| Cover Story A major minor
party: A record-breaking 50 candidates this year are carrying the IAP's message of God and
guns (good), and government and gays (bad).
Jimmy Boegle
"We have the organization, ballot position, the
platform, the history, the dedication, the leadership and the foundation for political
victory. We have faith in Jesus Christ and the power of truth. We need 50 Nevada Citizens
who will stand up as Independent American Candidates to promote AMERICANISM."
-Daniel Hansen, "The Independent American Challenge for
Election 2002"
Christopher Hansen and his son Nicholas were at the Home Depot
getting materials for a construction project when Christopher's cell phone rang. It was
one of his nephews, and he had some horrible news: Daniel Hansen, Christopher's older
brother, was dead following a rollover accident on Interstate 80.
"We fell on the floor and wept and screamed for 15
minutes," said Christopher, breaking into tears. "I have never experienced
anything that was so horrible as the loss of my brother."
The Jan. 22 accident that killed Daniel, the 60-year-old founder
of Nevada's Independent American Party, could not have happened at a more ironic time. He
was killed (as was a good Samaritan, Keith Strande, 19, of Billings, Mont., who was hit by
a skidding semi after he stopped to help Daniel's wife) on the anniversary of the U.S.
Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion. That was a day that Daniel saw
as one of the country's darkest.
It happened as Daniel was returning from the national
Independent American Party convention, where he had been a speaker. It happened as
Nevada's party was at its peak, with nearly 14,000 registered voters - more than all the
other third parties combined. It happened as the IAP was riding high from the 2000 success
of Ballot Question 2, the so-called "Protection of Marriage" Initiative - a
measure that received 70 percent of the vote after making the ballot in large part due to
the efforts of IAP members. And finally, it happened after Daniel had publicly stated a
goal for the IAP to get 50 candidates on the ballot in 2000 - a number more than twice the
party's previous high, and a number that would have made the IAP one of the most notable
third parties in Nevada history.
Daniel's death left many wondering about the party's future.
Mesquite Mayor Chuck Horne, who is one of the party's only office-holders, said at the
time that Daniel's death was a huge blow to the party.
"There's no question about it: He was the spark plug that
put in the greatest effort and passion," Horne said. "You can't take that kind
of energy away and not have it affect the party."
Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of
Nevada, Reno, even said then that Daniel's death could threaten the IAP's existence.
"When somebody so central suddenly disappears, it's
difficult for the party to go on," Herzik said. "It's a huge blow. It's very
hard for a third party to lose a central figure and keep any momentum."
But instead of killing the momentum, Daniel's death had the
opposite effect. Instead of falling apart, the party rallied around Hansen's dream. The
Hansen family - which has always dominated the IAP - and other party loyalists rallied;
and when the filing deadline came, somehow - IAP members call it a miracle - there were 50
candidates.
"One thing we knew was that we were going to go out there
for my brother," Christopher said.
Let's step back for a minute and put the IAP's 50-candidate
slate in perspective. Herzik, who now says he's surprised that the IAP responded so well
following Daniel's death, says only one third party in Nevada history has made more of a
ruckus than the IAP, and that happened a century ago.
In 1892, at a time when mining interests were the dominant power
in the state, a number of state leaders - desiring the increased use of silver in coins -
formed the Silver Party. What happened that year was stunning - the new party went from
nonexistence to dominating the state Legislature, capitalizing on the fact that the
desired free coinage of silver was the preeminent issue in the state. For 16 years, the
Silver Party was the state's dominant party before the issue's importance subsided. The
party ended up merging with the Democrats.
But, according to Herzik, the differences in the situations of
the Silver Party and the IAP are numerous. The biggest: The Silver Party was close to the
mainstream, while the IAP, according to most observers, is not.
"[The IAP] doesn't have much of a reach into the general
electorate," Herzik said. "What they've done is impressive - they're doing
everything right - but I don't think they're a big threat."
The IAP platform makes the Republicans look like left-wing
liberals. It includes planks calling for:
-- The United States to withdraw from the United Nations and
other organizations (such as NATO) that are threatening the country's sovereignty
-- The repeal of the "debt money system" currently
being run by the Federal Reserve, which the IAP claims effectively creates money by
creating debt
-- A restoration of Christian principles in government, which
would oppose such things as homosexuality
-- The abolishment of the income tax and the Internal Revenue
Service
-- School choice and the abolishment of large, godless
organizations such as the Clark County School District
-- The state taking back federally owned lands, and the removal
of such organizations as the Bureau of Land Management; this, the IAP claims, would
protect Yucca Mountain from becoming a nuclear waste dump
-- The protection of the right to bear arms
-- The illegalization of euthanasia and abortion
-- The abolishment of the 14th Amendment, which the IAP claims
was not legally ratified
-- The abolishment of attempts to create a national ID card,
including the Social Security number.
