…Duh!
As enthusiastic as I am about needing true change in the US Government and believing it will only come from more options in candidates and parties, I know that a third party candidate will not emerge to win on election day. Not in 2012, 2016….or likely even as far out as 2032.
I think there is another way we can think about this. Change isn’t always big – or winning the Superbowl the first year with a new team. Sometimes it’s about finding the right players, over time, that get us the right plays to win some games…and then improve each season.
A 3rd Party Candidate will not emerge to WIN on election day. Ross Perot helped tip the election to Clinton in 1992 from George H. W. Bush with 18.9% of the vote, and he did so again in 1996 – even the much lower 8.9% he managed to win that year pulled precious votes from Bob Dole’s presidential shot. Ross Perot did not win – but he caused a true shake-up to the Republican party and had the trend continued, both parties would have needed to adjust strategies to woo and win voters in a newly competitive environment. No candidate would win with a majority of the popular vote and that would be a profound change for our nation that would influence elections at the local and state levels, as well.
This leads into the main reason to start voting third party which is far more primitive than having a Libertarian or Green Party President. It looks like this:
Visibility of issues: Consistently tipping elections by voting for issues that matter most to us – regardless of the candidates in the main two parties – will force the Democrats and Republicans to take notice of our concerns. No party will want to lose a major election because a third-party candidate gets 10% of the vote because of two or three major issues, such as The War on Drugs, climate change, and The Patriot Act.
While tipping elections is one strategy, it’s pretty much a given that the bigger party would eventually just absorb the third-party that had grown to such a powerful place. This action would essentially kill it or change it so much that the original platform is destroyed (think: Tea Party).
All politics are local: We have a culture of instant gratification that essentially inhibits us from making real changes to our government. We need a longer-term approach to the establishment of a true multi-party system and it begins at the local and state levels. It’s much easier to get an Independent, Libertarian or Green Party candidate elected at these levels. They have the ability to be effective here, as they are responsible to their own constituents and can have direct impact through policies, local support and distribution of resources (money for road improvements, etc.)
A great example of how growing a third-party into a small minority through local efforts can make huge waves is with the British Parliament. The Conservative party has had to work with the very small Liberal Party to defeat the Tories in Parliament, which is made up locally elected MPs. In this way, changes are being made across the board that were not done before.
THIS is the next feasible step in American politics and what we should be working towards. Support true CHANGE by learning about issues that third party candidates support and voting for them in your local and state governments.
Remember: “A wasted vote is a vote for someone you don’t believe in.”
– Gary Johnson
Learn more about the candidates:
- Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party Presidential Candiate
- Jill Stein, Green Party Presidential Candidate
- Rocky Anderson, Justice Party Presidential Candidate
- Virgil Goode, Constitution Party Presidential Candidate
Additional reading:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/voting-for-a-third-party-candidate-is-not-a-wasted-vote/5310420
http://wbsm.com/would-you-vote-for-a-third-party-candidate-in-the-2012-presidential-election-poll/