A 3rd Party Rising: The Radical Center?

While we continue to be spoon-fed the same platitudes, buzzwords and premature polls every election cycle; why don’t we ever just work up the will and courage to force a third option seriously enough to reach for the change we really want? Whether you call for more conservatism or more liberalism in government isn’t really the case. What we continue to see is the oscillation of worn-out ideas and empty promises, despite our disgust with the two-party oligopoly that we ourselves are to blame for propping it up.

Since we are so seemingly polarized ideologically as a nation (a notion overfed by the media as if like propaganda) how do we then become united for the cause of real and actual change? Common ground is the answer, not compromise. This is a developing platform for something emerging out of the wide middle between two-parties, the self-proclaimed independents - the Radical Center. The thought that the change we all want and in common, despite our political differences, can be found in embracing a moderate movement that could compete in our two-player game could be a solution…

But let’s not get too hopeful if a Centrist revolution was what you were looking for. From a poll conducted on January 14 through 16 by Public Policy Polling, it does not look as if America is ready to except a third party movement yet. Despite the popularity of the Tea Party in generating passion about reforming government, only 37% were open to idea of a legitimate third party candidate. This 37% was split between 14% and 29% who would only vote for this third party if it were for either a very liberal or very conservative candidate based on their own personal beliefs. Further, nearly half of that 37% would actually support a third party centrist. While only half of 37% would only be 19% of the popular vote for a centrist candidate, this would still be a significant step in the direction of a real third party entrance into the two-party system.

So what real possibility do you think Americans have for a powerful third party movement in 2012 or later? Will it be the 800 pound guerilla in the room - the “Radical Center” that has yet to capitalize on its true potential for making this movement possible? Or are you with the crowd that thinks the two-party system works best, or will continue to strangle intellectual innovation for many election cycles to come?

 

We already have a center/center-right party, it's called the Democrats.

 

...well I guess "center" is relative to our political biases then...

 

By American standards the Democrats might be center-left, but by the standards of near every other first world nation the left in the US has no real party since the 70's, and it's now just center right and even more to the right.

 

A huge percentage of Americans think we are "on the wrong track". But when you go deeper, you find no agreement on what that means. I think the "wrong track" really refers to how sold-out and broken our democracy is -- it is only working for the rich and the big corporations.

 

I agree with your outlook completely. You hit the nail on the head. You should also add foreign interest in your last sentence as well. Because people in the US no longer feel it's our country anymore, but just another province. I also believe that many citizens do not want to be integrated in world affairs as much as the US is today nor do we want the US to police the world.

For example, every time some kind of world event happens to let's say, another nation halfway around the world, some jackass foreign USA policy maker or hopped up analyst has to spew his or her opinion of the manner and what the US needs to do, in which the event only happen 6 hours prior (sometimes quite sooner) to their interview on some national news network for 15 minutes either that be CNN or Fox News.

It's obvious that these people put in these positions don't have enough work in the day if they can find time thinking up more problems to sell out to the American public.

 

You will never see a third party real party emerge , because this owned biased media , will never give it any play . It will stick with the two parties that's owned , bought and payed for by big business . Why would they let a new threat to power emerge , that would mean having to buy and corrupt them as well .

The truth is America desperately needs real alternative party choices . Not just pipe dreams and wasted votes .

Both the left and right are swinging to far in both directions . I think most American's lie somewhere in the middle of both . However their voice is never heard , because they have to be stuck into one of two controlled parties .

As I've said before , we had better be damn sight careful in the escalating rhetoric of both party lines , cause I fear revolution may not be coming to America . I fear another civil war is between the left and right .

Yes we need a "real" third party choice ! The media will never have any of it however . Think about it lets take the democrat's for instance . When was the last time you saw a democrat running , who had the best interests for the common working man ? They are all rich , they have to be to get the media backing and blessing . Many have more in common with the g.o.p. then with their own party . And they are making laws for the good of the working man ? It's like having a fox guarding the hen house .When did it become only the rich can run for office in America ?

 

Yes, certainly... the two parties fight for the non-radical center every election and assume, for the most part correctly, their respective bases will vote for them regardless of how much their agendas are ignored and/or marganilized.

I think a possible solution, rather than forming an actual third party is to simply not vote in any general election that fails to include a candidate you can truly get behind. A lot of Democrats stayed home this last congressional election and Republicans, a good of radical Republicans at that, made it into office. And now, as a pushback, there is real activism going on in Democratic circles. it may succeed or not, but at least there is an actual fight going on rather than the incremental chipping away year after year that had become the standard. It's simple - voting (or not voting) is a powerful enough tool for the bases to affect real change.

I'm not sure it matters whether there are two or three or more parties... don;t be apathetic and don't settle on the least crazy candidate. That's fine in that the less crazy the better but let's demand a bit more than simple sanity! hrm... I think it's likely the teabaggers will continue on and slightly less likely a liberal version will emerge as well... it will just take a few more Scott Walker's. And the Republicans have that in abundance thanks to their recent electoral successes.

 

THats seems to be the ongoing trend throughout history. There is a sneaky rich inner circle, reaping the benefits from wars for thousands of years. Like the Rockefeller, and did you know that Queen Elizabeth is related to Eva braun, Hitlers wife. THese families have been working behind the scenes for a very long time. There is probably some connection to the free mason's. It seems inevitable the we will all be put under one world order.
And even that won't last. Eventually Unconditional love will prosper and the corporations and empires will crumble. Any lies or wrongdoing will eventually be corrected. It's the way of the universe.

 

We might be seeing the beginning of a new political party. Van Jones is launching something called the "American Dream Movement", which is getting support from MoveOn.org. It is, or could turn into, a party for progressives dissatisfied with the corporate sell-out of the Democratic Party.

Washington Post

 

I'm sorry, I'm not being sarcastic, but what does 'radical center' mean?

As far as a 'third party' in general: It works, outside of the presidential election. People don't really invest their votes in 3rd party presidential candidates. But the office of President is not all that powerful anyway, congress is where the power's all out of balance.

If we could reform some of the blatant corruption out of congress we would see that opposing or varied ideology is not the problem.

Take 'gay rights' for instance. People feel strongly about supporting the civil rights of gay people while others feel strongly about denying them. This diachotomy will persist and lock voters into the right or left.

Where will the radical center stand? Do they vote 'I don't care' ? Because if they care they're gonna pick a side.

Another thing to keep in mind is the more parties, the less percentage of votes to win (3 parties, 34% can win; 5 parties, 21% can win; 10 parties...) so you no longer need majority support.

All that said, Nader was my favorite presidential candidate of my days. He's so deliciously ethical. I wonder if he'd have won if he ran Dem...

 

He's (Ralph Nader) also optimistic human nature and self-deceiving (arty) knowledge of nature applied to engineering.