.

Q: What's all this "individual is sovereign" nonsense? You sound like anarchists!

A: "This is what happens when you let liberals run the schools..." The difference between individual sovereignty in principle and practice is often expressed in the statement: "Your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose." Government is nothing more than a collective decision by the citizens to surrender a small portion of that sovereignty for the good of all. Our educational institutions fail to teach this principle any more -- in fact you may have been taught that "the constitution grants us our rights." This is wrong!

Our Creator granted us our rights. The constitution grants government some privileges, but most importantly, it guarantees our inalienable rights because the founders knew that any government, having received a surrender of sovereignty from its citizens, would inevitably try to collect more and more power from them, until it was the master, and we were the servants once again. Go back and read the preamble -- don't just read the words, but listen to what they're saying to you.

Q: Don't conservatives believe in God? Why are there no social issues such as abortion or gay marriage on your platform?

A: Because we don't believe the federal government has any business imposing a one-size-fits-all solution on the fifty states. There is a difference between social disapproval and social engineering. It works like this: 

"I have the right to live my life as I see fit. You have the right to disapprove of me. You do not have the right to use the powers of the federal government to impose your beliefs on me, a sovereign individual. Nor do I have the right to use federal government power to force you to accept me."

Under the principles of federalism, the states are an appropriate venue for such political endeavors, and are more responsive to the will of the voters anyway. Individual state chapters are encouraged to take positions on these issues if they wish, limited only by the planks of the national party.

Q: You don't seem like most 'conservatives' I know. Why not?

A: Are the 'conservatives' you know the ones you see on TV, or in Congress, or even in the White House?  (Well, before that last election....)  Yeah, we are not like them, because they're creations of the media, their own ambition, and the insular nature of our political culture today. We're ordinary people from the "middle half" of the country. Neither rich, nor poor, just trying to make a living, raise kids, and pay taxes. If we are the kind of conservative that appeals to you, please join us!

 Q: So who are you running for president in 2012?

A: Actually, we don't plan to run anyone for president in 2012. Probably not even in 2016. This could change; in fact we're already fielding House candidates, and we didn't expect to do that until 2012 or 2014.  The original plan was to concentrate on the local offices, and start capturing city councils and school boards. The rot runs deep, and we need to build deep roots to push back against the waste and governmental meddling, so we still have a strong interest in down-ballot races. The Democratic and Republican parties will have to understand that they can't just defeat us in a single election cycle and expect us to go home, like some earlier third-party attempts. 

Q: Is there a local chapter near me?

A: We're still forming chapters in many states (about 15). If there is no local chapter near you, recruit some like-minded friends and start one! Even if you're not the type to do that, register on our forums and stay active. When enough people from one state ask, we will open up a forum for that state. If a cluster develops in one city, we may appoint a group leader to take charge of hosting activities and promoting the party. When we get 3-4 clusters in a state, it's time to start forming a new state chapter.  Sometime, if there's a lot of members in a state, but nothing's sparked yet, we'll appoint a state director to get things moving and get people together.

Q: Where can I get bumper stickers or something to show my party affiliation?

A:  Our Zazzle Store!