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We need a third political party

Hulk

Hulk

Diamond Member
Although I usually find myself on the Republican side of things, lately a few issues have really been driving me crazy. I wish there was a third political party that combined conservative ideals with the following liberal ones:

Pro environment. I'm not a tree-hugging madman, but the Republican party line is off-base here. As I get it there's plenty of oil so let's use it! Flagrant consumption is the order of the day. There is nothing wrong with conservation, less dependence on foreign oil and less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. SUV's should be under a CAFE regulation for starters.

Pro Choice. This is a tough one but that's how I feel. Abortion is a serious issue and should not be used as a substitue for birth control. That being said, it should be a last resort choice for the woman.

Keep religion out of the science classroom. I watched a debate on Crossfire tonight and found myself agreeing with Begala. I just wish he would have answered the audience question, "isn't there room for two points of view?" like this:

Actually, in the science classroom, there are no points of view. Scientific evidence is presented and theories are created from that evidence. The THEORY of evolution comes from scientific evidence, like fossil records and such. The creationism IDEA is not based in any type of scientific theory. That doesn't mean it isn't true, it just means that by definition it doesn't belong in a science classroom. If you want to have a class that specifically discusses various religions, Muslim, American Indian, etc... then do it in there.


As I said in the beginning, I am a conservative. It's just these issues that really are getting to me.
 
What we really need is for (i) the two existing parties to come up with better candidates than they have in the recent past, and (ii) people to stop voting blindly along party lines and consider the candidates themselves. If more people took (ii) to heart (i) would be far more likely to happen.
 
Yes, you are right, in theory.

In practice independents are unelectable.

And the party candidates are forced to tow the party line in order to get the nomination.

That's why I think a third party is needed.
 
Won't happen unless we get a proportional representation voting system, and I can't imagine that ever happening.

There are some benefits to our system, though. For instance, the radicals can't get enough votes to get any seats in government.
 
There are a two dozen political parties. Or are you saying we need a three-party political system?
Won't happen unless we get a proportional representation voting system, and I can't imagine that ever happening.
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I don't understand what you mean by a proportional representation voting system, that is essentially what we have in the House of Representatives.
 
so are you a fiscal republican? cuz there ain't much left, from what you've said 😛

i mostly agree with you btw.
 
"Well, I'm going to vote for a third-party candidate!"
"Go ahead, throw your vote away!"

Don't blame me, I voted for Kodoss.
 
Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
"Well, I'm going to vote for a third-party candidate!"
"Go ahead, throw your vote away!"

Don't blame me, I voted for Kodoss.
Click to expand...

Mwahahaha... oh, wait, you don't know the truth...
 
Originally posted by: Balt
Won't happen unless we get a proportional representation voting system, and I can't imagine that ever happening.

There are some benefits to our system, though. For instance, the radicals can't get enough votes to get any seats in government.
Click to expand...

Instead they just donate a large amount of cash to a party and get high positions/favors.
 
Originally posted by: exp
What we really need is for (i) the two existing parties to come up with better candidates than they have in the recent past, and (ii) people to stop voting blindly along party lines and consider the candidates themselves. If more people took (ii) to heart (i) would be far more likely to happen.
Click to expand...
Both right on the money, I had a contemporary issues class last semester, and we frequently debated political issues, my friend claims he is a republican for the sole reason that he is wealthy. He also said that if you are in a political party it is your duty to only vote for members of that party, basically turning important elections into popularity elections.
 
The Republicans need to cut their ties with the Fund a Mental Case Christian Organizations and the Democrats need to arrange an accident for Jackson, preferably when he and Al Sharpton are riding in a car together with a Drunken Ted Kennedy Driving
 
Few advantages of having more than 2 parties:

- If you are dissatisfied with your party you can choose another one which is close to your ideals, without having to vote the immediate opposite of everything you hold dear. People can vote what they want rather than having to chose between 2 lifestyles.
- Parties will listen more to their voters due to reason 1.
- Most of the time there will not be one party with the absolute majority, so if they come up with a total absurbd idea the other parties can form a temporary unity to stop it.
 
Democrats need to arrange an accident for Jackson, preferably when he and Al Sharpton are riding in a car together with a Drunken Ted Kennedy Driving
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Hmmm......good idea. We've got a bridge here in Oklahoma that Teddy can drive off of. No wait, he's done that once already. We need something more orginal.
 
