Fandango’s Provocative Question #229

This final week (is this the final week?) of this great challenge is about as timely as a question could be. And, here it is:

As an American, have you ever voted for a presidential candidate who was neither a Democratic or Republican? Would you like to see more third-party candidates and a movement away from predominantly a two-party system?

Personally? I would like to see a parliamentary system. It’s more flexible and more responsive to “the moment.” Elections are not scheduled, but called when needed. I also don’t think this can happen here. We are wedded to our rather odd concept of a constitutional republic.

Although there were three parties for a while early on in this country’s history, it gradually lost power. These days, third party candidates are spoilers: sometimes strong enough to pull power away from a potentially winning candidate giving the opposition a chance to win. We’ve seen that happen in several modern presidential elections, but have never seen “a third party” with the power to put a candidate into the presidency. We do see third parties win local races, though. Third-party winners in mayoral and congressional races and probably others of which I’m unaware are not rare.

The one I remember best was 1992 and 1996 when Ross Perot ran as an independent candidate for President of the United States. Perot was a Texas industrialist who had never served as a public official but had experience as the head of several successful corporations and had been involved in public affairs for three decades. He won 8% of the vote, enough to top the scales in a few states. The Green Party did the same in 2000, gaining 3% nationally and possibly tipping a couple of states to George Bush.

The most successful third party candidate ran in 1872 as a Liberal Republican. That was Horace Greeley and he won almost 44% of the national vote. Not enough to get into office, but close enough to make everyone nervous.

I’ve never voted third party because I never thought (in my lifetime) they had any chance of winning. I have never seen a big wave of interest in these candidates or at least, not enough to make a real difference. The worst part of these third party candidates is that they get just enough votes to swing elections, as often as not to the people they most want to defeat. We absolutely need a serious third party — or at least another viable party — preferably to replace the so-called Republican Party with a party that has some actual interest in working toward a better America. And maybe a little less corrupt?

I’m a dedicated voter. I even voted when I was overseas, going to the American consulate to get my absentee ballot. Sometimes, it seems so futile. I think overall Biden has done a good job, but no one has addressed climate change which I still see as a primary issue of human survival. Today, as hurricane Idalia is lashing a 250-mile swath off southeastern Florida and the sky is beginning to clear, the danger isn’t over. Officials are warning a massive “king tide” could make the already dangerous flooding even more deadly. Many areas of Florida are likely to be under water soon.

Even Floridians are worried. This is the kind of storm they do not get, coming from a different area and hitting with a rare fury. Fires and flooding. “Hundred year” storms arrive every week. And yet we keep waiting because … what? We think this will all go away on its own and all we have to do is hunker down until it’s over?

If there was a viable third party, I’d check it out. If I thought there was a party that actually cared about what I care about, I’d be thrilled.

I don’t see it. Not even a hint of it. Biden should retire — he deserves it. He’s worked hard for many long years. I can’t imagine how he is managing to accomplish what he has accomplished much less the remainder which still needs to be done. I couldn’t do it and I’m younger than he is. I think he has done a great job, but we need to do more. I don’t even see a candidate, much less a party, ready, willing or able to get it done.

As we march into our next election cycle, I don’t see a candidate remotely likely to do what I think needs doing — or even close. Our electoral system is so unwieldy and inflexible, I’m not sure we can pull together. It is a system almost designed to pit group against group.

Have we ever really worked together since the original revolution? That may have been both our beginning and our national peak performance.

Categories: #FPQ, #Photography, Anecdote, Election, political parties, Politics, Provocative Questions, Voting

Tags: #FPQ, #Photography, Election, Fandango's Provocative Question, Marilyn Armstrong, political parties, Politics, Voting