Third Party Politics

Published in the Observer 3/31/2010

My wife and I watched a movie this weekend about a recent third party presidential candidate. Although we have had third party candidates for many decades, and throughout American politics, since the 1830’s the establishment of the two party system has dominated the American political process. Often the third party candidate has no more effect than “spoiler” for one of the major parties, such as Perot hurting the Republicans or Nader hurting the Democrats. Over time I would assert the public’s view of third party candidates has become one of ridicule. Sadly, if citizens would take time to listen these “spoilers” typically have more wisdom and validity to their point than their mainstream opponents.

A commonality between third party candidates is their claim that the two major parties are more alike than different. Glenn Beck regularly makes these claims, pointing to both parties giving their allegiance to major corporations and political benefactors, not the American people. Ralph Nader made similar claims in his campaign as a Green Party candidate in 2000. Democrats demonize Nader as a spoiler who should have supported Al Gore and hurt the party with his insistence that Al Gore and George W. Bush were “Tweedledee and Tweedledum”–they look and act the same, so it doesn’t matter which you get. Republicans similarly cried foul when Ross Perot took his campaign to the American people in his famous infomercials. Ultimately, he won 18.9% of the popular vote in 1992; the most for a third party candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, but not a single electoral vote was awarded to him.

Revolution is sewn in the seeds of discontent and it would appear those seeds are currently strewn across America as the “Tea Party” movement may be the next major opportunity for a successful third party candidate to be born into the American forefront. However, three major obstacles face this opportunity. I believe the first will be the hardest to overcome, the media. As our newspapers and televisions have suffered over the last two decades they have slowly been swallowed by a handful of major corporations that now dictate the news we see. Thus, news is no longer news, but a carefully controlled message. We know the New York Times singlehandedly contributed to the successfully election of Barak Obama by not running stories about his association with ACORN. Similarly, Ralph Nader’s campaign was pushed to the back pages of the NY Times in 2000, and no mention was made on the major networks unless it was to discuss his role as spoiler. Second, the balloting rules of individual states and the Electoral College are inherently designed to prevent a third party candidate from succeeding. In America, our vote for President does not matter and is only recorded for discussion; the Electoral College elects the President. Third, the Commission on Presidential Debates will determine who participates in the debate process. Nader learned the hard way in 2000, as he could not debate the other candidates.

Ironically, one of the most admired Presidents in American history was the last third party candidate to win election; Abraham Lincoln won in 1860 on the ticket of the 8 year old Republican Party. I must wonder how many opportunities for great leaders have been missed in the last 140 years due to our system we call “democracy”. As Congress and the President continue to move against the wishes of the American people I believe voters will take a stronger look at candidates that look less like the established political parties.