"There's a saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing, the same way, over and over, but expecting a different result each time. Republicans and Democrats have been doing the same thing year after year (...). Yet, for some inexplicable reason, they expect things will be different. ” Those are words of Kevin Takenaga, chair of the Libertarian Party of California. He was talking about his home state, but I have a feeling that today this statement would resonate with a lot of people from all over United States.
Republicans had their president in office for the past 8 years, and saw the highest rate of federal government growth since the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson, including largest budget deficits in US history. That’s hardly the type of legacy desired by fiscal conservatives and President Bush saw approval ratings only between 20% and 30% upon his departure from office in January 09’.
Democrats, on the other hand, have taken control of Congress in 2006, vowing to end President Bush’s controversial “War on Terror”. As a result, 2 years later, US troops are still fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, with the new Democratic President increasing the numbers in Afghanistan, and pledging a decreased but constant military presence in Iraq.
And finally, in an era when all Americans have been watching in horror and amazement their tax dollars being spend by the two leading parties with a commitment and energy simply unseen in our times, this might be the first time in the American history when a third party candidate has a real chance to capture a national office.
The most powerful alternative party in America right now is the Libertarian Party. They have about 250,000 registered voters, and are active in all 50 states, with mayors, council members, county execs, and even a sheriff in Colorado.
Neither right nor left wing, libertarians can be best described as the party that “borrows” from Democrats and Republicans to come up with a platform of extremely conservative fiscal policy and equally committed liberal social agenda. In a nutshell, they believe in low taxes, central government only taking care of national defense, and power transferred to local governments. Socially, they support no laws or restrictions on people’s lifestyles as long as they’re not hurting anyone else. “The Libertarian way is a logically consistent approach to politics based on the moral principle of self-ownership. Each individual has the right to control his or her own body, action, speech, and property. Government's only role is to help individuals defend themselves from force and fraud."
It is generally assumed that a libertarian candidate takes away from the republican support. While libertarian social agenda is positively liberal - among other things, supporting legalization of drugs and prostitution, they also believe in lowering taxes and slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, which brings enthusiastic support from conservatives.
With new generations of republicans coming up, who tend to be much more socially liberal (as in Meghan McCain), the rising of the Libertarian Party could very well mean the end of the Republican Party as we know it. In 2002, National Review’s John Miller blamed the close defeats of Republican senatorial candidate Slade Gorton in Washington and John Thune in South Dakota on libertarian candidates: “if there had been no Libertarian Senate candidates in recent years, Republicans would not have lost control of the chamber in 2001, and a filibuster-proof, 60 –seat majority would likely be within reach.”
Here in Georgia, we now have a libertarian gubernatorial candidate, John Monds. The African – American politician and activist was the first libertarian candidate to ever surpass 1 million votes in an election, when he ran for office of Public Service Commission in 2008. On national level, it was Bob Barr, also from Georgia, who ran for president in 2008 on the party’s ticket. He received 523,686 votes, coming in 4th, right after Ralph Nader, an Independent.
The other two players worth mentioning are the Green Party and the Constitutional Party, also quite successful, although neither has gathered as much support as the Libertarians.
The Green Party of the United States is actually an informal US-affiliate of the far left European Greens party. Its platform is the same as democrat’s, but more leftist, with a very dramatic and aggressive pro-environmental stance, anti-war movement and support for government social and welfare programs. Their 2008 presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) received 161,603 votes.
During election years, the Libertarian Party fields more local and federal candidates than any other US third party but it has been eclipsed by the Greens in size since 1996 in terms of having the largest third party following and garnering more media attention. If the Democrat Party doesn’t “change” much in the areas of environment and military involvement, the Green Party might just be a better option for a disfranchised democrat.
The Constitution Party is the exact opposite of the Green Party, with strongly pro-life, anti-gun control, anti-tax, and anti-immigration views. Their platform also includes trade protectionism, "anti-New World Order," anti-United Nations, anti-gay marriage, anti-welfare, and pro-school prayer movements. At their 1999 national convention they declared: “the foundation of our political position and moving principle of our political activity is our full submission and unshakable faith in our Savior and Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ", although they officially invite "all citizens of all faiths" to join. The Constitution Party definitely receives the least attention from the media, but with the Republican Party becoming increasingly lackluster on social issues, they might see a growth in numbers and support in the coming years. Chuck Baldwin of Florida captured the party’s nomination for president in 2008, receiving 181,818 votes.
With the Democrat and Republican Party unwilling to cater to their base, Americans just might be interested in other options. Coincidentally, most of the major players of the third parties are coming out of our own Atlanta, GA with McKinney, Monds, and Barr all gathering national attention. With the 2010 gubernatorial race already starting here in Georgia, if John Monds succeeds and becomes the first Libertarian Governor, the 2012 presidential and congressional elections might become a different kind of ball game for both Democrats and Republicans.
http://www.examiner.com/x-6571-Atlanta-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m3d29-Will-the-third-party-candidate-please-stand-up
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