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Padriag -> RE: Third Party Movements (9/26/2006 2:33:46 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: juliaoceania
I was wondering how many people belong to another political party in the USA besides the main two? If so, which one?
I'm not registered with any political party. I vote for whatever candidate I feel is best qualified regardless of their political party affiliation. Generally, I dislike the whole concept of political parties and voting blocks... I think they're both bad for a democracy.
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In some places you have to register as independent or as not politically affilitated, I was wondering if some of us are of this persuasion. I am not a member of a political party, although I was a Democrat for a couple of years after election 2000 I realised that it did not represent my interests shortly after and switched back to being not politically affiliated.
Officially, on my voting registration I'm also listed as an independant.
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I was wondering if those who are members of a third party get tired of partisans of the main parties trying to box them into one of them... like either you are black or white and there is no room for variation. I know democrats want nothing to do with my political ideology, and even though republicans try to force that box on to me, I just do not fit there. Or I have been called a "vote waster" as though either party is owed a vote from me or anyone else for that matter...
I don't fit into the ideology of any of the parties and like you I've been called a vote waster and worse... I've even faced that attitude from individuals here at CM.
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I was just wondering how others feel about partisan identification, and if you do belong to a third party, how do you think that a third party can make headway in this system?
I dislike the partisan "war" that has emerged in this country. It saddens me that so many seem to identify as Democrat or Republican first and as American's second. I despise the whole "red state vs blue state" thing, which is at best an oversimplistic view of states and at worst a gross over-generalization based on a media gimick. The whole "either / or" thinking is not good for this country.
In my opinion, for third parties to make some real headway in this country they have some serious obstacles to overcome. Some of them will mean changing laws. For example, if you run for president you are currently required to get a certain number of signatures to petitions in each state to do so. In those states where you do not get enough signatures, your name will not appear on the ballot in that state. This is ludicrous for a presidential election. The people who most benefit from such a law are the Republican and Democratic parties, who are the only major parties able to guarantee compliance for their candidates. In effect, they have locked out third party presidential candidates. Likewise the two major parties have worked together to keep third party candidates out of the "official" presidential debates. Presently these two parties control the debates and who is allowed to participate in them, most third party candidates are not only barred from participating, they are even barred from attending the debate! This is not what our founding fathers had in mind for our political system.
Ross Perot was an exception to much of this, largely because he had the money to make himself an exception. Right now the Democratic and Republican parties have a huge financial advantage over anyone else who might run for office simply because of their "war chest". It creates a situation that makes third party or independant candidates lives incredibly difficult.
But the biggest obstacle of them all is the American people, who, for too long have trapped themselves in to thinking they must vote for "the lesser of two evils" instead of honestly voting their conscience. An American people who have been suckered into thinking that monolithic political machines, whether the Democrats or Republicans, either somehow represents their individual needs and interest... or in fact even really cares. The American people have been duped into believing that career politicians have any higher interest other than maintaining their own lucrative political careers... or that the good of the people even ranks a close second to that political self interest. In short, the biggest obstacle to third parties and independants is the one obstacle with the real power to change things... the American people themselves.
It strikes me as bizarre that the American people would ever accept the notion of voting for "the lesser of two evils"... that is like saying "would you like the moldy bread or the slightly less moldy bread"... neither actually, I'd like some fresh bread thank you. Yet every year many Americans vote with exactly that mentality... they vote for candidate X, not because they genuinely believe that person is the best choice, but because they think X is less bad than candidate Z. Its insane when you stop to really think about it... but it part of the big lie Democrats and Republicans have jointly sold to Americans for years because it keeps them in power... locks out the competition.
It also strikes me as arrogant and un-American to hear either Republicans or Democrats talking about "taking back" seats in Congress, the Senate or the White House. Take them back? When did they ever belong to the political parties I ask? It shows their arrogance and how they really think. Those seats do not belong to any political party. They belong to Americans... they belong to you. Those politicians, those representatives sit in those seats only by your permission, you the American people... and its high time you reminded them of that. They work for you folks, and they have very much forgotten that.
It is very wrong that these politicians are treated to an assortment of special privileges, immunity to laws that we the people are not. Its wrong that while they muddle about with Social Security which we the people pay for, they pay not one dime into it but are guaranteed full benefits for life (at the highest rate no less). And why does a politician who rides in a chauffered limosine, has Secret Service protection, and is provided private parking at government buildings... why do they need to be immune to something as mundane as parking tickets? The answer is they don't, but they give themselves these benefits because they've set themselves up as the new aristocracy.. the new ruling class. The best decription of the President I have ever heard came from a movie and it went something like this,"Do you know who the president is? He's just a bum... just another bum." And its true in a way... the president isn't really special, he (or perhaps one day she) is just an American, no better than you or I. So why do we treat them, or allow them to treat themselves, as though they were some sort of royalty?
American has a lot of thinking to do, and I sincerely hope they do. But more than that, Americans need to do some remembering that it supposed to be government of the people, for they people and by the people... and there's really not a lot of room in that for megalithic politcal parties, or politicians who forget they're just another bum.
To borrow from John Lennon... just imagine... if Americans in large numbers simply stopped registering as Republican or Democrat... just that. Imagine further, if you will, that Americans, in large numbers, stopped supporting just one political party. Indeed, why not support two or three... or four. Why not support the candidates you like, you individually, you as a person voicing your opinion rather than silently being a drone for some massive political machine most interested in maintaining its own power and "taking back" what it thinks is its territory. Just imagine Americans taking back America... not for any political party or even any particular candidate.... but for Americans... for all of us bums.
Just imagine...
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