American politics has not needed a third party badly enough to actually form it. If and when the two-party system fails utterly (and it might, conceivably, do so in the near future) a third party will arise on its own. Given the present circumstances, a third party would probably be a moderate party that favors a liberal social agenda, fiscal conservatism, doesn't fear government but doesn't love it or trust it particularly, and tends to realism in foreign policy.
Of course, the Canadian elections this year were proof that it CAN happen - but we should probably still give it an election or two before concluding the NDP has definitively claimed its spot among the big two. And last year's British elections were an indication of the opposite - the Lib Dems were scoring rather well in the polls all throughout the campaign, then when it came down to it they even lost votes and seats. Britain has had more than two parties for centuries, and in all that time, only once did the third party usurp the spot of the second - and that was only after part of said second party had defected to their main rivals to put those in power for a generation. Coalition governments haven't been much more frequent, except during wartime. Being the third party in a FPTP voting system is very, very hard. Especially in FPTP voting systems that have features that just take for granted there will only ever be two parties, like the US House and Senate do.
A third party candidate winning the presidency is not inconceivable - a number of people have come relatively close, and some independents have won governor races - but a genuine nation-wide party with representations in the House, Senate and state/local legislatures is an entirely different story.
Third parties have failed in America because one of the two major parties has usually corrected course to seize the moderate middle in any election, and it has worked just fine for over a hundred years. If, as some are saying, the parties are too polarized to move back to the middle, then a third party will arise, but it is likely that it will just absorb the party that lost out the most from its formation.
Yes. If it ever happens.
However, it wouldn't be that hard to create a new party. There are enough rich people in the US who would favor the platform set out above that you could quickly find moderate candidates (and even sitting legislators) to break ranks with their former party and join the third party movement.
Defection of sitting legislators on a large scale is pretty much the only way I can see it happening, frankly.
An Open Letter to Police Officers Across America
20/11/2011 03:27:46 AM
- 1262 Views
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.
20/11/2011 03:59:42 AM
- 736 Views
I am forced to agree.
20/11/2011 04:37:07 AM
- 569 Views
You're right, but stuff like what just happened at UC Davis makes my blood boil
20/11/2011 05:52:11 AM
- 552 Views
As such things go, that does not seem too bad to me.
20/11/2011 06:14:54 AM
- 731 Views
I'm going to start a counter protest with "Bring back the Pinkertons" signs...
20/11/2011 05:19:19 AM
- 523 Views
One of the most poorly written pieces of shit I've read in a long time. *NM*
20/11/2011 06:30:29 AM
- 333 Views
Declaring people "enemy combatants" means they get to treat you as such too.
20/11/2011 01:55:51 PM
- 536 Views
Don't cloud the propaganda with logic, Tim!
20/11/2011 04:16:05 PM
- 567 Views
That's the problem with a two-party system: it's practically impossible to form a new party. *NM*
20/11/2011 05:42:39 PM
- 231 Views
I think that's completely wrong.
20/11/2011 06:10:15 PM
- 608 Views
The odds are very long.
20/11/2011 07:15:54 PM
- 673 Views
And implicit in my statement above is the following addendum
20/11/2011 06:14:40 PM
- 698 Views
I agree with that. However, many seem to think that means it's OK to beat them up.
20/11/2011 06:21:05 PM
- 571 Views
Only if they resist arrest, and then the force must be proportionate. *NM*
20/11/2011 09:52:39 PM
- 255 Views
If they resist a lawful arrest, sure. *NM*
21/11/2011 11:11:11 AM
- 250 Views
they are breaking the law so it is lawful to arrest them *NM*
21/11/2011 10:46:18 PM
- 238 Views
In what way?
22/11/2011 09:12:01 AM
- 549 Views
Resisting arrest. Duh. *NM*
22/11/2011 10:11:04 AM
- 251 Views
They have to be doing something else before you can lawfully arrest them.
22/11/2011 10:30:05 AM
- 494 Views
Then they should be doing what the police say. Because that's the law. *NM*
22/11/2011 02:28:00 PM
- 265 Views
You're a smart guy, Ghavrel. You can't seriously think you have to do *anything* the police say.
22/11/2011 03:05:06 PM
- 638 Views
You are not allowed to just block sidewalks and camp wherever you want
22/11/2011 01:54:42 PM
- 527 Views
Most, if not all, of the arrests have been lawful.
22/11/2011 01:24:55 AM
- 504 Views
Can you tell me any more about this permit system? *NM*
22/11/2011 10:04:35 AM
- 239 Views
Thereby hangs the tale, indeed; I would also be interested in Toms elaboration on that.
23/11/2011 08:54:53 AM
- 572 Views
(OWS isn't anti-capitalism)
20/11/2011 06:39:37 PM
- 491 Views
It's almost impossible for you to say what OWS is when it refuses to define itself.
20/11/2011 08:44:12 PM
- 548 Views
Re: It's almost impossible for you to say what OWS is when it refuses to define itself.
22/11/2011 04:20:59 AM
- 618 Views
Why are liberals such whiners?
21/11/2011 01:51:03 PM
- 716 Views
There you go again....
21/11/2011 11:05:04 PM
- 644 Views
it is a little hypocritical of the guy who called the Tea Party racsit to talk about broad brushes *NM*
22/11/2011 04:02:56 AM
- 338 Views
One of these days you should try responding to me with more than "that thing you just said? YOU!"
22/11/2011 06:11:20 AM
- 478 Views
one of these days you will respond without going into off topic rants
22/11/2011 02:02:46 PM
- 738 Views
A tangent is not a non sequitur, though in this case I do not feel guilty of either.
23/11/2011 08:12:09 AM
- 640 Views
oh and stop with the the stupid BS about the Fed veing threatened it is getting old
22/11/2011 04:05:10 AM
- 515 Views
Saying a person would not like what one did to him if he came to ones state is a threat.
22/11/2011 06:13:35 AM
- 577 Views
No it is just another pathetic attempt of the left to believe the right are bad guys
22/11/2011 01:50:32 PM
- 437 Views
Saying one will take an unpleasant action against another is a threat, any way you slice it.
23/11/2011 08:17:44 AM
- 521 Views
You've posted this, but you don't seem inclined to defend it, one might ask what the point was?
21/11/2011 05:16:13 PM
- 481 Views