I guess what I mean is that we need a third major political party, one that with a large enough base to actually be able to elect someone. It seems that there are enough people out there that vote Rep or Dem because the ideals of these parties are "closest" to theirs and they want their vote to count, ie have a chance of getting thier person elected.

I think both the Rep and Dem party have gotten wacky enough on enough issues to leave room for a third major party. I don't know how such a movement could be started though.

I guess it would probably take a bunch of alreadly elected "conservative Democrats" and "liberal Republicans" to break away from their parties and declare a new party?

 
Originally posted by: tcsenter
There are a two dozen political parties. Or are you saying we need a three-party political system?
Won't happen unless we get a proportional representation voting system, and I can't imagine that ever happening.
Click to expand...
I don't understand what you mean by a proportional representation voting system, that is essentially what we have in the House of Representatives.
Click to expand...

Nonono, I'm talking about PR-Elections, where if a party gets 25% of the votes in a nation/district, they get 25% of the seats, etc. Lots of European Democracies use this system. Basically, even if you don't get the majority of the votes, if you get above a certain percentage your party gets seats.

I'm not saying it's necessarily better, though. You vote for more for parties than individuals (although there are mixed systems which allow both).

 
I think we need to eliminate the party system.

I know, I know, it's a novel concept, but what if each politician had to run on his/her own personal ideals instead of towing some party line? What if it were impossible to vote along some party line because it didn't exist?

I do not agree with any of the major parties out there, and I will take a conservative or liberal stance on any issue given the facts and nothing more.
 
Originally posted by: Sir Fredrick
I think we need to eliminate the party system.

I know, I know, it's a novel concept, but what if each politician had to run on his/her own personal ideals instead of towing some party line? What if it were impossible to vote along some party line because it didn't exist?

I do not agree with any of the major parties out there, and I will take a conservative or liberal stance on any issue given the facts and nothing more.
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AMEN!!!
 
The Libertarian party comes very close to what you're searching for. They believe personal resonsibility, self-government and liberty are of the highest importance.

Libertarianism is a tough sell for a nation that is utterly conditioned to believe government is vital to day-to-day living. It isn't, btw. Once you understand how harmful dependence on a bloated, uncaring bureacracy actually is it's easier to understand the libertarian viewpoint and how it can enrich your life.

Kudos for thinking outside the political box. It's become clear to me the Rs and Ds aren't leading this country in the right direction. Check the libbies out at www.lp.org.
 
Originally posted by: tcsenter
There are a two dozen political parties. Or are you saying we need a three-party political system?
Won't happen unless we get a proportional representation voting system, and I can't imagine that ever happening.
Click to expand...
I don't understand what you mean by a proportional representation voting system, that is essentially what we have in the House of Representatives.
Click to expand...
No...what he's saying is that for that to happen, we'd need to have everyone vote for their party and put reps into the house based on the proportion of votes they got...
 
Anyone notice that Bush has become a bigger spender than even any democrat? I heard that even that sh*thead Limbaugh of all people is pissed at him. I swear, both parties are becomming more and more alike each day.
 
Anyone notice that Bush has become a bigger spender than even any democrat?
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I also wonder about the Rs and their track record on spending. Rs, according to their party platform are for smaller government yet every R administration starting with Reagan has greatly increased feddie spending.

Something to consider though: Rs usually spend it on what federal government is actually supposed to spend money on: national defense. That's what we're seeing now with Bush and the anti-terrorism binging.

Anyway the Rs have completely lost all courage to reduce waste, eliminate failed programs and streamline the bureacracy. We must look to the Libertarians for that as the Ds are as bad of not worse than the Rs.
 
The thing is, the Republican and Democrat parties will always gravitate to positions to garner the most support. Unlike smaller parties like Libertarian or Green, the two big parties shift and leave ambiguity in a lot of areas. If you play to the mainstream you unequivocally have a better chance of winning. So any third party which is a little left or right of center is going to get left out.

The real way, in my opinion, to change the political system is to start by changing the voting process (and no, I'm not just talking about hanging chads). Make Election Day a national holiday and end outdated voting registration. Last election I believe only 49% of eligible voters voted, which is the lowest in a long time. If more citizens vote, the parties will have to be more accountable.
 
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