Alan Greenspan Says Time Is Ripe For A Third-Party Presidential Candidate.

[kpete]

Alan Greenspan Says Time Is Ripe For A Third-Party Presidential Candidate...
The Wall Street Journal | Greg Ip | February 27, 2006 at 09:21 AM

Speaking to a Wall Street gathering Wednesday, the former Federal Reserve chairman decried the "polarization" of American politics and said the ground was ripe for a third party presidential candidate, according to several people who attended the event.

A member of the audience asked Mr. Greenspan if he would endorse a candidate for president. Mr. Greenspan said he would not, "for now." But he went on to describe the two American parties now as controlled by their extreme wings, even though the voting public is far more centrist, the people who were present said. He described the leadership of the parties as "bimodal," meaning clustered at the extreme ideological ends, whereas the voting public was "monomodal," meaning clustered near the middle.

Such situations, he said, create an opening for a third-party candidate who appeals to the center. That, he said, could prompt the candidates of the other two parties to move back to the center, for fear of losing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/02/27/alan-greenspan-says-time-_n_16424.html

[Skidmore]

1. Shut up, Alan!

You've given such stellar advise over the years....NOT!

[ThomWV]

16. I Think He Is Right

Not only do I think he is right but I think a 3rd party will arise and will be successful in taking the Presidency from the Democrats in 2012.

[Skidmore]

20. He's right, but I don't want to hear that from him, especially

since he so carefully supported policies that drove us into debt and eviscerated the middle class.

In fact, I don't trust his motives. He's manipulative and could care less what happens to the lower classes.

[stray cat]

31. I agree that he is a disreputable messenger

I feel he betrayed the middle class.

[stray cat]

2. I think he is absolutely right

[NewJeffCT]

3. I'm all for Roy Moore

He'd be a nice 3rd party candidate in my eye.

I mean that strictly for siphoning off the fundie votes for Warner, Frist or whoever runs in 2008.

[ClayZ]

4. If Al Gore ran in the Green Party I would vote for him!

Each one teach one!

[JuniperLea]

5. NO! NO! NO!!!

Now is not the time to further divide! Yes, we need a third and maybe even a fourth party... BUT NOT NOW!!

We need to unite, regroup, consolidate and recruit until after the next presidential elections or we are doomed!!! We don't need to dilute the votes at this point!

[mattclearing]

12. LOL...well let us all know when it's convenient for the Dem/Rep parties.

:)

[MadHound]

18. If not now, when?

Sorry, but that tired old excuse of yours is trotted out as regular as rain every damn time this issue is brought up. And all the while, our country falls further and further under the spell of the two party/same corporate master system of government. Sorry, but after years and decades of heeding this bad advice, look where we're at, a completely corrupt government, where the Republicans and Bushco propose the most outrageous things, and the Dems roll over and piss all over themselves in order to please the bastards. Sorry, but your logic doesn't fly anymore.

And now look at the looming spectre of the '08 election cycle. We know that the Republican nominee, whoever it is, will be a war hawk. And guess what, the current frontrunner, Hillary, is also pro-war. So more than likely, those of us who are against the war(a majority of people in this country) are going to be presented with the "choice" of pro war candidate A or pro-war candidate B. Sorry but this is no choice. Even if you get further into their respective platforms, you quickly find that both parties overarching strategy is to promote corporate interests at the expense of the living person here in this country. So choice eh?:eyes:

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and Greenspan is spot on with this one. We desperately need a third, or even fourth party, if for no other reason than to keep the other two honest.

[Coexist]

27. Last time we had a 3rd party candidate - it HELPED the Dems

and elected Clinton.

Conservatives still hate Perot for that - like some here hate Nader.

[napi21]

6. I think Alan is trying to split the Dems so a Pub wins in 08.

If his comments could prompt another Nader, that could work. The risk to his plan would be if another Ross Perot surfaced.

[JuniperLea]

7. Bingo!

I'm glad others see this! This could be extremely dangerous right now!

[peace frog]

22. Exactamundo

I've been beseeching the gods for a popular-amongst-the-freepers fundie to make an independent presidential run in '08 as Perot did in '92. Oh please, please, PLEASE make it so!

[Ovett]

8. I don't see it that way

Most of the Democratic leadership is not from the extreme left. Who is he talking about? Ted Kennedy maybe? He hardly calls the shots for the Dems. I think the ground is fertile for a moderate Dem to win. McCain will likely lose the nomination which should allow a democrat to beat a hard right conservative in the general election.

[W_HAMILTON]

9. I thought that would be an interesting Democrat strategy...

Put up some some crazy, third party fundy-type. Have him be so crazy, he makes the Republicans look leftist. Ban gay marriages? Nah, he'll be for banning gay people outright. Who needs separation of church and state? Christianity: The official religion of the USA! Anti-minority, anti-gay, anti-Muslim -- the whole nine yards.

Plenty of the voters that the Republicans are catering to would approve of all that crap, so put a wacko candidate in there to out-craze them.

Here's to Jerry Falwell in 2008! :)

[mattclearing]

13. Democrat is not an adjective. n/t

[peace frog]

23. Pat Robertson can be his running mate

Talk about a dream ticket!

[unblock]

10. the democratic party is controlled by its extreme wing??

true enough for the banana republican party, but the democratic party isn't "controlled" by any wing, certainly not any "extreme" wing.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. It's extreme wing is the extreme left wing

of the GOP.

[mmonk]

14. yeah, right

What a joke.

[Mizmoon]

15. Let's revive the Whig Party

just for laughs.

[oldlady]

17. Resurrect Bob Lafollette and sign me up! n/t

[dorkulon]

19. Bring back Perot...

...or his modern equivalent. A GOP split is what won it for Clinton, remember. If the fundies split with fiscal/small gov't conservatives, Democrats win.

[bowens43]

21. I agree, let's help the Constituion Party get rolling.

Time to encourage further splits in the GOP.

[LaraMN]

30. I signed a petition to get them on the ballot here, last election.

My husband's entire (very conservative) family voted Constitution Party. I agree with you- I'm all for including any candidate that splinters the Repub party. A third party certainly doesn't necessarily have to hurt us.

[democraticinsurgent]

24. there is no center right now

there is only truth, and lies. there is no in between in that dynamic.

[dorkulon]

28. So split the liars...

Between the religious liars and the economic liars. Because right now the liars and their victims are too powerful.

[Marr]

25. Until election fraud is dealt with, we're in a one party state- no matter

how many names are listed on the ballot.

[leesa]

26. I'll bet it is Alan....gotta keep the Corporatocracy in place, eh?

[Harald Ragnarsson]

29. I think he's a piss poor economist

except for people like Bush.

As for his opinions on anything else, I wish he'd STFU and go enjoy his retirement with all his millions for selling out his country and the little fleshpot cupcake that is is Mrs Greenspan. What a hottie! Looks like all that moola got him the trophy wife! :sarcasm:

[More Than A Feeling]

32. Alan needs to read Off-Center

Off Center : The Republican Revolution and the Erosion of American Democracy by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300108702/sr=8-1/qid=1141056705/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1092941-9204624?%5Fencoding=UTF8

What he thinks is "left" is very much centrist compared to where the Democratic Party has been in the 20th century. The Republican elite is far to the right of the majority of the American people. As we have seen, to remain in power, Republicans have to subvert democracy whenever and wherever they can, whether at the voting booth, or in the halls of Congress.

Of course, Greenspan, being a devotee of Ayn Rand, shares the economic goals of the far right, so its an open question whether he has a problem with what is going on at all. This is a man, after all, who defended Bush's elitist tax thefts, then was shocked, SHOCKED, to discover budget deficits!