Breakaway Third Party

[Mike]

If a 'third party' could start gaining prominence in the U.S. such that it could legitimately compete with the big two... which one would you most want it to be and why? Or alternately, if none of the current options appeals to you, what would your ideal third party look like. (For this discussions, don't worry about how realistic this is or what the balance and dynamics of a multi-party system would do to our political landscape.)

As it stands, the Libertarians are the closest we have to a viable third party, with the Greens behind them. Neither is anywhere close, nor would either be my first choice.

[Bonefish]

Man, I really wish there was a less crazy libertarian party. Like, I am a big fan of personal liberty and minimizing coercion. But I am also a fan of a strong central government, an active and effective foriegn policy, and, interstates.

[Tahlvin]

A common sense-based, centrist, moderate party. Allow the Ds and Rs to take the extremes, the greens can take the down axis and the libertarians the up axis, and a centrist party to take the middle where all the axes join.

[Stan]

[buckett]

Democratic Socialists of America won several local elections recently.

[Phoebe]

[buckett]

For what it's worth, DSA does not identify as a political party, although it runs plenty of candidates who identify as Independent/only DSA. It also runs plenty of candidates as left-leaning Democrats. However, given its recent success, as Stan said, I think a labor movement advocating an improved social safety net could be successful as a breakaway third party in the event existing political parties remain resistant to change.

[mimekiller]

One of the most depressing aspects of this last election cycle was the frequent and vicious attacks on third party voters.

[El Jefe]

Definitely not the Green party. I spent a lot of time and energy working with that party for both state level and national level elections. They're...a pretty terrible bunch of people, and it took me way too long to see that. Stein was a pretty good representation of them, in all the negative ways I can hopefully make that statement mean.

Libertarians making it really wouldn't be a whole lot different than what you have now inside some corners of the GOP. It's the same high-school level Ayn Rand "I got mine, so fuck everybody else" that's been bandied about for a while.

Honestly, until any group (doesn't really matter which one) decides to stop the endless, four year, majority focus on presidential elections for their candidates and start adopting bottom-up, long-term plans...nothing is changing on that front. Top-down presidential focus has a pretty solid data set to show it isn't working. The foundations and necessary support systems just don't exist inside the minority parties, in large part due to this exclusionary focus.

[Phoebe]

[buckett]

Hoping this represents a turning point.

[Phoebe]

God forbid that candidates run towards the left as far as they can in D districts that will support it. Somebody has to balance out Steve King.

[Phoebe]

The whole pro-choice / pro-life divide clearly is going to persist, and I wish there was some decent alternative for pro-lifers that didn't involve every other bad plan on earth. You would think some "culture of life" party would appeal, based on things like not simply pro-life, but not treating immigrants in an authoritarian violent manner, protecting against climate change and environmental destruction - i.e. preservation of species, helping out those who are struggling economically, and so on. This is like my dream of an actually principled pro-life party for people who aren't violent haters and aren't economically advantaged. Where is that group?

Likewise I would like to see a real alternative libertarian party that sticks to some of its basic principles, like not meddling in people's personal freedoms at all, as opposed to in some areas but not others, and not pursuing monstrous gifts to the richest few while increasing our debt. Right now we contend with this insane desire to end all so-called entitlements (you know, like the ones we have already paid part of our wages to fund for our whole lives?) even as we deliver enormous entitlements to others (property and business owners, churches, big ag, the list goes on). If you really don't want to fund that kind of thing, great, stop funding all of it, not just the ones that affect poor people, thanks. And maybe the "freedom" thing could extend beyond pot and guns, like to being able to get an abortion or over-the-counter birth control pills? Just a thought.

Instead we have racist, nationalist, theocratic oligarchy on the menu for the foreseeable future. I need to be able to communicate with these people, or rather, with people who think they are one of these people but, with a modicum of self-scrutiny, aren't one of these people. I am working on it daily, but honestly there are times you want to just say, maybe stop being a racist fuck who hates everyone else and also can't even get your brain working enough to pursue selfish policies that benefit YOU. Idiots. Ah the civility, I am working every day to be patient.