Posted on 06/17/2006 4:17:04 AM PDT by FerdieMurphy
There are forces that see the bankruptcy of both major political parties and want to profit from that fact by creating a third party to enter the 2008 election.
The most current response was offered by Hamilton Jordan, White House chief of staff for Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Doug Bailey, former Republican party strategist and founder of The Hotline, in the form of a "Unity08" party.
This effort, not to be confused with the Unity campaigns of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation that run Operation Big Vote and Black Youth Vote for many years, proposes to be an entity that unites Democrats and Republicans in one presidential ticket, using a popular referendum on the internet.
My first response to this was that it is a hair-brained scheme, since the kind of unity sought by Jordan and Bailey would be monumental to achieve in an atmosphere where the conservative movement has driven not only the political parties farther apart, but has capitalized on divisive issues to split the American people as well.
Yet, these two believe there is room for such a party, because a poll they commissioned found the obvious: 82 percent of the respondents in the poll think that the existing political parties cannot solve America's problems and 75 percent want more political choices.
These responses may be regarded as either normal in an atmosphere where nothing is perceived to be working, or they may be the fuel to ignite a sizeable political firestorm beginning this fall and continuing on into the 2008 elections.
So, what kind of "unity" would they be able to achieve? It will depend on either the nature of the agenda they finally arrive at, or the entrance of a charismatic candidate. I am reminded that Ross Perot was a charismatic millionaire businessman who came into the election of 1992 and capitalized on a generalized mood of discontent among the American people, fostered ironically by the failure of George H. W. "Read my Lips" Bush, who lost credibility among conservatives in his own party when he raised taxes.
Perot's constituency was difficult to define, but his movement sailed along on the strength of his personality. Then, George Wallace was not as charismatic, but his anti-civil rights, anti-government platform was enough to attract a following among several Southern states, such that he was able to keep Democrats from the White House.
Whether the Unity08 party achieves viability, it most certainly will be more of a threat to the Democratic Party since Jordan and Bailey offer a version of "centrism" that has been the leading edge of the politics of the party for more than a decade.
Such a party could shave off some adherents to that philosophy inside the Democratic Party, while affecting Republicans less, because they have been more ideologically coherent as a conservative party.
This would appear to be the kind of environment within which Black politics could make some headway. However, what may keep this from happening is an even more fierce loyalty to the Democratic Party prompted by the threat posed from within.
The fear that Democrats might lose because of the impact of a third party has always been a strong motive for "party unity." Simultaneously, it has kept Black Democrats wedded firmly to the Party, so firmly that they were afraid to use the strategic position created by a third party to make demands in exchange for their support.
The idea of having a progressive Rainbow line looks good because it could not only counter the centrist philosophy that threatens the Black agenda by becoming an official political party. It could also provide Blacks with significant leverage over the Party at a time when it faces a split in ranks.
Is this cold-blooded politics? Yes, but look at the lengths to which a Hamilton Jordan will go to have leverage over the fate of the Democratic Party and over the political process in general. That is really cold-blooded. The fact that we have not been up to this kind of politics is a marker suggesting why the growth in political participation by voting and electing Blacks to office has not yielded the kind of dividends that it might.
So, let's get in the game, too. We've been on the sidelines far too long!
Yes we do. Cause if they were in the 3rd party they would not be screwing up our party.
Third party?
1. Conservatives
2. Communists
3. ??? Lite-Communists
I think this is true.
Mizz Hillary and Bubba hard at work here folks!!!Figures Bill and Ham Jerdan would someday find one another........
That aughta fix things.
How about THIS for a 3rd party base?
[1] Start with Reagan democrats -- Strong on defense and traditional values. Lots of them.
[2] Add current democratic voters who may be disillusioned by the left-lunies that have become the mouth and heart {if not the brain} of the democratic party. I don't know how many of them there are. These would be people who feel Social Security is important, but Gay marriage is not.
[3] Then stir in Social Conservatives from the Right -- those driven into the republican camp by issues like Abortion, family values, and the attack on Christianity. They're also strong on defense and patriotism.
[4] Add the minority groups with those same values, but for whom voting republican is just a cultural hurdle they cannot make themselves leap.
I like it! They could split their votes with the rats.
The sentences in this article are too long.
Vast numbers of moderate democrats are looking for a new home where the wacko lunatic left does not reign.
Those wacko's need to figure out the majority of Americans do not think or believe in their policies or ideologies.
The sooner they lose whatever power they think they have, the better. They need to be reduced to a party that fits in a phone booth
Unity08 just may be the ticket to do that
I just wish there was a serious, competitive, non-fringe Party for REAL Conservatives.
Patriot Act: understand, realize, accept it or not, this act gives a middle finger to our constitutional guarnantees. And yes, a middle finger to our constitution may be the only way for now to catch a terrorist. But no way under any circumstance should we give up our freedoms nor our constitution not now not ever for some sense of security that may be real or imagined by congress. (republicrats)
There are forces that see the bankruptcy of both major political parties and want to profit from that fact by creating a third party to enter the 2008 election....Meanwhile back in the real world.....
There is. It's called the republican party.
You don't like Lincoln Chafee (And what sane person does?) get him voted out. It's the way the system works.
The cold hard fact is that conservatism itself is moderate, centrist, the middle, etc. If more Republicans candidates would push a genuine conservative agenda, they'd get more support.
Unity08 is a scam designed to force the Republican Party to move to the Left. Anyone with an IQ of an ostrich can see this.
Sorry, I don't.
Third parties are a scam, and it's time the Libertarians and Constitution parties get behind the GOP and unite to defeat the Dims once and for all.
There's plenty of room in the GOP for Libertarians and Constitutionalists, just as there's a Christian wing and a RINO wing.
In Alaska we have two republican parties.. moderates and real republicans even on the ballot.... but only one democrat party.. except for the Socialist Party
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