The Modern Whig Party says it now has 3,000 members and is growing. An IPR reader reports that the Modern Whigs will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Military Times newspaper.
The Modern Whig Party aims to be a centrist alternative to Democratic liberalism and Republican conservatism. Its Web site says the party is the “fastest growing mainstream political party” in the United States.
The cornerstone issue of the Modern Whig Party is a concept called “economic distribution.” Here’s what’s meant by that:
The Modern Whig philosophy is to empower the states with the resources to handle their unique affairs. The logic is that people in Alabama should not always have to flip the bill for earmarks that occur in New York and vice versa. For example, a senator from Oklahoma is currently using his committee powers to stifle an important transportation project in Virginia. The reality is that the more local one gets, the more in tune with the unique and specific needs of that area. This is why we propose that federal tax dollars be provided to each state in a lump sum every fiscal year based on population. This eliminates the need for most earmarks and pork-barrel spending as the onus will then be on state legislators and governors to allocate funding for issues that they see fit. Of course the federal government will still vote on other special projects and traditionally federal items, but these projects will be more manageable to monitor. In addition, the allocations to the states also provides a better opportunity to balance the federal budget while also forcing local voters to pay more attention to state elected officials.
On other issues:
Iraq: They support pulling U.S. forces out, except for a small base to be maintained in the Kurdish area of the country.
Energy and National Security: The Whigs lump the two issues together, saying it’s important we get off “foreign oil” in order to be secure.
Immigration: They say that while illegal immigrants theoretically should be deported, it just isn’t practical. Instead, the Whigs want to offer American citizenship to immigrants who sign up and serve the U.S. military.
Trade: The Whigs want to offer “tiered subsidies” to American companies that agree to pull out of China.
Israel: They support a two-state solution.
Christmas: Don’t mess with it.
Gay Rights: The Whigs say states can “determine the rights” of homosexuals , but at the same time, the Whigs support federal hate-crimes legislation being applied to gay bashers.
Abortion: Like the Libertarian Party and most of America, the Whigs are split on the issue. They say abortion legislation should be determined at the state level.
Affirmative Action: They’re against it.
Science and Technology: Here the Whigs take an uncharacteristically capitalist stance. They support the privatization of space, because “[t]aking away the government monopoly and allowing capitalism into the exploration business will exponentially expand our technology base and further the growth of mankind.”
Read more about the Modern Whig Party.
According to the Pew Research Center, a non-advocacy organization that evaluates issues, attitudes and trends shaping the political landscape of the United States, centrism is on the rise in America. According to Pew, the number of Americans identifying themselves as independents has reached the highest level in 70 years.

Recently 36% of Americans say they are independents, 35% identify as Democrats, while 23% see themselves as Republicans. Some people are abandoning the major parties, re-registering as independent or joining third parties.

One of these third parties are the Modern Whig Party (MWP), who have enjoyed phenomenal growth over the past year; from just 3,000 members last summer to 30,000 now. With the Party's commitment to "fiscal responsibility" and "bold social progression", several conservative Democrats and centrist Republicans have been attracted to it.

''Wikinews'' reporter Joseph Ford recently spoke with the Modern Whig Party's chairman, Mike Lebowitz, about the MWP's history, present state and future prospects. "Our membership is comprised of people from all parts of the mainstream political spectrum," Lebowitz explains. He says that the MWP has "pragmatic, realistic, and mainstream" approaches to the numerous issues facing America today.

"A number of print and broadcast media outlets have even gone so far as to proclaim that the Modern Whig Party is "potentially viable," and "makes sense"," Lebowitz points out. "We are building this organization realistically, methodically and gradually in an effort to get this right."

He went on to say much more — including why he thinks you should consider leaving the GOP or the Dems for the MWP — in the interview below.