Third Party Rising

As the government attempts to pass a $700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street through Congress, some independents are surely looking back on the last eight years and asking themselves why we don't have stronger third parties in this country. Spanning even beyond the G.W. Bush presidency, it isn't outlandish to state that both Republicans and Democrats have failed us multiple times since the passage of Reagan's absurd "trickle-down" economic plan, and yet those on the outer fringes of the political spectrum are still waiting for more citizens to take up the third party cause. Why?

One reason could be the fact that many of our fellow citizens are baby-boomers, thus products of not only their parents opinions due to the first Red Scare, but a cold war that brainwashed them into thinking that any non-mainstream party might be made up of Soviet agents hell bent on destroying the American way of life. These same baby-boomers had children, whom they raised in a manner that undoubtedly attributed to their political leanings, and as a result the wicked cycle of misunderstanding continued with the donkeys and elephants of politics gaining a firmer hold on Congress at the expense of dissident parties. Another reason for the lack of third party participation may merely be public consent. Controversial journalist Arianna Huffington hit the nail on the head in her 2000 book How To Overthrow The Government when she said that:

"Our political landscape is so littered with duplicity and deceit, we've actually come to expect our leaders to lie. What once would have shocked us now barely registers. We've become inured to wrongdoing. So politicians mangle the truth--call it "spin"--and the public lets it slide, too numb to care."

Who reading the above statement would not agree with this assessment to some degree? We all know someone who doesn't care about politics, no matter how negatively it affects them. Still the last eight years have shown that the tide of apathy is changing, and just how we realized taking cover under a desk wouldn't save us from a nuclear attack, many citizens are finally starting to see the potential third parties possess.

Voters across the nation are starting to ask more difficult questions of their candidates, seeking answers to problems that differ from the standard Democrat/Republican response. Questions about the economy, protection of jobs, state funded education, and universal health care are taking precedence in this election. Presidential nominees and Congress are quickly realizing that the American public are starting to look for a departure from mainstream Washington and if they don't change their image, they could see new faces on the Senate floor.

In addition, Libertarian Bob Barr and radical Republican Ron Paul have both enjoyed a surprising amount of support in this years presidential election, with the latter being particularly popular amongst college students. Given both candidates libertarian stances, their success can be seen as further proof that the public is slowly shifting away from mainstream political thought and the endless woes that accompany it. This news should be greeted with satisfaction and excitement by third party voters who have longed to see a greater representation of ideas in Congress, but many will feel that it's too late with the damage done by lobby-influenced, big-money politics being too great to overcome. Thankfully though it appears many young Americans feel it doesn't have to be this way.

This is because regardless of what happens in this election, the young electorates of this nation realize they are going to take part in a unique opportunity over the next four years to begin exploring new political avenues. We see it's quite evident that the current path is damaged and one way we are going to find brighter skies is to look beyond this election and continue to consider the value of third parties in dealing with future problems. From talking to fellow citizens I see that interest in ideas of Barr and Paul won’t stop after November 4th. A quick trip around the web shows that more people will still be asking new questions after someone is voted into the White House, knowing that just because change is being promised doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. This all means that finally a further willingness to move past the stereo-types and misconceptions of what third parties represent is becoming evident.

As the questions asked of our government get more complex, those offering different solutions will continue to grow and though one may not always agree with what they say, that doesn't mean they can't help point this country in the right direction. If it keeps up only good can come from it, as this nation will soon become fully comfortable with “other” political ideas that can help to create the real democratic, multi-party process we crave.