A Third Party - A Christmas Present?

[Ana the Ist]

Yes, it's a political present.
I like it, a lot.

The standard-bearer of the Democratic Party, the Washington Post no less, has published an article stating that we need a third party.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/01/break-up-two-party-system/

Odd...I was thinking of possible solutions to the current political problem...and came to the same conclusion.

I concluded that the fight should be over as many Congessional seats as possible....aim for 36 but settle for 12.

And as many Senate seats as possible....aim for 6 but 1 or 2 is a victory.

Forget the Presidency. That's not going to happen.

Also don't run on any specific policy platforms. Instead, run on bridging the political divide as a center party willing to work with either side....so long as they sideline the extremists within their own ranks. Depending on where you are running...you either play to the growing despondency of a disillusioned voter....or to the fear of rising political extremism and dirty politics ruining democracy.

It doesn't have to gain a lot of seats to win. You can essentially force both sides to deal with the Centrists if they want to achieve anything and extremist ideologues and viewpoints can be left on the cutting room floor.

I haven't read the article....but is that how the author sees it?

 

[Ana the Ist]

Odd...I was thinking of possible solutions to the current political problem...and came to the same conclusion.

I concluded that the fight should be over as many Congessional seats as possible....aim for 36 but settle for 12.

And as many Senate seats as possible....aim for 6 but 1 or 2 is a victory.

Forget the Presidency. That's not going to happen.

Also don't run on any specific policy platforms. Instead, run on bridging the political divide as a center party willing to work with either side....so long as they sideline the extremists within their own ranks. Depending on where you are running...you either play to the growing despondency of a disillusioned voter....or to the fear of rising political extremism and dirty politics ruining democracy.

It doesn't have to gain a lot of seats to win. You can essentially force both sides to deal with the Centrists if they want to achieve anything and extremist ideologues and viewpoints can be left on the cutting room floor.

I haven't read the article....but is that how the author sees it?

Give yourself some time to think about it then feel free to praise this strategy for its brilliance.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

It would be useful to have some opposition on important issues. The Senate voted 98 in favor of the war in Afghanistan with 2 not voting and none opposed.

This is a poor example - public support for the war in Afghanistan in 2001 was very, very high given that they were harboring the terrorists who had just destroyed the World Trade Center and attacked the Pentagon and killed almost 6000 Americans. The senate votes unanimously (or near enough) on almost nothing. Jump ahead to 2002 and the Iraq war, and 23 senators voted against that despite the misrepresentation of data and outright lies by the Bush administration that made the situation there seem much worse than it actually was.