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The obvious factor that will increase Johnson's chance to prevent either Trump or Hillary from getting a majority of the electoral college is the press.
The more free press reports he gets from places like CNN the better.
In this Washington Post article he is presented as being the rational alternative for both Democratic youth and discontented Republicans.
The obvious factor that will increase Johnson's chance to prevent either Trump or Hillary from getting a majority of the electoral college is the press.
The more free press reports he gets from places like CNN the better.
In this Washington Post article he is presented as being the rational alternative for both Democratic youth and discontented Republicans.
The only way he or any non establishment candidate has a chance is to be included in the presidential debates - which non establishment candidates have been excluded from since the days of Ross Perot.
I believe, the Libertarian Party has to petition to get on the ballot in quite a few states, in order to automatically get on all state ballots they need to garner over a certain percentage in a national election (please correct me if I'm wrong). That would then give them access to public election funds, which are now exclusively handed to only the democrat or republican parties. If Johnson can gain enough national prominence to put the LP on the map, it may become an alternative in congressional elections and build the populist movement. The main reason the LP hasn't done well is funding and limited media exposure, money wins elections. I feel it's the middle ground we need to accommodate both liberals and conservatives. The whole premise of the LP is less federal government, and both democrats and republicans advocate even more government interference in our lives. If this election cycle has done anything, it is showing that the American people are fed up with our corrupt and ineffective government, it has become a monstrosity and an oligarchy.
If you think that the Libertarian Party is a "middle ground", you yourself are on the far right fringe of the political spectrum. The LP is as far right as any political party that's not some fascist front organization can be, which is why it has no appeal to Americans who aren't on the far right of the political spectrum.
If you think that the Libertarian Party is a "middle ground", you yourself are on the far right fringe of the political spectrum. The LP is as far right as any political party that's not some fascist front organization can be, which is why it has no appeal to Americans who aren't on the far right of the political spectrum.
Then you don't fully understand libertarian principles.
Then, why has Trump done so well against the establishment politicos? Why does the GOP fear his nomination? Perhaps people have had enough. The Democrats are next.
In 2012, 61 million Americans voted for Mitt Romney. Trump's 10 or 11 million primary votes constitutes about 18% of that amount and less than 9% of all voters who cast ballots for president in 2012. Even among 2016 Republican primary voters, Trump's only won about 45% ... and that's running against a bonafide right wingnut and a bunch of political never weres or has beens.
If you want change, you're going to have to do more than just stop voting for the establishment. You're going to have to dismantle, state by state, the laws that give the two-party system an advantage. You're going to have to get states to throw out the winner-take-all laws that solidify the two parties' advantage, you're going to have to get states to change the restrictive ballot laws that make it so difficult for parties other than the two major parties to even get on the ballot. You're going to have to work for one or more of those third parties year-round, because these alternative parties need to establish a presence and a legitimacy that they don't have when they only suddenly rear their heads up every four years during a Presidential election. Third parties won't capture a Presidency until they start capturing seats in Congress, positions in state governments. They need consistent platforms over the years to establish an party identity, and they need resources, money and people, to communicate that identity to voters, to raise awareness.
Totally agree. I tried to explain this in another thread on a similar topic, and all the third party supporters ignored it. They'll ignore your post too and continue to whine about how their favorite party is ignored because they don't get media attention or federal money. The last third party to have any kind of success beyond a single presidential election cycle was the Progressives. After TR, they continued to elect some candidates to state offices in the Upper Midwest and even to Congress, namely Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin. The last truly successful third party was the Republicans that grew out of the Free Soilers.
The problem with today's third parties is that they disdain politics. They want the benefits of politics without being willing to work at politics.
Republican Liz Mair— said her initial reaction to conservatives pushing an independent candidate was that "they were f...ing nuts".
Now she has become increasingly convinced that it might be a plausible way to help keep Trump from dragging down Republican candidates for other offices in November. "I do think that option overall is a lot more viable than people are giving it credit for," she says.
If the choice is only Trump vs Hillary, many conservatives will just stay home, voting for nobody, including the Republicans running for Congress. The purpose of the conservative third party isn't to win the presidential election -- they already understand that they've lost that -- but they want to keep Republican control of Congress. If the choice is Trump, Hillary, and a conservative candidate, they have a chance to at least keep the HOR.
If you think that the Libertarian Party is a "middle ground", you yourself are on the far right fringe of the political spectrum. The LP is as far right as any political party that's not some fascist front organization can be, which is why it has no appeal to Americans who aren't on the far right of the political spectrum.
You need to get out more ...
Have a read of this and tell us how Johnson's positions are all far right. Here's a hint .. look at immigration & abortion for starters.
If you think that the Libertarian Party is a "middle ground", you yourself are on the far right fringe of the political spectrum. The LP is as far right as any political party that's not some fascist front organization can be, which is why it has no appeal to Americans who aren't on the far right of the political spectrum.
If you think the LP is far right, you not only misunderstand their platform, but you also misunderstand the likes of the Tea Party, who have helped to fracture the GOP. To offer a summary of their platform, they are socially liberal and financially conservative. Not very far right in my view.
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I tried to explain this in another thread on a similar topic, and all the third party supporters ignored it. They'll ignore your post too and continue to whine about how their favorite party is ignored because they don't get media attention or federal money. The last third party to have any kind of success beyond a single presidential election cycle was the Progressives. After TR, they continued to elect some candidates to state offices in the Upper Midwest and even to Congress, namely Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin. The last truly successful third party was the Republicans that grew out of the Free Soilers.
Johnson's path to become POTUS...
