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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (280781)	3/18/2006 9:41:26 PM
From: bentway	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1572207

We've got LOTS of "third parties": * Alaskan Independence Party * Aloha Aina Party * American Centrist Party * America First Party * American Heritage Party * American Independent Party (Currently affiliated with the Constitution Party) * American Party * American Nazi Party * American Reform Party * American Patriot Party * Charter Party of Cincinnati, Ohio * Communist Party USA * Conservative Party of New York * Conservative Party of the United States of America * Constitution Party * Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands) * Freedom Socialist Party * Grassroots Party * Greens/Green Party USA * Independence Party of Minnesota * Independent American Party (Currently affiliated with the Constitution Party) * Independent Citizens Movement (US Virgin Islands) * Labor Party * Liberal Party of Minnesota * Liberal Party of New York * Liberty Union Party * Marijuana Party * Marijuana Reform Party (New York) * Mountain Party (West Virginia) * Natural Law Party * Nebraska Party (Affiliated with the Constitution Party) * New Party * New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico * New Union Party * New York State Right to Life Party * Peace and Freedom Party * Personal Choice Party * Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico * Populist Party of Maryland (Nader 2004-affiliated, unrelated to earlier so-named parties) * Prohibition Party * Puerto Rican Independence Party * Reform Party * Reform Party of Michigan * Republican Moderate Party of Alaska * Revolutionary Communist Party * Socialist Action * Socialist Alternative * Socialist Equality Party (US) * Socialist Labor Party * Socialist Party USA * Socialist Workers Party * Southern Party * Southern Independence Party * United Citizens Party * Unity Party of America * U.S. Pacifist Party * Vermont Progressive Party * Voter rights party * We the People Party * Workers World Party * Working Families Party * Workers Party, USA * World Socialist Party of the United States

To: Road Walker who wrote (280781)	3/19/2006 1:28:36 AM
From: denizen48	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572207

Durbin is twice the senator this guy is. This guy is for sale. He's just feeling out the political landscape. He's not a true believer. You give Obama way too much credit for making pretty speeches.

To: Road Walker who wrote (280781)	3/20/2006 2:18:10 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1572207

re: And then it dawned on me what my problem with a third party is. As it works in this country, a third party is intended to promote issues that are not covered by the main parties. I don't think that's true. Same issues, but no dogma baggage... just pragmatic solutions. No dogma? That's not my understanding of third parties. Here is a list of third parties that have existed in America and their ideologies: politics1.com re: But we have a bigger problem.......we have a system of governance that has stop functioning properly.......who's goal is not to meet the needs of its people but to satisfy the goals of an ideology. Yeah, and the Reps may be more responsible right now, but essentially the problem has developed under both parties. Look at the Dems, nobody is standing up to say "this is morally wrong, this is not America. They are professionals, brought up through the political farm system, where they are trained to cater to special interests, not citizens. re: I don't see how a third party can change that. They would not have the clout. 1/3 of the population calls themselves "independent", not Dem or Rep. That's a base. You don't think a great candidate, without the dogma rhetoric, with some real solutions, could draw people from the Dems and Reps? A Ross Perot without the weirdness? It would probably have to be top down a Presidential candidate followed by the local politicians. Traditionally, this has been the purpose of third parties: "Purpose of Third Parties Whether or not a third party wins an election to a public office, they have a specific and lasting role in their respective nation's politics. The primary purpose of third parties is to draw attention to issues that are otherwise being ignored by the majority parties. Then, as the issues become more public, the majority parties are forced not only to address the issues, but often times the majority parties will adopt the ideas from third parties in order to attract the moderate crowd. The most notable example of this in United States history was the Populist Party (or People's Party). This third party suggested many major domestic, political, financial, and social reforms that Theodore Roosevelt and the United States Progressive Movement adapted. Third parties are also, in more recent years, used by voters to send a message to the major party nominations that they don't approve of their politics or stances on issues. Third parties are also used as an "emotional bridge" for voters who are in transition between one major party to another [1] According to exit polls, third parties also raise voter turnout. Many voters for third party candidates say that, had the third party candidate not been on the ballot, they would not have gone to the voting booths. In the 2000 U.S. Presidential election these exit polls showed that 25% of those who voted for Ralph Nader in Florida would not have voted at all had he not been on the ballot." en.wikipedia.org Certainly, the third party can be used to communicate dissatisfaction with the main parties, but I don't think a third party can do much beyond that and I don't think it can accumulate any real clout because of the way the FF set up the American gov't. They didn't want a multi party system.......that's why third parties never get much traction. Here's two examples of what I mean: "One reason for the United States' being a two-party system is its predominant (almost exclusive) use of a first-past-the-post voting system; another reason is that the U.S. is a republic and doesn't have a parliamentary system." en.wikipedia.org And we certainly do not have the time it would take for a third party to become a major party assuming that's even possible. re: And let me repeat, Barack has the magic. The Dems could do much worse than run him for president. And in two years, I think he will have enough experience to run the country. OBAMA for PRESIDENT! If not more experience than Bush, certainly more quality experience. I don't see a better Dem candidate. He could really get people excited to vote... he could bring together a new progressive movement. I see a little Kennedy in him, in a totally different way. I think the country is ready for a brand new face, and some new ideas. I agree. I think Obama is the best Dem. candidate. ted