A Third Political Party, Pleasure or Punishment | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Sarah Palin re-invigorated the idea that a new political party could solve some of the problems with the two identical twin parties we have now. I say identical because, at the end of the political day they produce the same results. Very little change with pushing and shoving to see whether the Democrats or Republicans will stand on the "let us not make any changes unless they are liberal" trap door.

    The proof of voter frustration is in the elections registration records. Of the 6,448,513 registered voters in North Carolina 1,675,204 or 25.9 percent, one in four, are registered unaffiliated None of these unaffiliated voters can stomach either the Democrat or Republican parties. Grievances range from ultra liberalism and socialism in the Democrat Party to the inability to deliver on conservative promises in the Republican Party. Some say today's political issues are complex, but they are not. Almost any voter can tell your what bothers him or her.

    Other evidence of rot is within county parties. It is news when a county Republican Party such as Craven goes out of its way to sanction the Republican Speaker of the House, Thom Tillis. Other cracks are forming with accusations about both parties lack of respect for the rank and file. This is evident when party bosses recriot Democrats to fill Republican elected positions.

    A lot of work would go into establishing a third party in North Carolina to say nothing of the Nation. Both parties know this. That is precisely why both are comfortable and sure they do not need to change anything. After all, one of the two will win the next election. They know this because the election laws are rigged to make it difficult for anyone other than a registered Democrat or Republican to get on the county, state or federal ballot. The only competition these two parties see is between themselves. Competition is the mothers milk of change. Obama promised change but he "udderly" failed. It is not a real failure, he is delivering his definition of change.
Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson making himself perfectly clear: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage

    Disappointment manifests its self at all levels within the Republican Party. While there are conservative, constitutional, tea party Republicans there are enough Democrat leaning Republicans to stop genuine conservative progress. Senators like McCain and Graham are good examples. The Democrat discontent is clear. They are delivering socialism with a definite drift toward a totalitarian government. This has caused a lot of Democrats register unaffiliated.

    There are several splinter groups such as the Libertarian and Conservative groups. While each of these groups have appealing platforms, they also have some seriously flawed planks and a history of bad political judgement.

    North Carolina General Statue 163-96 defines political parties. Political parties are entitled to be on ballots. In a nut shell a political party is one of the following: Any group that captured more than two percent of the vote in the last Governor or Presidential race, or any group that presents the Board of Elections petitions from two percent or more of the number of votes cast in the last Governors election. Poling two percent is not hard to accomplish. The stopper is the party had to have two percent to get on the ballot. The good news is that getting two percent of the vote will keep the party alive until the next governors election.

    So much for the rules. Winning an election is what really counts. Two percent just won't do it. During the 2012 election Barbara Howe, the Libertarian candidate was on the ballot. She did poll 94,652 votes or 2.12 percent of the 4,468,295 votes cast in the Governors race. So the Libertarian Party will be on the ballot in 2016.

    Both the Democrat and Republican Governor candidates refused to allow Libertarian candidate Howe to participate in the campaign debates. Remember, both the Democrat and Republican Parties are bound together for their mutual protection, not for good government.. There were several debates and just about every voter in North Carolina saw the debates. Most of us thought there were only two candidates running. The failure to allow Howe to participate in the debates and get all of that free publicity nailed shut the lid on her coffin of defeat. While both the Democrat and Republican parties desperately want to be in power, both parties will join together to keep out the competition of a third party.

    Our election laws need to be changed to require broad casters to include all qualified candidates in all public debates. After all, broadcasters use the public air ways and file all of those reports saying how fair and impartial they are. Do you suppose the media thought either of the Democrat or Republican candidates was better qualified than that Libertarian, Barbara Howe. The liberal press is committed to keeping the two party system alive and well. Had Libertarian Barbara Howe have been in the debates the public would have known she did not have two heads and spit fire. She certainly would have got more votes.

