Viable third-party?

[BuckNaked]

After watching the election, and reading the analysis from both sides, I'm wondering if we won't eventually wind up with a viable third party, but one made up of moderates from the two major parties? I'm thinking that if the Democrats continue skewing to the left, and if Republicans continue skewing to the right, eventually the moderates from both parties would be better served by breaking off and starting their own third party.

That would seem to be the opposite of what has happened in the past, i.e., the REALLY radical right with the Constitution Party and the REALLY radical left with the Green Party.

What do you guys think?

 

[hucifer]

We do have a viable third-party...the Libertarian Party.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by hucifer
We do have a viable third-party...the Libertarian Party.

Really? When was the last Libertarian that got on every state's ballot for President? How many Libertarians are serving in Congress and the Senate? How many Libertarians are Governors? How many Libertarians hold national, state, and local offices?

 

[hucifer]

Originally posted by dmadman43
Really? When was the last Libertarian that got on every state's ballot for President? How many Libertarians are serving in Congress and the Senate? How many Libertarians are Governors? How many Libertarians hold national, state, and local offices?

Well, the party has existed for over 30 years. Currently more than 590 Libertarians hold public office (more than all other third parties combined). In the 2003 elections, we elected 46 Libertarians, nearly half in higher-level races such as city and county council. During the year 2000, we ran more than 1430 candidates, more than twice as many as all other third parties combined.

We fielded candidates for 255 of the 435 seats in the U.S House as well as 25 of the 33 Senate seats up for election -- the first time in eighty years that any third party has contested a majority of the seats in Congress. Our slate of U.S. House candidates received 1.7 million votes, the first time any third party has received over a million votes for U.S. House.

Seems like a pretty viable third-party to me.

 

[GeorgeG]

I'm not quite sure about the third party, but you hit the nail on the head about both parties being too far left and right. It's just not healthy.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by hucifer
Well, the party has existed for over 30 years. Currently more than 590 Libertarians hold public office (more than all other third parties combined). In the 2003 elections, we elected 46 Libertarians, nearly half in higher-level races such as city and county council. During the year 2000, we ran more than 1430 candidates, more than twice as many as all other third parties combined.

We fielded candidates for 255 of the 435 seats in the U.S House as well as 25 of the 33 Senate seats up for election -- the first time in eighty years that any third party has contested a majority of the seats in Congress. Our slate of U.S. House candidates received 1.7 million votes, the first time any third party has received over a million votes for U.S. House.

Seems like a pretty viable third-party to me.

How many of those 255 in the House and 25 in the Senate did the Losertarians win? Until they consistently win a national office, or a Governorship, they cannot be classified as any more viable than the Green Party.

 

[hucifer]

Originally posted by dmadman43
How many of those 255 in the House and 25 in the Senate did the Losertarians win? Until they consistently win a national office, or a Governorship, they cannot be classified as any more viable than the Green Party.

Not sure what your connotation of viable is. Isn't it more viable, considering that we have more elected candidates than all other third parties combined?

Losertarian...very nice.

 

[tonyswife]

I am a registered Libertarian. However, the problem with the Libertarian party is that the collective "we" are just to used to the nanny state. A libertarian government is just not appealing to the general public. Can you imagine selling some of the main ideas to the electorate and getting elected to any meaningful national office? Decriminalizing all drugs and prostitution? Doing completely away with federal income tax? Selling off all federal land? Getting the federal government out of schools, roads, health care, doing away with SS and medicare, etc... It's a drastic change and unless the LP is willing to tone down their rhetoric and take baby steps, they will forever be relegated to the fringes and regarded as the party of pot heads and anarchists. Furthermore, the national party, IMO, has completely lost its head in regards to national security and their stance will NEVER sell in this climate of terrorism awareness.

We had a few really good LP races on the local ballot this past election, and they all lost. Voter apathy is a huge problem. When discussing the candidates for local office with the locals around here, it seems like most people just randomly pick or choose the incumbant no matter what because they don't know who these people are running for city councils and other local government boards.

I would love a Libertarian government, but even as a registered Libetarian, I cannot foolmyself into believing they are viable in their current state.