By Steven Dobbs
Election 2012 is shaping up to be an election where the people choose the lesser of two evils. Mitt Romney seems to be a little bit of Obama lite and Obama is just crazed with power. It seems we find ourselves in this same predicament almost every election. Still, Americans continue to hope for real change in Washington. The founding of the Tea Party was supposed to mark the emergence of a real third party as they claimed to be concerned citizens of all walks of life and political affiliations.
Somewhere down the line, the Koch brothers managed to co-opt the Tea Party movement and feed them Republican talking points. The Tea Party moved away from nonpartisan to right leaning and an offshoot of the Republican Party. Tea Party candidates ran as Republicans and not as Tea Party Candidates. The hopes of a tangible third party died.
As this election draws ever so closer, many are wondering if there will ever be a true strong third party. The only third party candidate to really go the distance was Ross Perot during the 92 election. He managed to make most debates, buy national advertising time, and garner some modest support. He was parodied on my late night talk shows due to his use of charts to illustrate his points. Perot was predominately self funded thanks in part to his great wealth.
Third Parties tend to be loosely organized and lack any significant fundraising. Far too often voters only hear of third party candidates when they enter the voting booth and see their names. Yet, in today’s political climate, there seems to be a burgeoning demand for a real alternative. After this election it is quite possible that there will be a legitimate third party rising to mainstream prominence.
Many voters feel jaded by the current two party system, stating that it’s just the same story every time. There is little doubt that there will be a real third party come 2016. Some Ron Paul supporters are hoping that he will run for president as an independent, but there is little chance of Paul taking such a drastic step. Even so, an independent Ron Paul might be the start of something bigger politically. Ron Paul has managed to garner support from voters young and old. His popularity even transcends party lines as many liberals like his stance on government spending and support of American made products.
The threat of a genuine third party to the political system is very real to the establishment. They fear a candidate who doesn’t follow talking points and thinks for themselves. A third party candidate has the potential to encompass that which is good in both parties while doing away with where they go wrong.
Americans are waking up and a real change is on the horizon.
Related articles
- Barbour: Strain of ‘Perot-ism’ in the tea party movement (politico.com)
- The Assimilation Of The Tea Party (revolutioninmedia.com)
- RNC Confirms Ron Paul Will Be Up For Presidential Nomination In Tampa (alexanderhiggins.com)
- Will The Real Tea Party Please Stand Up? (usnews.com)
- Tea party, Ron Paul activists aren’t enthusiastic about Charlie Summers (bangordailynews.com)
- Ron Paul, Nebraska and Our Stupid Media (libertycrier.com)
- Politics 2012: Third-party candidates not getting national hype this year (upi.com)
