America First Then And Now
By Bob Small
America First. What exactly do we mean when we say America First?. Well, it depends on which organization or political party that we consult. We came across America First P.A C.T., in an internet comments section. America First P.A.C.T. , which has a Pa. Chapter. Some of their priorities are secure borders, along with freedom of speech and term limits, among others.
There is also the America First Policy Institute, with its Pennsylvania chapter America First Pennsylvania | State Chapter. One of the “advisors” is Ivanka Trump. They list some of their Policies as “expanding Pennsylvania’s energy leadership and Keeping Pennsylvania’s streets safe”
The most recent America First Party is the brainchild of Patrick Buchanan America First Party and they have a currently active website, without an active Pennsylvania Party, though they are seeking someone to start one. Their current platform — Platform of the America First Party — includes The Constitution does not empower the Federal Government to police the world or protect other nations. The Constitution does not allow our nation’s armed forces ever to be under foreign command, which has become common practice under present UN and NATO deployment. It also notes that there are US Troops in over 100 countries and discuss the Federal government taking private control of lands in California and Oregon.
America to these groups seems open to anyone who shares their viewpoints, not just white Christian males as their opponents allege.
This is unlike the 1943 America First Party, which was a gathering of American fascists and isolationists. One of their more well-known leaders was the noted Anti-Semite Gerald L. K. Smith who eventually ran for president on the 1944 America First ticket where he and Harry Romer (a Father Coughlin acolyte) garnered 1,780 votes out of a total of 47 million cast.
The mistrust of many to the America First rubric can be traced to this party.
Lastly, there is also the America Second theory — America Second by Isaac Stone Fish: 9780525657712 — espoused by Issac Stone Fish in which he describes Henry Kissinger as“an agent of Chinese influence”.
We’re sure this is slander, right?
Concise and informative — thank you!
To state “The mistrust of many to the America First rubric can be traced to this (1943 America First) party” I believe is simply not accurate.
Many Americans today are terribly uninformed of our history and as a result do not have a grasp of current events let alone recent history let alone mid twentieth century events.
Go to any college campus today and ask a dozen random students who the Allied forces and Axis powers were during the Second World War.
Liberals and their Democrat counterparts hate America simply because they are filled with hate. Theirs is not rational thinking or behavior.
I would make the point that the Hate America crowd has disdain for America First primarily because of Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan a close second and all the other potential reasons as a distant third.
That’s the truth!
Great article!