Who killed the third party movement?

You are right, the infrastructure required to compete is off the chart. It is so hard for a third party, because they can't finance a full country campaign.

it takes people like ross perot and bloomberg that are extremely wealthy and don't mind parting with large amounts of there own money to run a 3rd party candidacy. i don't see bloomberg runing in the 2008 race but it could happen in 2012.

It really bothers me when CNN and MSNBC talk about who may win because of their 'War Chest' - outright stating that the person with the most money wins. Good pod!

If you guys really want to know who killed the third party ask the two lead jackasses (ie the Dems and Reps not the other two ;). From what I remember from American Government; throughout history they have enacted laws that make it nearly impossible to have a third party represented in an election if your party's name does not start with D or R. It's a damn shame too, because w/out good old Ralphy N we'd all have died in 30mph car wrecks (the man came up with seat belt laws if you don't get the joke). Anyway, Rant Over.

I hate two party politics. It turns the whole democratic process into a joke.

I think some people refuse to listen to a third party person because they think they won't win, they may even support their ideas, but they give up because the democrats or republican always have a majority of votes. In Illinois, the green party had a good showing in the governors race. I think it shows that if people are disappointed with the 2 major parties choices, then people will look another direction. But I think for the presidential race, it has to be extreme disappointment unfortunately and of course the media doesn't help either.

A third party is a bit obscure, at least right now.

We Americans are born and raised on 2 party politics, so when someone introduces the idea of a third party, such as the green party, people just don't believe in it.

@FallenMorgan
Don't blame campaigning prices. Look at Barak Obama. Hes making a killing out there with minimal funds. It doesn't take much to make a successful campaign trail, just lots of talent and effort.

oh yeah , just wait until voting booths are guarded by Blackwater agents - you'll be wishing there were 2 parties , let alone 3 .

Haha (but on the inside crys) looks like your right on malathion, you guys should all check this article if you haven't.

http://current.com/items/88947523_domestic_spying_far_o...

We need to revive the three party system because neither seems capable or willing to make the changes that America needs right now. What really helps the two party system stick around is the fact that people keep voting for one of the two parties without seeking out alternative candidates.

Who's ralphy n?

Ralph Nader

@CarloslsDown

Way to fail.
Ralphy N is Ralph Nader/Nador (IDR the spelling)

He ran for the green party(?) in '04

Life is funny like that sometimes.

life is rapidly becoming better than fiction - and i like it .

Obama's making a killing with MINIMAL funds?? hahahahahahahaha!!

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB1175699493847597...

I tried posting an interesting article about a third party candidate on here and it got very little interest. So I guess we are just as much to blame as mainstream media.

two party systems make us divide on all issues. it is set up so that we hear platforms and then make choices based on very few "hot button" issues. it makes it all fake and very stagnant.
there need to be more parties (like in ALL other countries) so that we can change and progress. now the pendulum just swings between to poles and leaves out everyone in the middle.... JFK - Nixon - carter-reagan/bush - clinton - bush - obama...

seems like a pattern to me. maybe both suck and we need some new voices?

The two party system makes it to easy to turn issues to matters of right and wrong. Making one party right and the other wrong; when of course, issues tend to be more complex then that.

I favor a third party, it's a step, but I'd prefer we do away with the parties all together. Make each politician stand on their own two feet.

All the "liberals" who discourage people who vote for the underdog, saying they're throwing away their vote or helping the Repukes win...they are killing the Third Party Movement.

Nader has a lot to say on this subject. Basically confirms your theory. It's all about the Benjamins.

The Military Industrial Complex only has room for the money players who tow the line. Sad. This country was not set up by our framers with a party system. True Democracy in this country has then been gone for many years. Perhaps when people start putting country above party we will begin to see real change. Until then, it's the SOS.

If you take a basic collage level political science class with an honest prof. you will learn a rather sad fact, and that is that this nation from the start (and more so as the gov. kept growing) has always been made to prevent third party success.
One of the reasons being is that we work on a majority vote system (meaning you must have 51% of the votes at least to win) not a most vote system (which would just be whoever has the highest vote number). Our whole gov. runs this way, legislative, executive, etc. it all runs on a majority system ment to keep 3rd parties at the level of super-interest groups that take votes away from one of the major two.

I really wanted a third party. I wanted Al Gore and Chuck Hagel to unite and represent both Democrats and Republicans. I wanted two individuals willing to put country before party. I have heard them both and thought they would be a scream together.

If we are going to change course and stop mainstream media from spinning us into dizziness, it's going to take fact over spin politics. Al Gore is excellent and even though he is a Republican, Chuck Hagel stands up for our soldiers and our Constitution.

The first obstacle to third party politics are the ballot rules in most states. The Republicans and Democrats have done a good job protecting their turf by putting up barriers to entry for third parties.

They have also been successful at co-opting the resources of government and taxpayers to finance their candidate selection process, commonly known as primary elections.

Note the chaos in Michigan and Florida.

Lastly,the incumbant protection system, otherwise known as re-districting is greatly valued by both parties.

I never really liked the two-party American model. It turns most arguments into black and white.

In Europe, most countries have several parties in the parliament and sometimes even in the cabinet. In Slovakia, my home country, the cabinet (or the equivalent of the US cabinet) is composed of members of 3 different parties. It might seem weird but I believe it leads to better discussions as opposed to the rather ostracizing and limiting 2 party system.

If there had to be a legitimate third party my choice would be the U.S.A. party. Some flag-loving, immigrant and gay hating, pro-life protectionist should run, get about 8% of the vote and kill the republican party for the foreseeable future.

Even worse - think of if it was
bush - clinton - bush - clinton : wow.
What an awesome message of democracy we would be sending to the world then.
Dennis Kucinich was the closest canidate to a female that this country has seen.

I did it! I killed the third party! They were causing too much confusion, what with the bringing up real issues and all. I couldn't take it. Now all we have to choose from is the Jesus Freaks, or the God Complex camp. Go democracy!

Democrats. Republicans. SMIRFS!

i declare on this day that I will unite the people in blue colored paint and white overalls!

One word: LOBBIES.

tisk*tisk*tisk

It was those damned Tories I knew it!

who knows eh? lets just blame it on the Liberal mainstream gay media.

History has always dictated a primarily two-party system. From Whigs and Federalists, to the demise of the Whigs and Madison and Jefferson's creation of the Democratic Republicans, two party systems have always been the norm.

I'm pretty tired with 2 parties myself. I can choose between war-mongering religious fundamentalists or Anti-gun disarmers who wouldn't dare change the dilapidated and convoluted system of government... no thanks.

maybe we'll see the web slow change this...?

It is time we get rid of the Electoral College. We have the technology to be a true democracy we can all vote by internet or by ATM.

We no longer need representative government.

Agreed. I have never seen the need for the electoral college, but the problem with electronic systems is that they can always be hacked. Still, dead-tree ballots could do the job just as easily.

To the protractors of electronic voting via the internet or ATM, do you trust these devices with your bank accounts and credit cards? Well do you?

I do. They can be secured by encryption and passwords and security questions. The whole thing can be audited by the General Accounting Office and the announcements of the votes could be done on Television.

We could have additional channels devoted to public debate about the issue similar to Current, then people would vote on the bills and measures coming before congress. <