Third Parties And Other Fantasies

Just got back from a couple of days' training by the State Board of Elections. I always learn something new.

This time, one of the new things is that Americans Elect, an innovative third party that qualified as an official party in North Carolina law, is dissolving. Their innovation: picking their nominees by an Internet primary. The problem: it didn't work.

About a year ago, I called attention to the push by prominent "moderates" like Thomas Friedman to support a third party movement. I have a lot of problems with the idea that third parties can ever make things well, especially through presidential elections.

You want third parties? Take a look at the 1948 presidential election. Plenty of third parties, including the Vegetarian Party. Two of them - the Progressive Party and the State's Rights Party- split off from the Democratic Party and seemed to be viable. Despite the odds and despite the Chicago Tribune's premature headline, Truman won.

It seems to me that third party movements would be better advised to start at the bottom rather than the top of the ticket. Apparently that just takes too long.

If that's too hard, think seriously about getting involved with an existing party.

Take a look at two interesting web sites: The Political Compass and The Pew Center. Take the surveys. You might learn something about yourself.