And this is just a start. Some members of the IAP go even
further; Christopher Hansen, who is running for secretary of state, made the news recently
by saying that he and about 10 other IAP candidates will refuse to file campaign
contribution and financial disclosure statements with the Secretary of State's Office and
the Ethics Commission. These forms violate the state and federal constitutions,
Christopher says.
"If I want to report who's giving me money, I can put that
in the newspaper," he said. "The government doesn't have to do it."
If you talk to any gung-ho member of the IAP, there's a
recurring theme: The government is broken, and it needs to be massively overhauled. The
states need to be given more control, and Christian principles need to be a part of our
nation's structure. Christianity leads to freedom; godlessness leads to destruction.
Beliefs and actions that go against the IAP's version of Christian principles - like
homosexuality, abortion, etc. - need to be stopped. Otherwise, the political system will
self-destruct.
"Show me a country that has religious freedom that's not
based on Christianity," Christopher said. "Christianity allows for other people
to practice their religions."
Not surprisingly, the IAP platform alarms a number of people.
"They're the local representation of something we see
happening around the world, and that's right-wing groups playing into people's
fears," said Paul Brown, the Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership
Alliance of Nevada. "... Those that have anger and hatred, this is the party for
them."
However, the IAP disagrees with such assessments. They say that
people like Herzik and Brown are wrong - that the party's beliefs are more mainstream than
they are radical.
Joel Hansen, a local attorney and a Clark County district
attorney candidate who is Christopher's brother, referred to a number of issues on which
the IAP represents widely held views. He pointed out that 70 percent of voters approved
Question 2, an effort spearheaded by the IAP. He accurately stated that the IAP is the
only statewide party currently with a plank opposing abortion, which represents the
beliefs of about a third of Nevadans. Many Nevadans believe in the right to bear arms, and
many Nevadans would love to see the income tax lowered or eliminated, he said. Finally,
Yucca Mountain would not be an issue right now if Nevada functioned as a sovereign U.S.
state, and demanded control of federal lands.
"These are not radical positions," Hansen said.
While Joel Hansen has some points, it's undeniable that some of
the IAP's beliefs and rhetoric aren't exactly mainstream. And some of the IAP's rhetoric
can be over-the-top. Daniel Hansen was well-known for protesting gay pride events and
calling homosexuals things like "Sodomites"; whenever a Reno journalist needed a
quick, inflammatory anti-gay quote, he was the source. Christopher Hansen likes wearing
T-shirts that say things like "Jail for Judges," boasts that he does not file
his income tax forms, and frequently antagonizes his opponents on the Las Vegas
Review-Journal's online forum. Heck, even the IAP logo is a minuteman holding a rifle.
But that begs the question: If the party is so radical, why is
it now among the ranks of Nevada's most prominent third parties ever?
erzik said the IAP's surge reflects its persistence and strong
organizational skills over the last decade.
"They are a group of individuals who realize that they have
to get out there with the party's name," Herzik said. "This is what most third
parties fail to do. ... You know you're going to lose, but it's a way to get your message
out and say, 'Hey, we're a real party.'"
Herzik points to the Reform Party as an example of a third party
that failed to tap into its supporters to get candidates. He also said that the Green
Party - in its second election year with Nevada ballot access - made a mistake by not
getting more candidates on the ballot this year. Six Greens are running for office in
Nevada this year.
Lane Startin, the Green's candidate for the District 1
congressional seat and the de facto Southern Nevada party spokesman, said he didn't
recruit just anybody to run for office as a Green. He wanted only candidates who would
campaign hard for their offices, and that he hopes to triple the number of Green
candidates every election cycle.
"My feeling is that many of these [IAP] candidates are
candidates just to be on the ballot," Startin said. "Lots of them are just
taking up space."
Looking at some of the IAP candidates, Startin may have a point.
The IAP boasts both the youngest and oldest candidates on the ballot. Ruth Hansen, the
86-year-old mother of Christopher, Joel and District 2 congressional candidate Janine, is
running for Washoe County public administrator. And in Clark County, 17-year-old Anna
Kjorvestad is running for the same position (she can run because she'll be 18 before
Election Day). While the IAP claims both candidates are running to win, the jury's still
out.
