THE THIRD PARTY ... COULD IT ACTUALLY BE TIME FOR...(gasp!) 'THE ALL-NIGHT PARTY'...?

[STINGRAY]

Given my ever-increasing level of frustration and outright disgust with the eternal Democrat-vs-Republican GAME that our government is perpetually mired in, with both flawed parties forever jockeying for power, and accomplishing very little when they have it....

I genuinely wish there could be a viable Third Party Candidate....
Have you any....
THOUGHTS?
SLINGS...
ARROWS...
...OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE?

 

[LTuser]

So what's the platform of the all-night party!!

 

[STINGRAY]

So what's the platform of the all-night party!!

--That was a reference to the farcical fantasy Presidential Campaign that Marvel Comics ran waaaay back in 1976. 'The All-Night Party" was the fictional political party that ran "Howard The Duck" as candidate.
(Campaign Slogan : "Get Down, America!" )

I guess it`s now an 'inside joke', considering the low number of people who recall this....from 42 years ago.

 

[KevanG]

Considering that many other countries have multiple parties that work, I'd say it's far past time.

Might help a bit with the blatant corruption too.

 

[STINGRAY]

Considering that many other countries have multiple parties that work, I'd say it's far past time.

Might help a bit with the blatant corruption too.

--Well, anytime you have Big Money/Power involved, you`re going to get corruption, so I would not see a Third Political Party as being Pure Of Heart & Sin-Free...(at least, not for very long, anyway)

But, I do believe that an unknown percentage of We The People have to be getting tired and fed-up with this game between Republicans and Democrats. It`s like a bizarre play-off game that NEVER ENDS, with no one really winning anything.

Both sides vie for control, and whenever the other has it, the opposition digs in it`s collective heels and NOTHING gets accomplished.

I know that many people are so rabid about their party that they cannot--or will not--see the flaw in their thinking.

Blind allegiance to any political party is just foolish.

Personally, I`ve always examined the candidates and voted according to which one made the most sense and had no critical flaw in their platform. Republican or Democrat--I don`t care if they seem like the right person for the job. It can be a tough call, too...

I voted for Obama, but IF John McCain had someone other than Sarah Palin standing next to him on the platform, I might have voted for McCain. (I would not let Sarah Palin take the White House Tour).

Anyway, I truly believe that perhaps for the first time in U.S. History; A Third Party candidate just might have a chance....

The only question is ...
Would there be no automatic knee-jerk opposition to their plans from The Other Side...OR..
Blanket rejection from BOTH sides?

 

[Herofan]

Third parties tend to be extreme, at least on some issues, which attracts a few passionate supporters but alienates most voters.

It makes the most sense for third parties to start at the state level, where voters might be particularly tired of both parties but the parties in the legislature can be more willing to compromise with members of a new party, and let people there and nationally see what they can do. Jesse Ventura did an OK job with that style as governor in Minnesota (initially as part of the Reform party although he then became just independent) but he ended up mostly becoming disillusioned with politics rather than try to build or affiliate with a new party.

 

[STINGRAY]

Third parties tend to be extreme, at least on some issues, which attracts a few passionate supporters but alienates most voters.

---That`s why I think that NOW a third party is more viable as a concept than ever before.

The steadfast lock-step mentalities, the clannish-to-the-point-of-being mulish refusals to cooperate on decisions....

Our Congressional leadership has become a partisanship play-off game; the governmental equivalent of Duke-vs-UNC....
"Our Team has got to win, and THE OTHER has got to lose!"

 

[LTuser]

--That was a reference to the farcical fantasy Presidential Campaign that Marvel Comics ran waaaay back in 1976. 'The All-Night Party" was the fictional political party that ran "Howard The Duck" as candidate.
(Campaign Slogan : "Get Down, America!" )

I guess it`s now an 'inside joke', considering the low number of people who recall this....from 42 years ago.

As i was 2 at that time, i certainly would have been too young to remember it..

 

[STINGRAY]

As i was 2 at that time, i certainly would have been too young to remember it..

I was 16...it was hilarious.
The joke actually made the news, with a notable write-in percentage vote.

Of course, that was Jimmy Carter running against incumbent Gerald Ford, so a fictional sarcastic talking duck from another dimension was really not too far-out as an alternate choice.

 

[KevanG]

'Get down America' has a different meaning these days.

 

[FVD]

I haven't heard much from Nick Brana lately, how he's been rallying to create a People's Party in the hopes of getting Bernie to lead as well - but that's been looking rather unlikely at the moment.

 

[STINGRAY]

Well, a Third Political Party has become practically a mythic, yet recurring dream goal. Every attempt has failed, yet the idea maintains.

As I see it, the focal problem is The Candidate.

In order to have a prayer of success, a Third Party Candidate would have to be nearly-independent in personal wealth, and absolutely unassailable in character...Someone that could manage that fabled, yet unattainable goal of appealing to EVERYONE, Republican or Democrat, equally.

One may as well wish for Superman to run for President..or Captain America. (yeah, I know --Been done in comics....In fiction it`s easy to pull off universal acceptance)

 

[Aximili86]

Run someone sane, and it'll happen.

So far...yeaaahhh. Hasn't happened.

 

[STINGRAY]

Run someone sane, and it'll happen.

So far...yeaaahhh. Hasn't happened.

--As John Lydgate observed;

“You can please some of the people all of the time...

You can please all of the people some of the time....

But you can’t please all of the people all of the time”

 

[Herofan]

Well, a Third Political Party has become practically a mythic, yet recurring dream goal. Every attempt has failed, yet the idea maintains.

As I see it, the focal problem is The Candidate.

In order to have a prayer of success, a Third Party Candidate would have to be nearly-independent in personal wealth, and absolutely unassailable in character...Someone that could manage that fabled, yet unattainable goal of appealing to EVERYONE, Republican or Democrat, equally.

Yeah personal wealth is probably necessary. Appealing to everybody may be necessary to win but to do well all they have to do is take unusual-but-popular positions on issues, appeal to people who've felt ignored before. Trump was somehow able to run as a populist outsider, even one that was pretty independent in his positions, even on a major party ticket-a Republican but very much not yesteryear's Republican.

A third party candidate can who does well can, even without winning, have some impact on policy. Like Perot getting 19% in '92 arguably made the Republicans more conservative on taxes and the deficit (although Nader getting 4% in '00 then didn't make the Democrats more liberal on any of his issues).