Third parties a dud in 2012

The Examiner ^ | July 6, 2012 | Michael McGuire

[2ndDivisionVet]

Voter dissatisfaction or not, there is very little support this year for third party presidential candidates.

In a Gallup Poll released Friday that includes three minor-party candidates, Barack Obama received 47 percent support, Mitt Romney 40, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson 3, Green candidate Jill Stein 1 and Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode less than 1.

Two percent of voters said they favor U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), 1 percent mentioned someone else, 2 percent had no opinion and 5 percent said they will not vote.

Voter dissatisfaction or not, there is very little support this year for third party presidential candidates.

In a Gallup Poll released Friday that includes three minor-party candidates, Barack Obama received 47 percent support, Mitt Romney 40, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson 3, Green candidate Jill Stein 1 and Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode less than 1.

Two percent of voters said they favor U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), 1 percent mentioned someone else, 2 percent had no opinion and 5 percent said they will not vote.

If that is bad news for minor-party candidates, it will get worse for them as the campaign continues, if historical trends continue...

[proxy_user]

Third parties are more likely to be successful in times of prosperity and small differences between the major parties. This year, voters realize they would be throwing their vote away in probably the most important election ever if they did not vote for either Obama or Romney.

[stevem]

Anyone who votes for a 3rd party candidate, even a true libertarian that I would appreciate, is voting for Obama. If he or she is voting for a 3rd Party candidate, he or she should put an Obama sign on his or her front lawn and an Obama bumper sticker on his or her car.

[gorush]

I don’t expect a third party vote to be successful. That said, there is no way I’ll be voting for either of the two major candidates. Anybody but FDR.

[EGPWS]

We are in dire need of a socialist POTUS anyway.

[muawiyah]

If a third-party wants success in America with its single-member district system they have to work within the two large major parties.

The 15% of the population who adhere to extreme leftwing ideologies took over the Democrat party in the last 20 years.

The ideologically free GOP-e has taken over the Presidential selection inside the Republican party,but it is definitely a minority party operation. Else, they'd been able to STOP Southern Democrats moving en masse to the Republican standard, or the infiltration of active, practicing, church attending Catholics also moving into the Republican party. Fur Shur the GOP-e has not had much luck stifling the TEAParty although they try.

The GOP-e seems to not have a sense of self-identity although the rest of us do know who they are ~ call it "E-dar".

Their track record regarding selections of candidates to run for President is ABOMINABLE!

[2ndDivisionVet]

Let’s be adults here: There are only two individuals who might be sworn in as president next January. Which one do you prefer?

[fieldmarshaldj]

Unless Slick Willard, the Socialist abomination and pathological liar, is dumped as the GOP nominee, I will unapologetically cast a vote for Congressman Virgil Goode. Don’t like it ? Tough.

[2ndDivisionVet]

How could I “not like it” fieldmarshaldj? I wore the uniform so that you can vote for whomever you choose.

[Nervous Tick]

>> There are only two individuals who might be sworn in as president next January. Which one do you prefer?

To paraphrase a South Park episode, I guess I’ll pick the Douchebag over the Sh!t Sandwich.

“Anybody But Sandwich”, that’s my motto.

Although lately the Douchebag hasn’t had a lot of punch... the Sandwich may pull ahead in spite of being full of ... well, you know.

[Nervous Tick]

>> The ideologically free GOP-e

They’re not free of ideology. They unwaveringly embrace the “you need to elect us because we need to be elected to run things” ideology.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Thank you, but that wasn’t specifically directed at you. I’m getting sick of the Willardbots around here shamefully attacking others because they refuse to cast a vote for a man who has spent his entire life opposing the Conservative agenda.

[muawiyah]

That’s not an ideology ~ it’s a personality defect!

[rawcatslyentist]

This election is a mirror image of the last one.

Disgust with the incumbency forces anti vote.

We don't care about their side. They only care about our their own backsides.

Seeing as how we are doing what the left did not yet 4 years past, what do we expect to change? Bueller .... Albert?

[SoConPubbie]

Thank you, but that wasn’t specifically directed at you. I’m getting sick of the Willardbots around here shamefully attacking others because they refuse to cast a vote for a man who has spent his entire life opposing the Conservative agenda.

Maybe not, but 2DV is definitely trending that way. Really surprises me.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Nope. Realist. I will not see Barack Hussein Obama gain a second term if I can help it. He's Chavez, Castro, Caligula, Peron, Idi Amin and every banana republic tinpot dictator who's ever worn a gaudy uniform rolled into one. We'll survive a Romney presidency, just as we survived FDR, LBJ, Ford, Jimmy Carter, both Bushes and Bill Clinton. We won't survive another Obama term, IMO. Or do you disagree?

[SoConPubbie]

Nope. Realist. I will not see Barack Hussein Obama gain a second term if I can help it. He's Chavez, Castro, Caligula, Peron, Idi Amin and every banana republic tinpot dictator who's ever worn a gaudy uniform rolled into one. We'll survive a Romney presidency, just as we survived FDR, LBJ, Ford, Jimmy Carter, both Bushes and Bill Clinton. We won't survive another Obama term, IMO. Or do you disagree?

Disagree.

The GOP will not survive Romney as he will move the Party too far left for conservatives.

Without conservatives, it's base, the GOP is dead.

Mitt Romney is not Ford or the two Bushes, he is much worse as his record shows and his is a consistant liar to boot.

You've tragically have misjudged who Romney is and are ignoring his record and are tragically misjudging the damage he will do to our party.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Then we’re screwed, because either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney will be president from January 20, 2013 until January 20, 2017, barring a fatality. All this hoo-ha about Virgil Goode, Ron Paul or whatever is fantasy. There are only two parties in the United States. Everything else is a circus sideshow.

[SoConPubbie]

Then we’re screwed, because either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney will be president from January 20, 2013 until January 20, 2017, barring a fatality. All this hoo-ha about Virgil Goode, Ron Paul or whatever is fantasy. There are only two parties in the United States. Everything else is a circus sideshow.

Sorry, my vote is sacred, it won't wasted on either the crypto-communist or the Progressive Liberal, no matter the false accusations or fear-mongering.

Mitt Romney implemented both Gay Marriage and Socialized Medicine in MA, that should be enough for conservatives, no matter how fearful people are of Obama to find a candidate that does not violate so thoroughly their convictions and principles and that Progressive Liberal Mitt Romney.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The circus sideshow is allowing the bipartisan big gubmint cabal shove those two leftist abominations down the nation's throat as our "only" choices. Screw that.