What would an America First America be like?

[BrainGlutton]

The America First Party was formed in 2002 by Pat Buchanan supporters who left the Reform Party. The wikipedia gives a good neutral overview of its politics and policies:

The party is largely made up of isolationists and traditional valued populists. They support stricter illegal immigration laws and would seek to end U.S. involvement with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other foreign trade agreements. The America First party opposed the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, which they described as an act of imperialism by the United States and an unconstitutional war.

The party advocates closing all United States Armed Forces bases outside the U.S., and supports transfering more resources to the United States National Guard personnel to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.
Smaller federal government

The party seeks to eliminate several Cabinet departments within the Executive branch of the U.S. federal government, such as the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Education. The party also seeks to eliminate all federal and state funding for schools, believing central government money has led to more central government control over schools; control, the party believes, should rest in the hands of local governments.
Church/State issues

The party seeks to overturn all bans on prayer in public places, including prayer in schools, as well overturn bans on displays of religious icons (such as tablets of the Ten Commandments) on government property and in schools.

See also Buchanan’s weekly magazine, The American Conservative.

In sum, they’re paleocons – flatly hostile to the neocon foreign-policy agenda, almost equally hostile to business conservatives or “Rockefeller Republicans,” and probably suspicious or dismissive of Libertarians. They’re not religious rightists but probably agree with them on most points – the differences are on matters of emphasis. Also they would differ on foreign policy – the “Christian Zionist” justification for America’s support for Israel would find no more acceptance among the America Firsters than any other justification for it.

Whether the America Firsters are racists, or antisemitic, is a more complicated question.

As in the ongoing threads on the Libertarian Party and the Green Party (I’m trying to box the whole compass of American third-party politics) let’s hypothesize the America Firsters come to near-unchallenged power. What would be the effects on America’s polity, society and economy?

[Little_Nemo]

Whether the America Firsters are racists, or antisemitic, is a more complicated question.

I guess their stance is that they’re don’t personally want to kill any blacks or jews, but they’re not going to interfere if you want to.

[BrainGlutton]

@Little Nemo

I guess their stance is that they’re don’t personally want to kill any blacks or jews, but they’re not going to interfere if you want to.

Well, Wikipedia sez:

In July 2003, the Party postponed its scheduled national convention, which was to take place on 24-26 July in Nashville, Tennessee. James “Bo” Gritz, a retired Colonel in the Green Berets and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, was invited to speak at that convention, but was later removed from the speakers’ list because of his alleged connection to white supremacist groups. The party issued a statement shortly after which stated:

“All United States citizens who embrace that Constitution and adopt traditional American values are welcome with open arms into the party. The choice of an individual who supports extreme intolerance was not considered representative of our growing party whose goal is the preservation of the Constitutional Republic envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Anyone who supports theories that we hoped had died with Adolf Hitler is not welcome in the America First Party; and certainly such persons should not, and will not, be invited to speak at our convention.”

Although spokesman who read out that statement just might have been winking at the time . . .

[BrainGlutton]

Surprised no one has popped in yet to defend the AFP – considering we have several Dopers, mentioning no names, whose stated positions on immigration (one of the AFP’s core issues) are practically identical to Buchanan’s, and neither of the main parties really support them (remember who gave us that amnesty program?). In fact, the only other third party which is clearly anti-immigration is the Constitution Party.

[FriarTed]

@Little Nemo

I guess their stance is that they’re don’t personally want to kill any blacks or jews, but they’re not going to interfere if you want to.

Cite?

[kaylasdad99]

How does one cite a guess?

[FRDE]

They sound just fine to me.

An isolationist US government would be appropriate nowadays, while it was a PITA in the 1920s and 30s.

[Common_Tater]

The US is hopelessly entangled in all sorts of treaties, agreements, security arrangements, etc. If Isolationism were ever a good idea, it could be argued that the 20’s would have been just as appropriate then as now, maybe moreso.

[BrainGlutton]

The AFP also supports campaign finance reform:

The source of corruption of our political system that causes so many of our people to turn away in disgust or to adopt an attitude of cynicism instead of optimism is not money but rather the source of that money. Money is merely the megaphone. The America First Party holds that government of, by, and for the people cannot endure when our political conversation is controlled and polluted by corporations interested in profits instead of the best interests of the American people. We believe that the protections of the 1st Amendment were primarily designed to political speech of individual citizens. We also believe that individual citizens have a constitutional right to speak on the issues of the day, to assemble collectively to do so, and to influence the elections in which they can vote and to know who is attempting to influence their vote. We shall promote and enact the following reforms of our campaign finance system:

1. All election laws should be vigorously enforced, and the penalties should serve as a deterrent. 
   

2. The states shall be permitted to experiment with different forms of campaign finance reform, so long as they protect the rights of citizen participation and equal access irrespective of party affiliation. 
   

3. All donations to political organizations, be they issue-oriented, political parties, or candidate committees, must come from actual persons who are citizens and registered to vote or from other political committees. 
   

4. At least 50% of the funds donated to a candidate committee must come from citizens who can vote for the candidate. 
   

5. All political organizations shall disclose the source of every donation within 48 hours of receipt in a manner easily accessible to the public. 
   

6. All political organization shall have equal access to all forms of advertisement. 
   

7. In all political advertisements that mention a candidate, show the likeness of one, or take a position on a referendum before the people, the five largest sources of funds for the organization or person that puts the add forward should be shown is a visible manner. 
   

8. The Federal Election Commission is supposed to be the people's watchdog and nonpartisan oversight of the election processes. One-third of the American people belong to neither major party. Therefore, one-third of the membership of the FEC should be independent of the major parties. 
   

9. In matters of political speech, the 1st Amendment does not apply to corporations or non-citizens. 
   

10. All candidate forums which are broadcast or published and contain candidates from more than one political party must include all candidates who can legally win the office.

This, more than anything else, distinguishes them from the business-conservatives and marks them out as a genuine populist party aiming to curtail the disproportionate political power of the rich and the corporation.

Which means their prospects for success are probably very slim . . .