In a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of divided party government, Isabel Sawhill writes at the Brookings Institution:
My colleagues above make excellent arguments for and against the proposition that we need divided government to address the nation’s major challenges, and I find myself agreeing with much of what they write. However, I am not persuaded that the alternatives will produce what is needed, which is—to use Obama’s phrase—to change the way Washington works. The only way to do that, in my view, is to begin now to build a movement for a third party that would take on our current dysfunctions more directly.
Sawhill goes on to advocate “an alternative voting plan,” following Thomas Friedman’s lead:
To make this work, I think we would need to adopt the kind of alternative voting plan (recently touted by Tom Friedman in the New York Times) that would insure people that if they voted for a third party candidate it wouldn’t hurt the chances of their second choice in the process.
reform movement, 2000
Natural Law Party, 2004
Constitutional Party, 2008
……………………………., 2012
Green Party fan;
Having a candidate who doesn’t have any similarities with your party’s platform solely for name recognition NEVER works. Think of Pat Buchanan and the REFORM PARTY in 2000.
probanker antiunion Michael Bloomberg, would make the greens completely undistinctive from the dlc lead democrats, and thus unable to attract progressive voters unhappy with the dems! Those “mainstream” corporatists have no cause to leave the dems!
Just to address why the current major American Third Parties, like the Green Party are ignored by mainstream folks…
It’s bait and switch…they don’t really want a third party the mainstream media…until the Green Party can afford to advertise with them…
As a Michael Bloomberg led Green Party could…
Good story on Green Party on Italy..
How their major media also blacks out the Green Party candidates.
Remember the Green Party has twice lead coalition governments in Italy..
Some great pictures at today’s Green Party protest.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/italy/100326/italian-media-censorship
Tom Friedman unfortunately wrote about IRV (“alternative voting”, as it’s known in the UK) with no prior expert knowledge of voting systems. Had he known better, he presumably would have instead written in favor of Score Voting (aka “Range Voting”) or its simplified variant Approval Voting.
IRV has maintained duopoly for nearly a century in Australia, and has done the same everywhere else it’s been used. The effect of strategic exaggeration on IRV is that it behaves almost identically to plurality voting. With Score Voting, you don’t have that problem. Say you strategically give a “10” to your favorite front-runner – you then have no reason not to continue giving high scores to all the candidates you like even better. Whereas with a ranked voting method, once you strategically top-rank your favorite front-runner, you have by definition betrayed the candidates that you sincerely prefer to that front-runner.
http://scorevoting.net/NaiveExagSumm.html
@2: It’s a sad symptom of doublethink when you are told to believe a top two “jungle” primary will somehow lead to more independent politicians.
I sincerely hope that we CA voters collectively refuse to cede any more power to these fools, but it’s always a long shot.
” . . . alternative voting plan that would insure people that if they voted for a third party candidate it wouldn’t hurt the chances of their second choice . . .”
There are some voting methods that’ll do this for voters, but Instant Runoff ain’t one of them. IRV does not eliminate the “spoiler effect” and it has a tendency to not just hurt the chances of your second choice, but even your first.
To not hurt the chances of your first, second and other choices Approval Voting and Range Voting work.
think that the kissin kousins of California’s Peace and Freedom Party usually have truly off beat candidates every four years or so ……….
Richard is correct. Shawn Steel is a former Chair of the California Republican Party. He currently is a member of the Republican National Committee.
The IndependentVoice message is incorrect when it says Shawn Steel is the California Republican Party state chair. The party state chair is Ron Nehring.
I cannot understand all the clamoring about wanting a Third Party when there are already multiple third parties out there. Perhaps if the major ones would ever nominate a “non-kook” then that party would win millions of votes.
The Socialist Party always nominates decent candidates for president but the stigma of the word “socialism” just won’t attract many votes.
Hugh Giordano, Green for PA State Rep, featured in Philadelphia newspapers
March 25th, 2010 by Dave Schwab · 1 Comment
Thanks to Ross Levin at Independent Political Report for this story:
Hugh Giordano, a Green state representative candidate in Pennsylvania’s 194th district, was featured today in a story that ran in a group of newspapers published in Philadelphia and nearby Montgomery County. Read the full story here.
Also, check out this video of Hugh Giordano from Montgomery News.
Giordano works as an organizer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 142. According to his campaign, in his first year with the local he won an award for organizing in his region.
Giordano feels as a third generation of family from the neighborhood that he has a vested interest in the neighborhood and district he wants to represent. Giordano credits his mother for his strong work ethic.
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2010/03/25/hugh-giordano-green-for-pa-state-rep-featured-in-philadelphia-newspapers/
Green Party Watch
continues excellent reporting tonight..
Greens: Now it’s time to work for real health reform – Medicare for All
March 25th, 2010 by Dave Schwab · 1 Comment
Now it’s time to work for real health care reform — Medicare For All, say Greens
• The Democratic “insurance company enrichment” bill burdens millions of Americans and imposes mandates that enrich insurance companies
• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on health care reform: http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-health-care.php
WASHINGTON, DC — Green candidates and party leaders said today that the passage of the Democratic health care bill, with its increased financial burdens on millions of Americans, should not slow the movement for Medicare For All (single-payer national health care).
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2010/03/25/greens-now-its-time-to-work-for-real-health-reform-medicare-for-all/
think this is article is coming up on
the West Coast [via http://www.sacbee.com]
IndependentVoice.Org Greetings!
Sunday’s Sacramento Bee
Sarah Lyons, our National Communications Director, just got word from the editor of the Sacramento Bee. This Sunday, they plan to run an Op-Ed by our National Counsel Harry Kresky on the Open Primary Prop 14.
The Op-Ed will run next to one by California Republican Party Chair Shawn Steele, who opposes the open primary (surprise, surprise).
Since the Sac Bee has requested exclusivity, I can’t send out a copy, but it should be available online and I’ll send out a link to it when it goes live!
Help Reach Other Independents
How did we build this movement over 20 years to have this impact? We built it from the bottom up, brick by brick, conversation by conversation.
Come be part of that this Sunday (March 28th) in San Francisco at 3:30 pm. We’re calling independent voters to talk to them about the open primary and the independent movement. It’s easy (you read off a script) and very rewarding.
IV Chair Joyce Dattner IV Chair Joyce Dattner
Can Community Organizing Change the World?
A Revolutionary Conversation led by IV Chair Joyce Dattner
I wanted to let you know about this four class
thanks for the story.
That third party is the Green Party.
I’ve attended some of Dr. Sawhill’s fiscally conservative lectures…and as Green heartily agree.
Appreciate and applaud this post.