IAP leaders concede that they're longshots in all their races
this year.
"To be really honest, we haven't expected to win any
elections until this point," said Jess Howe, the IAP party chairman and its candidate
for Clark County assessor.
But this year, Howe said, the party has hope. However, there are
some problems.
"Here's the No. 1 stumbling block: We don't have any
money," Howe said. "We need an angel with lots of money."
Despite the lack of funds, Howe said the party could pick up
some offices in smaller districts. And Herzik, even though he doubts the IAP will win
anything, notes that the party is being smart by pursuing races such as constable, public
administrator and recorder - low-profile offices that people don't know much about.
"That's a very good strategy," Herzik said.
And if there's one thing the IAP has shown it's good at, that is
strategy. The 50 candidates was just one of the party's goals. The party hopes to get more
financing and wins; Christopher Hansen said he'd like to see the party have 100 candidates
in four years.
"We want to become a major party," he said.
While people like Herzik, Brown and Startin say that will never
happen, IAP members remain enthusiastic.
"We're excited about our opportunities," said Janine
Hansen. "We're very well received by the public. A lot of people realize there are no
differences between the Republicans and Democrats."
The major party aspirations, for now, are just talk. The IAP is
just enjoying the ride and the attention the party has been getting.
On a nearly weekly basis, the IAP and its members have found
themselves in the news lately because of one issue or another. In late May, the Nevada
Committee for Full Statehood - headed by Janine Hansen with a number of IAP candidates as
members - were involved in a fray in Palomino Valley, where the Bureau of Land Management
seized and subsequently sold 150 head of cattle that belonged to Western Shoshones. The
BLM claimed the cattle were grazing there illegally; the Shoshones and the Committee
claimed the Shoshones own the land under the Ruby Valley Treaty of 1863.
Next, Christopher Hansen made the papers with the aforementioned
challenge of the Secretary of State and the Ethics Commission when he announced that he
and about 10 candidates refused to file their contribution and financial disclosure forms.
His stance: It's unconstitutional - and not anybody's business - to make candidates
disclose what the income sources of all members of their household are.
"I sent in their fascist form filed [sic] out only with I
plead the 5th on every question attached to a letter that says the United States Supreme
Court said I do not have to answer their questions," Christopher Hansen said in a
news release earlier this month. "I will never comply to this unconstitutional
regulation. I have tried for years to get the Commission to act against me and they
refuse. Well I am not going away and I am not giving them any information. If I do not
have to comply why should anybody comply?"
Finally, the IAP was back in the news last week when
Christopher's son, Nicholas, was booted off the ballot by Clark District Court Judge Sally
Loehrer. Nicholas was running for Henderson constable, and the incumbent, Earl T.
Mitchell, challenged his candidacy because Nicholas is only 20. Mitchell claimed that a
statute says a peace officer must be 21 to be "appointed" to the position.
Nicholas - and his attorneys, uncle Joel and cousin Greg - countered that Nicholas isn't
being appointed, but elected, and that the laws very clearly say a constable candidate
must only be 18.
Much to the Hansens' surprise, Loehrer disqualified Nicholas
from the ballot, but not over the age issue. Basing her ruling on another statute - one
that defines the duties of a constable - she said that he couldn't run because he's not a
peace officer.
The ruling stunned many observers, because a whole bunch of
people running for constable aren't peace officers (even though only Nicholas was
officially removed from the ballot at the time of her ruling). To put it nicely, Loehrer's
ruling doesn't seem to make much sense to a lot of observers.
"This means that you have to be a constable to be a
constable," said Greg Hansen.
The Hansens immediately said they would appeal the matter to the
Nevada Supreme Court. And while surprised by the ruling, they were far from upset by it.
"We enjoy the challenge, and we enjoy the coverage it gives
us," Greg said.
Christopher Hansen was downright giddy following the loss, which
led to prominent coverage in both Las Vegas dailies.
"We lost today. That is wonderful news," he said.
The attention, the getting of the government's goat, the
challenge - those are things the IAP thrives on. And it's something that shows that even
though the IAP may never reach its goal of becoming a major party, it won't go away,
either, as long as Daniel Hansen's brothers, sisters and followers hang around, battling
to keep his dream alive.
"Dan had an old saying," Christopher said. "It
went something like, 'Whatever direction we fire in, we're shooting at the enemy, because
we're surrounded.' Isn't it great?"
Jimmy Boegle is CityLife's news editor. He can be reached at
871-6780 ext. 344 or jimmyb@lvpress.com.
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