Objectivist Party
Encyclopedia
The Objectivist Party is a political party
in the United States
that seeks to promote Ayn Rand
's philosophy of Objectivism
in the political realm. The party was formed on February 2, 2008 by Thomas Stevens; the date was chosen to coincide with Rand's birthday.
The Governing Board of the Objectivist Party currently consists of the following individuals: Dr. Tom Stevens, Dallwyn Merck, Dodge P. Landesman and Jonathan Damgaard Jakobsen.
; thus the repeal of the 16th Amendment
.. The income tax would then be replaced by a Flat Tax
of 10% or Federal sales tax.
, but only as long as violent criminals are not permitted to own any weapon.
, and Alden Link for Vice President
. Stevens lives in New York
and Link maintains residences both in New Jersey
and New York
. Both were delegates to the 2008 Libertarian Party
National Convention, where Stevens was re-elected to the national Libertarian Party's Judicial Committee. The Objectivist Party's ticket of Stevens and Link was listed on the ballot
in two states, Colorado
and Florida
. They received a total of 720 votes, 419 votes in Florida.
from May 29 to May 30, 2010, Tom Stevens and Alden Link were again selected as the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, respectively, for the Objectivist Party nomination in the United States presidential election, 2012
as a result of a unanimous vote by the delegates. Tom Stevens formally declared his candidacy for President on June 13, 2011.
Political parties in the United States
This article presents the historical development and role of political parties in United States politics, and outlines more extensively the significant modern political parties. Throughout most of its history, American politics have been dominated by a two-party system...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that seeks to promote Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
's philosophy of Objectivism
Objectivism (Ayn Rand)
Objectivism is a philosophy created by the Russian-American philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand . Objectivism holds that reality exists independent of consciousness, that human beings have direct contact with reality through sense perception, that one can attain objective knowledge from perception...
in the political realm. The party was formed on February 2, 2008 by Thomas Stevens; the date was chosen to coincide with Rand's birthday.
The Governing Board of the Objectivist Party currently consists of the following individuals: Dr. Tom Stevens, Dallwyn Merck, Dodge P. Landesman and Jonathan Damgaard Jakobsen.
Tax reform
The party believes in the repeal of the federal income taxIncome tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
; thus the repeal of the 16th Amendment
Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution allows the Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on Census results...
.. The income tax would then be replaced by a Flat Tax
Flat tax
A flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
of 10% or Federal sales tax.
Gun rights
The party supports the 2nd AmendmentSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
, but only as long as violent criminals are not permitted to own any weapon.
2008 presidential campaign
The Objectivist Party's nominees in the 2008 United States presidential campaign were party founder Dr. Tom Stevens for PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and Alden Link for Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
. Stevens lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Link maintains residences both in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Both were delegates to the 2008 Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
National Convention, where Stevens was re-elected to the national Libertarian Party's Judicial Committee. The Objectivist Party's ticket of Stevens and Link was listed on the ballot
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
in two states, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. They received a total of 720 votes, 419 votes in Florida.
2012 Presidential Campaign
During the Objectivist Party National Convention in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
from May 29 to May 30, 2010, Tom Stevens and Alden Link were again selected as the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, respectively, for the Objectivist Party nomination in the United States presidential election, 2012
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
as a result of a unanimous vote by the delegates. Tom Stevens formally declared his candidacy for President on June 13, 2011.