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One problem is that third parties in the US are often formed out of rage or anger with the system. While that can stir up a bit of populist appeal for a little while (like Ross Perot's run in 1992), it doesn't do much to develop a cohesive platform beyond the particular anger that led to the popularity of the party in the first place.
Let us not forget Ross Perot of the Reform Party, he almost won the presidency.
He was not even allowed on the ballot after he did very well in debates, so he was a write-in who got 20% of the vote, and they said if all the people who wanted to vote for him had done so, he would have easily been elected and we would not have had nafta and the illegal immigration problems, but a strong prosperous America...from the inside.
Sadly, a lot of it boils down to money. A third party ,it seems, can't match the fundraising of the two main parties. I wish that weren't so,because a President independent of both parties would not be beholden to the special interests of Democrats and Republicans.
I can't say it will NEVER happen. There's lots of inertia, sure.
I wonder what would happen even this election cycle if someone like Bloomberg threw his hat into the ring as a third party candidate. He's worth 2 or 3 times what Perot was, and has politics that have been described as billionaire populism. If he wasn't bound by party lines, he could give some of the straight talk other candidates shy away from (no matter WHAT they call their buses...)
It'd be interesting. The Bush campaign raised just under 200 million in 2000. I think the Gore campaign raised about 150 million. Bloomberg is worth 11.5 BN, so he has that kind of money in his couch cushions.
NYer'81... do you discuss the idea of a third party anywhere other than on this board? Can you suggest to ten people that idea? Can they suggest to another ten people?
What if....
There were 43 congressional representatives who were NOT Dem/Rep. Who would be elected Speaker of the House? Only 10%, 43 reps. Less than one per state.
What if 10 Senators were not Dem/Rep. Fewer than one third of those to be voted next year. Who would be elected PrezProTem?
There is no one President who is going to change the political machine, elected/selected/impeached or assassinated. The change must come from within... Congress. If Congress can't control a President (got yer eyes open?) then what are the chances?
Congress... 535 reasons to support term limits with NO benefits and NO grandfathering tenure.
I think one of the biggest problems is that third parties always tend to reach for the highest office in the land as their starting point. Instead of developing a party at the local level and building upon it, they run for President and when they fail, they reinforce the notion that they are not electable.
I would agree with this but I'm guessing there is no manual for starting a political party and if you eventually want your new local party to become a national party, you can't call it the "Stop Highway XYZ" party.
In past American history there have been more than two strong political parties in existence at the same time.
A practical democracy doesn't require political parties. See the organization of the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Legislature - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Members are selected in nonpartisan elections. Rather than separate primaries held to choose Republican, Democratic, and other partisan contenders for a seat, Nebraska uses a single nonpartisan primary election, in which the top two vote-getters are entitled to run in the general election. There are no formal party alignments or groups within the Legislature. Coalitions tend to form issue by issue based on a member's philosophy of government, geographic background, and constituency. However, almost all the members of the legislature are affiliated with the state affiliate of either the Democratic or the Republican party and both parties explicitly endorse candidates for legislative seats. The unofficial partisan makeup of the Nebraska Legislature is 31 Republicans, 15 Democrats, and 3 Independents.
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At the level of American national politics, you can't have much of a democracy without having at least two functioning political parties. But because parties and campaigning depend on funding, having more than two functioning political parties is not "cost-effective" from the point of view of corporations who wish to "hedge their bets" and donate to all sides in an important political contest, such as for President. Corporate America's best interests are served by having only two predominant national political parties. I believe this is why there are only two strong national political parties at work today in America.
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