4th district debate on KSN

[ISASO]

When RINO's and Liberals are the only two choices, voters lose and America loses.

[SubGod22]

If the Republicans don't shift back with the Tea Party pressure than we definitely need a 3rd party. We'll see if this lasts or is just the party shifting with the political winds. But there has to be a group of people out there that at least somewhat represent the rest of us. The ultra libs and the more liberal republicans aren't doing that. I'm tired of having to pick between to piss poor candidates.

[RoyalShock]

I'm not a pollster and can't substantiate my claims, but I think if you were to get a cross-section of political and ideological positions on varios issues you could come up with more than two groupings. At a minimum, left, center-left, center-right and right. We already have something similar in the form of factions within the parties. But I submit they are only factions because people have been conditioned to felieve they must be a D or R or else they will be non-factors.

Having more than two major parties would put more focus on an issue itself rather than how it fits into the party platforms. The two-party system has evolved into what we have now, which is functionally a one-party system. I don't konw if I'm applying the term correctly, but corporatism comes to mind. And I tend to believe that it was a natural progression, but not a good one.

I want to see party politics de-emphasized and I don't see that happening on a long-term basis in a two-party system. The "tea party" as a change agent and watchdog is nice, but that will be temporary and probably a distant memory in 10 years, espeically if 2012 gives us a GOP president and Congress.

[Maggie]

There are a lot of candidates, who are likely to win next Tuesday, who are “Tea Party” candidates and even where there are not expressly “Tea Party” candidates by and large the various Tea Party groups are supporting the GOP. If the Tea Party elected to go exclusively third-party this election season – it is highly likely that, while the GOP might pick up a few seats, we would not be seeing predictions of up to 75ish seat pick-up. All third-party Tea Party candidates would be doing is splitting the “conservative” vote. The “Tea Party” people were wise to recognize that if they wanted to see real change they would have to challenge the GOP establishment from within and from what I have read they are realistic about what they can achieve – in other words they realize that change will come step by step – not in one big leap. In short, a third-party would accomplish nothing, other than cutting off its nose to spite its face. A third-party is not going to replace the GOP the way the GOP replaced the Whigs.

This type of struggle is not unique and it is actually healthy. Modern conservatism started as a revolt, in part, against the eastern, liberal, urban wing of the Republican party. Goldwaterites, including people like William F. Buckley, made common cause with the easterners’ old adversaries, Republicans from the party’s midwestern wing, which was pro-business and suspicious of government intervention both at home and abroad. They also joined with libertarians and neo-conservatives. And by the early 1970s, the conservative movement had grown beyond its old base to incorporate many former Democrats. They were economically conservative, although often not as conservative as the Goldwaterites; they were internationally interventionist; and they added a cultural-conservative component to GOP campaigns. They were disproportionately from areas where the GOP had not done well in generations: the South and the ethnic Catholic wards of big and medium-sized cities. Ronald Reagan united all wings of the movement on the basis of populist style as much as ideology.

This is the model the Tea Party should look to for guidance. Having at least four viable candidates, as Royal suggests, does nothing but virtually guarantee in certain jurisdictions that one candidate will fail to receive even close to 50% of the vote. Do you want representatives in Washington who win 25%-35% - remember the door swings both ways. Maybe the far Left candidate has more motivated voters….

You shouldn’t take out your anger on the electoral system, but rather on the party you believe may have lost its way.

[ShockTalk]

There are a lot of candidates, who are likely to win next Tuesday, who are “Tea Party” candidates and even where there are not expressly “Tea Party” candidates by and large the various Tea Party groups are supporting the GOP. If the Tea Party elected to go exclusively third-party this election season – it is highly likely that, while the GOP might pick up a few seats, we would not be seeing predictions of up to 75ish seat pick-up. All third-party Tea Party candidates would be doing is splitting the “conservative” vote. The “Tea Party” people were wise to recognize that if they wanted to see real change they would have to challenge the GOP establishment from within and from what I have read they are realistic about what they can achieve – in other words they realize that change will come step by step – not in one big leap. In short, a third-party would accomplish nothing, other than cutting off its nose to spite its face. A third-party is not going to replace the GOP the way the GOP replaced the Whigs.

This type of struggle is not unique and it is actually healthy. Modern conservatism started as a revolt, in part, against the eastern, liberal, urban wing of the Republican party. Goldwaterites, including people like William F. Buckley, made common cause with the easterners’ old adversaries, Republicans from the party’s midwestern wing, which was pro-business and suspicious of government intervention both at home and abroad. They also joined with libertarians and neo-conservatives. And by the early 1970s, the conservative movement had grown beyond its old base to incorporate many former Democrats. They were economically conservative, although often not as conservative as the Goldwaterites; they were internationally interventionist; and they added a cultural-conservative component to GOP campaigns. They were disproportionately from areas where the GOP had not done well in generations: the South and the ethnic Catholic wards of big and medium-sized cities. Ronald Reagan united all wings of the movement on the basis of populist style as much as ideology.

This is the model the Tea Party should look to for guidance. Having at least four viable candidates, as Royal suggests, does nothing but virtually guarantee in certain jurisdictions that one candidate will fail to receive even close to 50% of the vote. Do you want representatives in Washington who win 25%-35% - remember the door swings both ways. Maybe the far Left candidate has more motivated voters….

You shouldn’t take out your anger on the electoral system, but rather on the party you believe may have lost its way.

:yes: :good: