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{{Infobox Politician
|honorific-prefix=Rev. Dr.
|image name=CBaldwin08.jpg
|nominee=[[United States presidential election, 2008|President of the United States]]
|election_date=November 4, 2008
|runningmate=[[Darrell Castle]]
|opponent=[[Bob Barr]] ([[LPUS|L]])<br>[[John McCain]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]<small></small>)<br>[[Cynthia McKinney]] ([[GPUS|G]]<small></small>)<br>[[Ralph Nader]] ([[Independent (politician)|I]])<br>[[Barack Obama]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])<br>[[United States presidential candidates, 2008|Others]]
|incumbent=[[George W. Bush]]
|party=[[USTP|Constitution Party]]}}
{{Infobox Politician
|honorific-prefix=Rev. Dr.
|nominee=[[United States presidential election, 2004|Vice President of the United States]]
|election_date=November 2, 2004
|runningmate=[[Michael Peroutka]]
|opponent=[[Peter Camejo]] (I)<br>[[Richard Campagna]] (L)<br>[[Dick Cheney]] (R)<br>[[John Edwards]] (D)<br>[[Pat LaMarche]] (G)<br>[[List of candidates in the United States presidential election, 2004|Others]]
|incumbent=[[Dick Cheney]]
|party=[[USTP|Constitution Party]]
|birth_date={{birth date and age|mf=yes|1952|5|3}}
|birth_place=[[La Porte, Indiana]], USA
|occupation=[[Baptist]] [[pastor]], [[radio host]]
|residence=[[Pensacola]], [[Florida]], USA
|spouse=Connie Kay Cole Baldwin (married since 1973)
|website=[http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com Chuck Baldwin Live]<br>[http://www.baldwin2008.com Baldwin 2008]
|children=Sarah, Christopher, Timothy}}
'''Charles O. "Chuck" Baldwin ''' (born May 3, 1952) is a founder-[[pastor]] of Crossroad [[Independent Baptist|Baptist]] Church in [[Pensacola]], [[Florida]], and 2008 [[U.S. president]]ial nominee of the [[USTP|Constitution Party]]. He was also the Constitution Party nominee for [[U.S. vice president]] in 2004. He hosts a daily one-hour radio program, "Chuck Baldwin Live", and writes a daily editorial column carried on its website, on [[VDare]], and in several newspapers.

As a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] member, Baldwin was state chair of the [[Florida]] [[Moral Majority]] in the 1980s. However, during the 2000 campaign of Republican [[George W. Bush]] for [[U.S. President]], Baldwin vacated the party and began a long period of criticism of Bush. Baldwin endorsed [[U.S. Representative]] [[Ron Paul]] for the 2008 Republican nomination for president, and Paul in turn endorsed Baldwin for the presidency in the [[P2008|2008 general election]]; the two have similar platforms. Baldwin strongly opposes the [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|new world order]], the [[United Nations]], [[U.S. income taxes]], the [[Patriot Act]], and assaults on individual [[liberties]] in general; he would withdraw troops from [[Iraq]] and attempt to end [[illegal immigration]]. Emphasizing America's [[Christian]] heritage, he strongly supports the [[gold standard]], the [[right to keep and bear arms]], [[homeschooling]], and [[pro-life]] legislation such as the [[Sanctity of Life Act]].

==Family and education==
Baldwin's father, Edwin J. "Ed" Baldwin, was born on March 1, 1907, in [[Lake, Michigan]], to Zora Mary Baldwin (1889–1973) and Arthur Baldwin (1881–1962), a farmer, carpenter, and construction foreman. The family moved to [[Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]], before 1910, after which Ed's four siblings Ruth, Nina, Arthur (Bud), and Eugene (Gene) were born. Ed grew up to marry Sarah L. Baldwin, became a master [[welder]], and was loyal to the [[Teamsters]] union and the [[Dems|Democratic Party]]; Bud was a master [[plumber]] and Gene a grade one [[machinist]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wargs.com/political/baldwin.html|title=The Ancestors of Charles "Chuck" Baldwin|author=Reitwiesner, William Addams, and Battle, Robert|publisher=Wargs|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref><ref name=bt>{{cite news|url=http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/baldwin/080229|publisher=[[Renew America]]|author=Baldwin, Chuck|date=2008-02-29|accessdate=2008-10-20|title=A tribute to my dad}}</ref>

In response to the bombing of [[Pearl Harbor]], the three brothers volunteered for [[World War II]] on December 8, 1941: Bud served the [[U.S. Navy]] throughout the war, Gene became a [[U.S. Marine]] and was wounded in the Pacific, and Ed was asked to serve at home and, in his son's retelling, was then selected to help construct the first [[atomic bomb]]. However, Ed had also lost his first wife due to his years of [[alcoholism]].<ref name=bt/>

After the war, Ed left Arkansas and found work in [[La Porte, Indiana]] (where he lived until his death in early 1993); he was the only one of the Baldwin clan (also including his in-laws) not to remain a lifelong [[Arkansan]].<ref name=me/> In 1947, while in poor health, Ed "gave his heart to the Lord" in a [[salvation]] experience, and reportedly never drank again. Ed had remarried, and, though only 5'6", conducted a successful volunteer [[chaplain]]cy in [[La Porte County]] Jail, [[Indiana State Prison]], and other northern [[Indiana]] prisons for 35 years; he was regarded as an effective soulwinner and as having a special ministry to black inmates.<ref name=bt/> Ed's life story was dramatized for radio by [[Pacific Garden Mission]] for its "[[Unshackled!]]" series.<ref name=cpt>{{cite news|url=http://www.cptexas.org/sketch.html|title=Dr. Chuck Baldwin: A Biographical Sketch|publisher=[[USTP|Constitution Party]] of [[Texas]]|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

Ed's son, Charles "Chuck" Baldwin, was born in [[La Porte, Indiana]], in [[La Porte County]], on May 3, 1952. Baldwin graduated from La Porte High School in 1971, and attended [[Midwestern Baptist College]] in [[Pontiac, Michigan]], for two years. He met Connie Kay Cole there, and married her on June 2, 1973.<ref name=cpt/> Though he originally had planned on a career in law enforcement, Baldwin felt called to evangelistic ministry;<ref name=bt/> he moved permanently to the south,<ref name=me/> and enrolled in, and graduated with a [[Bible]] diploma from, the Thomas Road Bible Institute (now the Liberty Bible Institute at [[Liberty University]]). He then earned his [[bachelor's]] and [[master's]] in [[theology]] through external programs from [[Christian Bible College]] in [[Rocky Mount, North Carolina]]. Baldwin has received two honorary [[doctor of divinity]] degrees, from Christian Bible College and from [[Trinity Baptist College]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]].<ref name=cpt/>

On June 22, 1975, Chuck and Connie Baldwin and four other individuals held the first meeting of what would become the Crossroad [[Independent Baptist|Baptist]] Church in [[Pensacola]], [[Florida]]; Baldwin was the founding [[pastor]]. By 1985 the church had gone through repeated building programs and been recognized by President [[Ronald Reagan]] for its unusual growth and influence. Its speakers have included [[Jerry Falwell]], [[Pat Buchanan]], and [[Judge Roy Moore]].<ref name=cpt/>

The Baldwins have three children. Sarah is the oldest; she and her husband, structural engineer Allan Baker, are church youth leaders and have three children of their own, Emily, Jay, and Amy. Second is Christopher (Chris), who owns a plumbing business; he and his wife, contractor Jana Baldwin née McCoy, also have three children (the oldest is Charles). Third is Timothy, who is still single; he became a felony prosecutor for the [[Florida Attorney General]] after law school, and is also a church special music leader.<ref name=me/><ref name=cpt/>

==Political activity==
Until he became a Republican in 1980, Baldwin had been a registered Democrat, like his father.<ref name=me/> From 1980 to 1984, Baldwin served as Pensacola chair and then state executive director of the [[Florida]] [[Moral Majority]], organized by Rev. [[Jerry Falwell]] of [[Lynchburg, Virginia]].<ref name=cpt/> Baldwin helped carry the state twice for [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] electors; he says he helped Falwell register some fifty thousand Christian conservative voters.<ref name=b1207/> Even Baldwin's father Ed, a lifelong Democrat, expressed grudging admiration for what he saw as Reagan's honesty and courage.<ref name=bt/> By the mid-1990s, Baldwin had a call-in radio show on the Christian Patriot Network.<ref name=adl/>

In 2000, however, Baldwin left the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] on grounds that the [[George W. Bush|Bush]]–[[Dick Cheney|Cheney]] ticket was too [[liberalism in the United States|liberal]]. Baldwin considers [[George W. Bush]]'s positions roughly equivalent to those of national Democrats,<ref name="The Bush Record">{{cite web|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/bushrecord.html|title=The Bush Record|last=Baldwin|first=Chuck|language=English|accessdate=2008-10-30}}</ref> and has said that many evangelical minds, similarly to ministers in [[Nazi Germany]], have seemingly given Bush "the aura of an American Fuhrer".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin281.htm|author=Baldwin, Chuck|title=Are We Witnessing the Rise of the Fourth Reich?|publisher=[[NewsWithViews.com]]|work=Food for Thought|date=2006-02-07|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> He considered himself an [[independent (politician)|independent]] affiliated with the [[USTP|Constitution Party]].<ref name=me/>

At about this time, Baldwin began hosting a local daily one-hour current-events radio program, "Chuck Baldwin Live", which continues today nationwide on the [[GCN|Genesis Communications Network]]. He writes a daily editorial column carried on its website, on [[VDare]], and in several newspapers. He has also appeared on numerous television shows, on radio shows such as "[[The Political Cesspool]]" (a controversial "conservative populist" radio talk show),<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thepoliticalcesspool.org/guestlist.php|title=Guest List|publisher=[[Political Cesspool]]|work=The Political Cesspool Radio Program|quote=The following list is a sampling of the individuals who have appeared on ''The Political Cesspool Radio Program'' as our esteemed guests.|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> in churches across the country, and as the keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary of [[D-Day]] at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]].<ref name=cpt/>

===2004 vice presidential campaign===
In the [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election]], Baldwin was the running mate of [[Michael Peroutka]] of [[Maryland]], and was the candidate for [[U.S. vice president]] on the Constitution Party ticket, the [[Alaskan Independence Party]] ticket, and other tickets and qualified [[write-in]] slots in 42 states. The two ran on a platform of "For God, Family, and the Republic". The Peroutka–Baldwin campaign publicly spoke out against [[abortion]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://peroutka2004.com/schedule/index.php?action=itemview&event_id=189|title=An Abortion Free America by January 2005|date=2004-05-14|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=Defend the Family|publisher=[[Peroutka 2004]]|author=[[Michael Peroutka|Peroutka, Michael A.]]}}</ref> [[women in the military]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://peroutka2004.com/schedule/index.php?action=eventview&event_id=206|title=A Special Memorial Day Message|date=2004-05-29|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=Schedule & Archive|publisher=[[Peroutka 2004]]|author=[[Michael Peroutka|Peroutka, Michael A.]]}}</ref> and the [[Iraq War]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://peroutka2004.com/schedule/index.php?action=eventview&event_id=32|title=Terror is Not an Enemy. Terror is the TACTIC of an Enemy!|date=2004-02-02|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=Schedule & Archive|publisher=[[Peroutka 2004]]|author=[[Michael Peroutka|Peroutka, Michael A.]]}}</ref> and emphasized the [[Bible]], [[tradition]]al [[family values]], and the need for [[U.S. Constitution|Constitutionally]] limited government.

On August 14, 2004, the Clarion Call to Converge Committee hosted discussions of potential strategic merger among the [[America First Party (2002)|America First Party]], the [[American Independent Party]], and the [[Independent American Party]]; invited [[Constitution Party]] chair [[Jim Clymer]] was unable to attend due to [[Hurricane Charley]]. While the Committee found the meeting favorable toward some party merger,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40124|title=3rd parties to merge into 1?: Representatives meet to discuss uniting forces|date=2004-08-25|accessdate=2008-10-20|publisher=[[WorldNetDaily]]}}</ref> AFP national chair Dan Charles saw other forms of party cooperation to be more likely.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://americafirstparty.org/archive/charles_cccc_reply.shtml|title=National Chairman Sets Record Straight on Third-Party Discussions|date=2004-08-26|author=Charles, Dan|publisher=[[America First Party (2002)|America First Party]]|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> In the end, the four parties succeeded in uniting to endorse Peroutka–Baldwin as their 2004 presidential ticket.

Peroutka and Baldwin were also endorsed by many [[paleoconservative]]s, the [[Alaskan Independence Party]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://freedomwriter.com/issue29/ak21.htm|publisher=FreedomWriter|work=Headline News: Alaska|title=AIP Elects New Officers: Endorses Constitution Party's Presidential Candidate|author=Chrysom, Mark|date=2004-03-13|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> the [[League of the South]] (accepted by Peroutka at its 2004 national convention), the [[Southern Party]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://spofga.org/build/2004/sept/southerners_for_peroutka.phtml|title=Southerners for Peroutka|author=Riley, P. Leslie, Jr.|publisher=[[Southern Party]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]|date=September 2004|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> [[Samuel Francis]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vdare.com/francis/peroutka.htm|author=[[Samuel Francis|Francis, Sam]]|title=Peroutka For President: Wasting A Vote—Or Sending A Message?|publisher=[[Creators Syndicate]]|work=[[VDare]]|date=2004-07-29|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> [[Alex Jones (radio)|Alex Jones]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indybay.org/olduploads/constitution_party_presidential_candidate_michael_anthony_peroutka.mp3|format=MP3|title=Alex Jones interviews Constitution Party presidential candidate Michael Peroutka|author=[[Alex Jones (radio)|Jones, Alex]]|publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center|date=2004-10-22|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> [[Howard Phillips]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://amconmag.com/2004_11_08/cover3.html|title=Constitutionally Correct Peroutka|author=[[Howard Phillips|Phillips, Howard]]|date=2004-11-08|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=[[The American Conservative]]}}</ref> and [[Taki Theodoracopulos]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://amconmag.com/2004_11_08/taki.html|title=The Real Deal|author=[[Taki Theodoracopulos|Theodoracopulos, Taki]]|date=2004-11-08|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=[[The American Conservative]]}}</ref> [[Pat Buchanan]] also stated there was a chance he would vote for Peroutka–Baldwin, counting them as "a Buchananite party",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5942180|work=[[Hardball with Chris Matthews]]|date=2004-09-07|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=[[Chris Matthews|Matthews, Chris]]|title=Read the complete transcript to Tuesday's show}}</ref> but eventually endorsed Bush.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.amconmag.com/2004/2004_11_08/cover.html|title=Coming Home|author=[[Pat Buchanan|Buchanan, Patrick J.]]|date=2004-11-08|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=[[The American Conservative]]}}</ref> The ticket came in fifth with 143,630 votes (0.12%)<ref>{{cite news|title=Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives|publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]]|date=2004|accessdate=2008-10-20|url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2004/federalelections2004.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref> and spent $728,221,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/cancomsrs/?_04+P40003261|title=Peroutka, Michael Anthony|publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]]|date=2004|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> somewhat less per vote than either [[George W. Bush]] or [[John Kerry]]. It was the only third party to increase its share of the vote in 2004.

===Interim activity===
In the Constitution Party's April 2006 national convention in [[Tampa]], [[Florida]], a heated disaffiliation vote forced members to choose between one of two [[pro-life]] positions. The assembly voted not to disaffiliate the [[Independent American Party of Nevada]] over the more exceptive position of its gubernatorial candidate, Christopher H. Hansen. Baldwin voted in favor of disaffiliation, favoring the more conservative position. Baldwin remained with the party, but several conservative state parties subsequently voted to leave the national party, believing it to have unacceptably compromised its pro-life platform;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thirdpartywatch.com/2006/05/03/statement-from-oregon-cp-chair|title=Statement from Oregon CP Chair ...|publisher=Third Party Watch|author=Franke, David|date=2006-05-03|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> some have since reaffiliated.

In 2007, Baldwin criticized [[Jerry Falwell]] for having supported official Republican nominees in general elections regardless of the candidates' positions on issues vital to conservatives, and for Falwell's past affiliation with George W. Bush.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} After Falwell's death in May, heir [[Jonathan Falwell]], new pastor of [[Thomas Road Baptist Church]], endorsed [[Mike Huckabee]] for the GOP nomination, another candidate that Baldwin had strongly repudiated.

On August 30, 2007, Baldwin wrote an effective endorsement for [[Ron Paul]] for the GOP nomination: "Conservative Republicans have only one choice for President in 2008: Congressman Ron Paul of Texas";<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=36384|title=Conservative Republicans Have Only One Choice In 2008|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Haymin, Bill|work=American Chronicle|date=2007-08-30|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> more formal endorsement of Paul came in a December video.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c84pJ6E7BYg&NR=1|title=Chuck Baldwin Endorses Ron Paul|publisher=[[YouTube]]|format=Video|date=2007-12-19|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Baldwin, Chuck}}</ref> That same month, Baldwin complained of the [[false dichotomy]] of the [[two-party system]]:

{{quotation|Unfortunately, it has been the Christian Right's blind support for President Bush in particular and the Republican Party in general that has precipitated a glaring and perhaps fatal defect: the Christian Right cannot, or will not, honestly face the real danger confronting these United States .... On the whole, they fail to understand the issues that are critical to our nation's—and their own—survival .... Sadly, this is what the Christian Right just doesn't get: ninety percent of the time, it doesn't matter to a tinker's dam whether a Republican or Democrat wins the White House .... All the pro-life, pro-family, traditional-values, conservative talk is just that: talk. Republicans use conservative rhetoric the same way Democrats use liberal rhetoric. Neither party believes what they are telling their constituents. They merely say what constituents want to hear in order to get elected; after which, they set about to do what their elitist, globalist manipulators tell them to do.<ref name=b1207>{{cite news|author=Baldwin, Chuck|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20071207.html|title=Christian Right Just Doesn't Get It|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|date=2007-12-07|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>}}

===2008 presidential campaign===
{{main|Chuck Baldwin presidential campaign, 2008}}
Baldwin's vice presidential run, and Peroutka's withdrawal from the national Constitution Party, led to active 2006 speculation that Baldwin would seek the presidential nomination in 2008. Baldwin responded in October that "I have learned to never say never, but I have no desire to run. [It] would require several 'miraculous' signs of reassurance that, frankly, I cannot see happening. However, I am always open to God's will."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://conservativepresident2008.blogspot.com/2006/10/rev-chuck-baldwin-on-republican-party.html|title=Rev. Chuck Baldwin on the Republican Party and Possible Run for the White House|publisher=Conservative President 2008|author=Miller, Ben|date=2006-10-06|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> He repeated this stance through March 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.millerpolitics.com/6/post/2008/03/baldwin-answers-questions.html|publisher=Miller Politics|title=Baldwin Answers Questions|date=2008-03-25|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

Baldwin announced on April 10, two weeks before the national convention was held in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], that he would make himself available for the party's nomination at the convention, while "not 'running'", but continuing to seek God's will.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/04/10/chuck-baldwin-declares-for-constitution-party-presidential-nomination/|publisher=Ballot Access News|work=Blog Archive|title=Chuck Baldwin Declares for Constitution Party Presidential Nomination|date=2008-04-10|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Winger, Richard}}</ref><ref name=mp2>{{cite news|url=http://www.millerpolitics.com/6/post/2008/04/baldwin-still-a-number-of-obstacles-in-front-of-my-nomination.html|title=Baldwin: 'Still a number of obstacles in front of my nomination'|publisher=Miller Politics|date=2008-04-17|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> A [[Nolan Chart]] writer conveyed speculation that Baldwin's availability may have been responsive to the sudden candidacy of former ambassador [[Alan Keyes]], who strongly favored the [[Iraq war]];<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nolanchart.com/article3570.html|publisher=[[Nolan Chart]]|author=Dance, George|date=2008-04-25|accessdate=2008-10-20|title=Ron Paul supporter Chuck Baldwin runs for President}}</ref> Baldwin, a [[nonintervention]]ist, admitted others "have urged me to place my name in nomination."<ref name=mp2/> In a convention speech, party founder [[Howard Phillips]] endorsed Baldwin and controversially referred to Keyes as a [[neocon]] and a too-recent Republican.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4879860832730250338|title=Howard Phillips endorses Chuck Baldwin at Constitution Party Convention|publisher=[[USTP|Constitution Party]]|format=Video|date=2008-04-26|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=[[Howard Phillips|Phillips, Howard]]}}</ref>

Baldwin was nominated on April 26, 2008, after what was described as the most contentious battle in the party's 16-year history.<ref name=kcs>{{cite news|url=http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/11314|title=Constitution Party stunner: Chuck Baldwin KOs firebrand Alan Keyes|publisher=[[Kansas City Star]]|date=2008-04-26|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Kraske, Steve|work=Prime Buzz}}</ref> He received 383.8 votes, ahead of Keyes, who drew 125.7 votes from delegates;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thirdpartywatch.com/2008/04/26/chuck-baldwin-becomes-the-constitution-party-presidential-nominee/|title=Chuck Baldwin becomes the Constitution Party Presidential Nominee|publisher=Third Party Watch|date=2008-04-26|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Gordon, Stephen}}</ref> Keyes had abandoned the Republicans for the Constitution Party (one month before the Constitution Party convention),<ref name=kcs/> much as Baldwin had done in 2000. Party members such as national chairman [[Jim Clymer]] said Baldwin's stands were more in line with party thinking.<ref name=kcs/> Baldwin asked the convention to nominate bankruptcy attorney [[Darrell Castle]] of [[Tennessee]] as his running mate, and this request was honored.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/04/at-kc-convention-constitution-party-picks-pastor-for-president/| title=At KC convention, Constitution Party picks pastor for president|publisher=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|work=Political Fix|date=2008-04-26|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Mannies, Jo}}</ref>

After [[Ron Paul]] withdrew from the Republican campaign in June, he remained neutral about making a presidential endorsement. On September 10, Paul held a [[National Press Club]] conference at which Baldwin, [[GPUS|Green Party]] nominee [[Cynthia McKinney]], and [[Independent (politician)|independent]] candidate [[Ralph Nader]] all agreed on four principles—quickly ending the [[Iraq war]], protecting [[privacy]] and [[civil liberties]], stopping increases in the [[national debt]], and investigating the [[Federal Reserve]]—and on their opposition to the Democratic and Republican parties ignoring these issues.<ref>{{cite news|title=We Agree|url=http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=457|date=2008-09-10|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=[[Ron Paul|Paul, Ron]]|publisher=[[Campaign for Liberty]]}}</ref> [[LPUS|Libertarian Party]] nominee [[Bob Barr]] followed immediately with his own press conference, affirming his agreement with the same principles as well.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

Paul's advice at the conference was to vote for whichever third-party candidate one has the most affinity to, because "we must maximize the total votes of those rejecting the two major candidates."<ref>{{cite news|title=Ron Paul Statement to the National Press Club: The American Majority|url=http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=456|date=2008-09-10|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=[[Ron Paul|Paul, Ron]]|publisher=[[Campaign for Liberty]]}}</ref> However, on September 22, 2008, Paul stated his neutrality was "due to my respect and friendship and support from both the Constitution and Libertarian Party members... and I’m a ten-term Republican Congressman. It is not against the law to participate in more then one political party." Paul then gave his endorsement to Baldwin: "Unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate ... has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate."<ref name=paul>{{cite news|url=http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=547|title=A New Alliance|author=[[Ron Paul|Paul, Ron]]|publisher=[[Campaign for Liberty]]|date=2008-09-22|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> Paul later clarified that though he would vote for Baldwin, he recognized the diversity of his support base and did not propose to bind anyone's conscience.

Baldwin has written specifically against the candidacies of [[Barack Obama]] and [[John McCain]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2008/cbarchive_20080815.html|title=America's Greatest Threat|date=2008-08-15|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live}}</ref> and those of vice-presidential nominees [[Sarah Palin]] and [[Joe Biden]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2008/cbarchive_20080916.html|title=Sarah Palin's Answers: Very Troubling|date=2008-09-16|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live}}</ref>

==Political positions==
===Foreign policy===
Baldwin supports American sovereignty and is a staunch opponent of the [[new world order]]. He has stated that fighting against one-world government is his top priority. He believes [[globalism]] in government has led to many connected threats and issues, among which he lists [[illegal immigration]], the [[United Nations]], [[NATO]], [[NAFTA]], [[CAFTA]], the [[North American Union]], the [[Trans-Texas Corridor]], the [[Iraq war]], [[People's Republic of China|China]],<ref name=mt>{{cite news|url=http://www.montanasnews.tv/articles.php?mode=view&id=11063|publisher=Montana News Association|title=Baldwin 2008 Presidential Campaign Kicks Off|date=2008-05-22|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> the [[Security and Prosperity Partnership]], and the [[Free Trade Area of the Americas]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-Preserving.cfm|title=Preserving An Independent American Nation|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> He would also effect [[United States withdrawal from the United Nations]] and has pledged to push the UN out of its New York City offices.<ref name=kcs/>

Baldwin believes that "the invasion and occupation of Iraq was absolutely unnecessary"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-ForeignPolicy.cfm|title=A Free And Sovereign Republic, Not A World Empire!|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> and has said his presidency would result in troop withdrawal from Iraq.<ref name=kcs/>

He has written that "the Mexican government is deliberately and systematically working to destabilize and undermine the very fabric and framework of American society."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin293.htm|title=Forget About Civil War In Iraq, One Is Coming To America|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=[[NewsWithViews.com]]|work=Food for Thought|date=2006-04-11|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> He strongly opposes [[amnesty]] for illegal immigrants and would end [[illegal immigration]].<ref name=kcs/>

Baldwin has suggested reopening the investigation into the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], believing that the [[9/11 truth movement]] has a right to have [[alternative 9/11 theories]] investigated, including those that raise the possibility of U.S. government involvement in the attacks.<ref>{{cite news|author=Weigel, Dave|url=http://reason.tv/roughcut/show/436.html|title=Candidates for Truth!: The Constitution Party's Chuck Baldwin questions 9/11|publisher=[[Reason magazine]]|work=Rough Cut|date=2008-05-29|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

===Economy===
Baldwin says he would end all federal income taxes and phase out the [[Internal Revenue Service]].<ref name=kcs/>

Regarding tariffs, Baldwin has made conflicting statements. In an interview, he said "what I would propose is an across-the-board, general 10-percent tariff on all imports and that would meet the Constitution's prescription for financing the federal government—duties, imposts, tariffs"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/election/351|author=Kenny, Jack|publisher=[[The New American]]|work=U.S. News|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20|title=Interview With Chuck Baldwin}}</ref> which, he claims, would also help keep jobs in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-Jobs.cfm|title=American Jobs: Chuck Baldwin supports a tariff policy that will protect American jobs|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> But Baldwin's website says that "a tariff on foreign imports, based on the difference between the foreign item's cost of production abroad and the cost of production of a similar item produced in the United States, would be a Constitutional step toward a fair trade policy that would protect American jobs and, at the same time, raise revenue for our national government."<ref>{{cite web|last=Baldwin|first=Chuck|title=American Jobs|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-Jobs.cfm|accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref>

He has said that as president he would streamline the federal government, and tap oil reserves in Alaska, [[the Dakotas]], and the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. He believes the United States should return to the [[gold standard]].<ref name=kcs/>

===States' rights===
Baldwin believes that "the South was right in the War Between the States" in that participation in the federal government is voluntary, and that the leaders of the [[Confederacy (American Civil War)|Confederacy]] were not necessarily racists. The causes for the secession were numerous and it was not the first time a state challenged the authority of the federal government to force its membership in the union.<ref name=me>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin297.htm|title=Me in a Nutshell|author=Baldwin, Chuck|date=2006-05-02|accessdate=2008-10-20|publisher=[[NewsWithViews.com]]|work=Food for Thought}}</ref> He bemoans George W. Bush's failure to rescind [[executive order]]s by [[Bill Clinton]] that appear to undermine [[states' rights]] and [[private property]] rights.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin20.htm|title=More Facts Conservatives Will Choose To Ignore|date=2002-04-30|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=[[NewsWithViews.com]]|work=Food for Thought|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

===Individual liberties===
Baldwin believes that "America was deliberately and distinctively founded as a haven for Christians"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin153.htm|title='Happy Holidays'—Bah! Humbug!|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=[[NewsWithViews.com]]|work=Food for Thought|date=2004-12-23|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> and he supports the public display of the [[Ten Commandments]] in government buildings.

He says that freedom of association in health care is important: "I strongly support the freedom of choice of practitioner and treatment for all citizens for their health care .... The government should not have the power to force people to receive immunizations or vaccinations."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-HealthCare.cfm|title=Freedom Of Choice In Health Care|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> He also would eliminate the [[Food and Drug Administration]] as unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Chuck_Baldwin.htm|publisher=[[On the Issues]]|date=July 2008|accessdate=2008-10-20|title=Chuck Baldwin on the Issues}}</ref>

Baldwin supports freedom for [[homeschooling]] and private schooling and wants to disband the [[U.S. Department of Education]];<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-The_Education_of_Young_Americans.cfm|title=The Education of Young Americans|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> he says that he would be the best friend homeschoolers have ever had in the [[White House]].<ref name=kcs/>

Baldwin is a strong supporter of the [[Second Amendment]], and he believes that the [[right to keep and bear arms]] should not be infringed by the government:

<blockquote>A Baldwin Administration will uphold the right of the citizens to keep and bear arms and will oppose attempts to prohibit ownership of guns by law-abiding citizens, and, further, will stand against all laws which would require the registration of guns or ammunition .... Richard Henry Lee, a signer of the Declaration, once said, "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." Just as the right to bear arms is necessary in the defense against tyranny, so [too] is that same right vital for the purpose of self-defense .... Firearms are used 60 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives .... The vast majority of the time (92%), the mere presence of a firearm helps to avert a major crime from occurring. That is what Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) concluded after extensive research. According to Rep. Bartlett, the number of defensive uses is four times the number of crimes reported committed with guns.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-Firearms.cfm|title=The Second Amendment Protects Our Liberty|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref></blockquote>

Baldwin had already begun promoting [[militia movement]]s on his radio show as early as 1995.<ref name=adl>{{cite news|url=http://www.courttv.com/archive/legaldocs/misc/militia.html|publisher=[[Anti-Defamation League]]|date=1995|accessdate=2008-10-20|title=Beyond the Bombing: The Militia Menace Grows|author=Strassler, David H., et al.}}</ref> He says that in his opinion, people like [[Morris Dees]], head of the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], try to "pander the market of fear, trying to convince everybody that anyone with a gun, any person who wants to own a gun and anyone who would consider themselves part of a citizen militia is a threat to our government and to our society."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/chief.html|date=1997-05-28|accessdate=2008-10-20|title=Chuck's Interview with Chief of Police, Joe Hendricks|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|author=Baldwin, Chuck}}</ref>

Baldwin opposes the [[Patriot Act]] and related legislation and orders, saying that it "deprives the people of their rights secured under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments under the guise of 'combating terrorism' or 'protecting national security'".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-PersonalFreedom.cfm|title=Personal Freedom in America|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> In relation to airplane captain Don Carty profiling a customer's credentials and behavior, Baldwin stated that "profiling of all sorts is a very necessary tool for effective law enforcement. Only morons would try to hamper a lawman's ability to bring criminals to justice by removing this tool from them."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2002/cbarchive_20020108.html|title=Profiling, Pompousness, and Presidential Madness|date=2002-01-08|accessdate=2008-10-20|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live}}</ref>

Baldwin firmly opposes abortion and ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''. He favors Ron Paul's [[Sanctity of Life Act]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://baldwin08.com/Issue-The_Sanctity_of_Life.cfm|title=The Sanctity of Life|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Baldwin 2008|date=2008|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> and says his presidency would end abortion.<ref name=kcs/>

==Personal views==
Baldwin has several beliefs typically distinctive of [[Independent Baptist]]s, such as the primacy of the local New Testament church, [[premillennial]] [[dispensationalism]], counting [[homosexuality]] as a moral perversion, avoidance of drinking and smoking, and strict diet and exercise.<ref name=me/> He believes that America has evolved to "a matriarchal society"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2004/cbarchive_20040521.html|title=A Serious Deficit of American Manhood|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|date=2004-05-21|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> and that it is losing the "inner toughness" of masculinity.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2006/cbarchive_20060126.html|title=Whatever Happened to Masculinity?|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|date=2006-01-26|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> Baldwin's only organizational memberships are to his church, the [[Constitution Party]], [[Gun Owners of America]], and the [[National Rifle Association]].<ref name=me/>

While Baldwin invites anyone to ask the minority members of his church freely about his own behavior toward minorities,<ref name=me/> he regards black pastor [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], as an apostate for King's having renounced the [[deity]], [[virgin birth]], and physical [[resurrection]] of [[Christ]], as well as the authority and inspiration of the [[Bible]]. Baldwin also considered King a poor role model to have spent the night before his murder with two women, and then to have physically fought with a third; Baldwin added that because "King's coziness with communists and Marxists is undeniable .... the plight of black families today reveals that his legacy is one of destruction not healing."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2002/cbarchive_20020125.html|title=The President's Strange Heroes|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|date=2002-01-25|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

He has also compiled a booklet, "What Every Christian Should Know About Islam", emphasizing, for example, the fact that [[Mohammed]] took [[Aisha]] as a wife when she was only six years old ([[Sahih Bukhari]]) or seven ([[Abu Dawud]], [[Tabari]]; he did not have sex with her until she was nine). Baldwin summarizes [[Muslim persecution of Christians]] by saying, "Only communism rivals Islam in sheer numbers of people persecuted and killed."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.covenantnews.com/baldwin020201.htm|title=What Every Christian Should Know About Islam|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Covenant News|date=2002-02-01|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

In one column, Baldwin listed his personal heroes:
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="25%"|
*[[Abraham]]
*[[John Adams]]
*[[Sam Adams]]
*[[John Calvin]]
*[[George Washington Carver]]
*[[David Crockett]]
*[[David]]
*[[Jonathan Edwards]]
*[[Elijah]]
*[[James Garfield]]
*[[Patrick Henry]]
|width="25%"|
*[[John Hus]]
*[[Andrew Jackson]]
*[[Stonewall Jackson]]
*[[Chappie James]]
*[[John Jay]]
*[[Thomas Jefferson]]
*[[Jehonadab]]
*[[John the Apostle]]
*[[John the Baptist]]
*[[John Knox]]
*[[Robert E. Lee]]
|width="25%"|
*[[John Leland]]
*[[Martin Luther]]
*[[Douglas MacArthur]]
*[[James Madison]]
*[[Moses]]
*[[Nehemiah]]
*[[Paul the Apostle]]
*[[Peter the Apostle]]
*[[Ronald Reagan]]
*[[Theodore Roosevelt]]
|width="25%"|
*[[Charles Haddon Spurgeon]]
*[[William B. Travis]]
*[[William Wallace]]
*[[Booker T. Washington]]
*[[George Washington]]
*[[John Wayne]]
*[[Daniel Webster]]
*[[John Witherspoon]]
*[[John Wycliffe]]
*[[Huldrych Zwingli]]
|}
In the same column, Baldwin scored [[Abraham Lincoln]] and [[Woodrow Wilson]] as being America's worst presidents due to [[collectivist]], big-government tendencies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin462.htm|title=My Heroes Of History|date=2008-08-12|publisher=[[NewsWithViews.com]]|author=Baldwin, Chuck|accessdate=2008-10-20|work=Food for Thought}}</ref>

He enjoys [[hunting]], [[freshwater]] [[recreational fishing]], and watching the [[Green Bay Packers]].<ref name=me/> Among his favorite movies are ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2004/cbarchive_20040309.html|title='The Passion of the Christ' is a Must See Film!|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|date=2004-03-09|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref> and ''[[Gods and Generals]]'', stating that the latter "has the power to change the hearts of millions of people who disdain the Old Confederacy, who misunderstand Southern slavery, and who hold Christianity in contempt."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2003/cbarchive_20030218.html|title=You Gotta See This Movie!|author=Baldwin, Chuck|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live|date=2003-02-18|accessdate=2008-10-20}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|title=The Freedom Documents|author=Baldwin, Chuck, ed.|others=[[Abigail Adams]], [[John Adams]], [[Samuel Adams]], [[Patrick Henry]], [[Robert E. Lee]], [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[Thomas Paine]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Mark Twain]]|language=English|location=Pensacola, FL|publisher=Chuck Baldwin Live Radio Talk Show|year=2001|oclc=212793142}}
*''Let's Look at Legalism''.
*''Subjects Seldom Spoken On: 11 Messages That Will Stimulate Your Mind and Stir Your Heart'', 1990.
*''This Is the Life'' (a verse-by-verse [[exposition]] of the [[Epistles of John]]).
*[http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/speech.html Chuck Baldwin] at Chuck Baldwin Live.
*[http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwina.htm Chuck Baldwin] at [[NewsWithViews.com]].
*[http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/baldwin Chuck Baldwin] at [[Renew America]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.baldwin2008.com/ Baldwin 2008]
*[http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/ Chuck Baldwin Live]
*[http://conservativepresident2008.blogspot.com/2006/10/rev-chuck-baldwin-on-republican-party.html Conservative President 2008 Interview with Chuck Baldwin]
*[http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/election/351 New American Interview with Chuck Baldwin]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Chuck_Baldwin.htm Chuck Baldwin On the Issues]

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{{Lifetime|1952|living|Baldwin, Chuck}}
[[Category:American Baptist ministers]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American radio personalities]]
[[Category:Baptists from the United States]]
[[Category:Christian Bible College alumni]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Florida politicians]]
[[Category:Liberty University alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Constitution Party (United States)]]
[[Category:People from La Porte, Indiana]]
[[Category:People from Pensacola, Florida]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 2008]]
[[Category:United States vice-presidential candidates]]

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Revision as of 12:10, 5 November 2008