    Any third party candidate can have the best political strategy that will carve large numbers of votes from both the do nothing Republicans and the socialist Democrats, but if they cannot get the message out all is lost. There are three legs in political campaigns. One leg is a message and platform that appeals to the majority of t he voters. The second leg is a viable, articulate and dedicated candidate. The third is money. Unless third party candidates can participate in all public debates or they have a billionaire donor they are doomed to failure. Those of us who have run for office know that getting a reasonable amount of publicity is fairly easy until you register to run. Then you have to either buy it or rely on the press to help you when they can. The press is almost 100 percent liberal. They are not going to be helping the conservative Republicans and Libertarians.

    So how does a third party get off the ground. The answer is either with a national personality such as Sarah Palin or a dedicated, active, and broad based organization.. The Tea Party is an organization that could do it.

    I realize Tea Party Activists have steadfastly refused to call themselves an organized political party. I believe the reason is the great majority were not active in party politics before becoming Tea Party "active". Many Tea Party groups do not allow politicians to even speak at meetings. I am aware that party politics can be a distasteful, dirty, and sometimes even rewarding. The Tea Party need not become "a political party'. Their best, highest and most idealistic contribution could be to provide the work of getting petitions signed and other organizational functions for several third parties. The Tea Party could adopt parties whose platforms they could agree with. Notice I did not say endorse.

    The formation of a third party is one of the most desirable political things that could happen. There would be more competition for votes. A moderate platform carefully crafted to satisfy unhappy Democrats and Republicans while appealing to unaffiliated voters could be successful. Bear in mind that we are in the early stages of a "depression". No government has made the structural changes that are necessary to make the depressed economy become prosperous. It is only going to get worse. As the economic and political climate worsens there are gong to be more unhappy Republicans and Democrats. I believe there will ultimately be a third party even if it is formed because of a desperately failing economy and/or the Republican Party becomes more dysfunctional.

    There are risks in electing radicals who promise change. Look at Obama. A socialist The Germans, trying to repay their war debts fell into a world record inflation. They needed change but they elected the wrong radical, Adolph Hitler.

    Napoleon was a radical who wiped away the feudal laws and practices of France and presented a new social and legal system from which France prospered. We need change. We are blessed, in our case, we have the recipe. It is the Constitution and Bill of Rights. We only require a leader who will return us to what made us the most successful nation in the history of the earth. Can either the Republicans or Democrats produce such a leader?
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Comments

( July 27th, 2013 @ 2:35 am )
 
Thanks Charles.

I'm for sticking with the Republican party just a bit longer, and if I leave the GOP it will be because there is something far better that will stand the scrutiny of the truest of patriots.

We are in difficult times, and I fear we are in that period than can best be described as the "calm before the storm." And what a storm it will be.

BCN's number 2 job is to help people get smarter to weather that storm.

BCN's number 1 job is to present how we perform in cyber space.
Somebody said:
( July 26th, 2013 @ 6:13 am )
 
Some of us are still involved in Republican Party politics and have not given up. Will we be able to hold the party in line with its platform? I just don't honestly know. In my view there are several ways it could go:

1- Principled party members will persevere and hold the party to its principles;

2- Establishment crony party members will continue to rule the organized party with an iron hand and conservatives will continue to fight a two front war;

3- Principled party members will leave the Republican Party; the party will die and patriots will reform under another banner.

I suspect BCN and others like you will play a key role in all of this.
( July 24th, 2013 @ 8:49 am )
 
I'm still not sold on the fact that the Republicans can not be put to right.

But then again, I have always been an optimist.

As the first Republican, ever re-elected to the Beaufort County Commission, and one of the first Republicans ever elected here Downeast since Reconstruction, I have served with many pretend Republicans, who are more managed by thier own hubris rather than any set of principles.

Maybe through education, we can teach others what real Republicans look like and how real Republicans are guided by principle.

It is one of the reasons I, and my team, developed the infrastructure for BCN.
Somebody said:
( July 23rd, 2013 @ 10:32 pm )
 
You're all over it Hood. The Democratic Party has become the Socialist Democrats controlled by corporate money and the Republicans are split between the establishment faction controlled by corporate cronies and the grassroots faction adhering to principles. I think we already have a third large political party; it is just not organized.

Concerning current third parties, I think if candidates are on the ballot they should be in the debates. The fact that they are not is disgraceful, and it says a lot about how powerful entities are subverting self government.



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