Is a moderate party viable?

[Percivale]

would a centrist or moderate party work, or is that not a coherent enough ideology to rally support?

 

[abysmul]

IMHO: currently the country is too divided by this "tribalism" way of thinking of "us vs. them"; so I don't see a moderate party working.

 

[Dave-W]

It has been tried before. But the country always reverts back to a two-party system.

 

[tampasteve]

Enough support? Yes, I would think so with the amount of independents and moderates in each party. However, making a third party actually work and get enough ballot access in all (or at least most) states is very difficult. In the recent past the third party candidates that do anything close to OK in an election are generally driven by personality of the candidate and a ground swell of support from individuals. But transferring that interest into a new party has not worked out after the election.

The reality is that most voters see third parties as vehicles for votes to be stolen from another candidate so end up not voting for a third party. The big two parties generally allow a third party into an election when they feel there is an advantage for them to do so, otherwise they fight hard to keep third party candidates out of the process.

I have only voted for a main candidate in my first election, I have been a member of a third party essentially since I was 18.

 

[Percivale]

I believe there is currently an opportunity for third parties to gain success, but to keep our country from reverting back to two party system the election laws would need to change, with things like approval voting and multimember districts being added. But in this thread I was primarily considering whether being moderate is enough of a policy position to unite a party around, or are there a number of different ways of being moderate?

 

[HTacianas]

would a centrist or moderate party work, or is that not a coherent enough ideology to rally support?

The problem you get with it is the crazies that show up wanting to take control of it. The "moderate party" you start off with rapidly deteriorates into a bunch of screaming nutcases.

 

[tampasteve]

Probably the most popular moderate party in recent memory is the Reform Party, they are still active in a few states so could be a vehicle to get behind to get off the ground again. They still have some cache in the name and the party has experienced people involved still. I was a member for many years and pretty active for a short while.

 

[Karin12414]

As nice as it sounds, a vote for a third party is a wasted vote. It has been proven time and time again.

If you want to make a real change then you have to start from the local level up and accept that there are really only two parties that will be debating. So, research the INDIVIDUALS running because there is good and bad on both sides. You vote for the individual that best represents your values, not the party.

As for Registration, if you want to be allowed in the Primary elections, you have to be either Republican or Democrat, there is no negotiating that. So, you have to think logically and use the system that has been in place for hundreds of years to your advantage.

The system can only work if we ALL play our part in it. That is the hardest part.

 

[Desk trauma]

would a centrist or moderate party work, or is that not a coherent enough ideology to rally support?

The ideology of a third party is of secondary concern for those who want one as the primary barrier to its viability is the system being stacked against any other party entering the fray.

 

[Percivale]

The ideology of a third party is of secondary concern for those who want one as the primary barrier to its viability is the system being stacked against any other party entering the fray.

There is an opportunity that minor parties haven’t taken as much advantage of as they should. Many districts for state legislatures especially are non-competitive for major parties whether by accident or intentional gerrymandering. Minor parties should be working had to run in those districts when only one major party is running. It can be hard but it is possible to get on the ballot.

 

[Petros2015]

The problem you get with it is the crazies that show up wanting to take control of it. The "moderate party" you start off with rapidly deteriorates into a bunch of screaming nutcases.

As opposed to the main parties which took their time and slowly deteriorated into a bunch of screaming nutcases lol.

 

[dqhall]

would a centrist or moderate party work, or is that not a coherent enough ideology to rally support?

Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president in 1992 against George H W Bush and Bill Clinton as an Independent. Perot was preaching the government should balance the budget instead of increase the national debt. Perot lost the election to Bill Clinton, but from 1998 -2001, President Clinton and Congress passed balanced budgets. The Federal government has owed money since 1835.

 

[Archivist]

I wish that we would have a viable moderate party in the US. The problem is that the deck is stacked against third parties. I have had people tell me that they would register Libertarian or Green, but that means that they have no vote in the primary. I voted for the Green candidate in the last Presidential election, but I'm a registered Republican because whoever wins the Republican primary for local office usually wins in the General election, and sometimes a single vote can make a difference in those races.

 

[sfs]

As for Registration, if you want to be allowed in the Primary elections, you have to be either Republican or Democrat, there is no negotiating that.

That depends on the state. I'm asked when I show up at the polls which primary ballot I want.

 

[Archivist]

That depends on the state. I'm asked when I show up at the polls which primary ballot I want.

That is true--voting laws vary from state to state.

 

[mukk_in]

Moderates are generally perceived to be weak, arrogant, corrupt and indecisive. The world, at this time, seems to be swinging to extremes. People seem to be embracing either Fascism or Communism, and nothing in between. Powerful nationalists in America, India, and strong showing by such ideologues in Sweden, Italy and even liberal England (Brexit) just underscores the current distrust of moderates. That's sad because, although I'm center-right, I admired moderates like Franklin Roosevelt. Maybe the coming of the Lord is imminent.

 

[jayem]

Voting methods need to be radically changed before a 3rd party, or (preferably) independent candidate has any viable chance of winning. I've posted about this earlier. The nominees who run for office should be chosen by all the voters in a single primary election. Every contender from every party runs against each other. Voters use a ranked transferable voting system to designate their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, (and so on) choices. The top 2 most preferred candidates run against each other in the general election. No more single-party primaries, caucuses, super-delegates, or other such complications. Candidates for office are chosen by the entire electorate--not by parties.

Another badly needed reform is to eliminate "dark money," super-pacs, and other such corruptions. There should be limits on how much any donor can give. And every donor to any campaign--whether a person, a party, a corporation, a non-profit, an interest group, or whatever--must be identified and be made part of the public record. And the members of any such interest group, or non-profit, must also be identified personally. Of course, after the Citizens United decision, this will require a Constitutional amendment. So I'm not gonna my breath.

 

[FaithfulPilgrim]

There are minor centrist parties, but all of them are really too small to be very effective, and the nature of our two party system (in general) moves the two main parties towards moderation. This last election was pretty crazy and I find both sides to be suffering from tribalism.

A Democrat in the South is likely to be more moderate than the national party or a New England Democrat, while a Republican in the Northeast will likely be more moderate than a Southern Republican or the GOP at the National level.

 

[DogmaHunter]

Why the so-called "biggest democracy in the world" only has 2 parties, is something I have found to be baffling all my life.

It makes zero sense.

 

[FaithfulPilgrim]

Why the so-called "biggest democracy in the world" only has 2 parties, is something I have found to be baffling all my life.

It makes zero sense.

We aren’t a democracy, we are a republic with democratic elements. Both parties are big tents, so they hold a range of views and factions within their parties.