The Prohibition Party reportedly has splits aplenty.

A split that’s somewhat analogous (analogous in my mind solely because it’s the only point of reference I have here) to the split that occurred in the Reform Party in the year 2000, wherein, as you recall, Pat Buchannan and John Hagelin both accepted the nomination and staged concurrent conventions. (Mish-mashery of political philosophies came to rot, as the cult of Ross Perot faded, the cult of Ventura wasn’t quite cementing, Buchannan looked for a home and stormed the party with his Brigades, to the horror of some Reform Party minions, who gravitated toward anyone who cared, and that was Hagelin who schlepped on in.)

In the case of the Prohibition Party, first came the disatisfaction over the party’s dwindling fortunes:

After Dodge captured just 208 votes in the 2000 election — the party’s worst finish in nearly 130 years — a faction within the party wanted new leadership. They argued that Dodge ran the party like a personal fiefdom and seemed to be using the party to promote his personal business activities (i.e., selling campaign buttons).

Then came the revolt.

The anti-Dodge faction — which grew out of activists within the Partisan Prohibiton Historical Society — called a national meeting and wrested control of the party’s national committee away from Dodge in September 2003. The Prohibition National Committee elected Don Webb of Alabama as the new National Chairman and retired Dodge to “Chairman Emeritus.”

But, was the coup legitimate?

However, that came too late to stop Dodge from calling a Presidential Nominating Convention in August 2003. Dodge’s “convention” consisted of eight people — most of whom were Dodge relatives — who met in Dodge’s living room and nominated Dodge again for President.

And, we have the controversy, exploding in the party’s face, where the two sides are going to work out their differences through litigation… the Reformers of the Party charging forth with GENE AMONDSON, Historical Recreationist of Prohibitionist Glory Past…

Hm… Looking forward to the Past?

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