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Subscribe to RSSAmerican voters might be frustrated by the negative tone of the presidential campaign. They might not like Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. And they might have little appetite for the two major political parties.
But those attitudes aren’t necessarily translating into support for third-party candidates in the upcoming presidential contest.
In early July, Gallup released a poll that included third-party candidates in addition to Obama and Romney. Just 3% of registered voters said they backed Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor; 2% volunteered Ron Paul’s name; 1% supported Green Party nominee Jill Stein; and another 1% offered names that weren’t listed in the poll.
In a June NBC/WSJ poll, however, 15% of registered voters said they would support an unnamed “independent” candidate over Obama and Romney.
Johnson originally competed for this cycle’s GOP presidential nomination, but he pulled out of the contest in Dec. 2011 after being unable to capture support (and participate in most of the Republican debates).
Stein is a physician and environmental-health advocate who ran against Romney in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election as the Green Party's nominee. She won the same party's presidential nomination in June 2012, and named her vice-presidential running mate Cheri Honkala in July 2012.
In previous presidential contests, third-party candidates like John Anderson (1980), Ross Perot (1992 and 1996) and Ralph Nader (2000) have garnered some support and gained national attention -- but none has managed to beat the Republican or the Democratic candidate in the general election. Ross Perot was so successful in his presidential run in 1992 that he made it to the national debates with George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, even at one point scoring higher in the polls than the other two.
The July Gallup poll also makes this pretty clear: The inclusion of third-party candidates comes at Romney’s expense. Indeed, with Johnson, Stein, and Paul added in the mix, Obama’s percentage was at 47% while Romney’s was at 40%.
By comparison, in the most recent Gallup head-to-head matchup between the two men, Obama and Romney are tied at 46%.
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I would like to nominate Tom Hanks
We want Ross Perot!!!!!!!
I think a brokered GOP convention might produce a more viable candidate than Mitt Romney, but only if Charlie Sheen feels up to the task. Charlie has higher morals and more personal integrity than any potential Republican candidate plus he is more entertaining, too.
I would like to nominate myself. Mostly because I am the only candidate that I agree with 100% of the time! (Okay...I agree with myself more like 99% of the time). ;-)
We don't need a third party... We need a more open and honest republican party and we need a stronger with more backbone democratic party...
Mostly we need a congress that does what it's suppose to do... Get to work and pass something...
By the way, Where are the jobs you promised Speaker Boehner?
Mostly we need a congress that does what it's suppose to do...
I couldn't agree more Terry. The trouble is, Congress is hell bent on political agendas that continue to divide the country.
I have to wonder if having at least a third party (or 4th/5th ) might not help ease the gridlock that encompasses Congress. Rather than having the dems/repubs snubbing everything the other offers, perhaps with at least another party in the mix the stranglehold might be lessened to some degree.
But the problems in Congress today are real and they couldn't care less if the American citizen suffers. At least they don't care until it's time for elections again. Then they promise the moon and blame the other party for all failure. With a third or more party in the mix, it would make it difficult to blame the other guy for their failures.
I still hold hope that I'll see at least one Congress do what they are supposed to do: represent the people who elected them. So far, it hasn't happened. Elected officials seem concerned only about their party.
If we don't add another party to the mix, think what might happen if we simply ended party affiliation and elected people based solely on their merit. The changes would be massive in who holds office and the results could benefit everyone.
you are correct Terry, but I fear what we have now is a race to the bottom between the parties.
Look what's happening to Ron Paul delegates. The Republican Party is trying to block Maine's delegation from being seated at the convention. I'm assuming Romney is the nominee, so I don't know why the elites are wasting their energy attacking Paul.
Look at how much the Chamber of Congress is spending to block moderate Independent Angus King from winning Snowe's Senate seat - for no reason except he's not a Tea Party Republican.
The Republican Party will squash any third party attempts
How about a rule for all of Congress, the executive and judicial branch. Minimum wage salaries during recessions. Now I realize that some administrations screw things up for others, ie. Bush destroyed our economy and Obama is fixing it. However I truly believe that this would force them to work together to make things better for everyone. I'm including the judicial because I don't want that branch to feel puffed up and above politics since they truly are political.
Median wages at all times imo.
Redo term lengths and make everything one term as well.
We need a more open and honest White house. No passing law in the middle of the night on bills they "Don't have time to read". One that is not above the law when getting border guards murdered, by guns they sold to Mexico. One that does not triple our debt on failed shovel ready projects and bail outs three years in to the administration, two years of which they had super majorities, and yet still claim not to be responsable. If it is true that the other party can be credited for the failing of this administration, then what you are saying is they were out smarted at every turn for three years and at the height of power. We should put the party in office that he claims really controlled things his whole time in office.
And you think Mitt Romney is that candidate?
LOLOL!
Oh wait, I'm not done.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sane - clearly you're not even close to sane. You don't have a clue and yet you're eager to spout your ignorance!
You are one of the ones who prove there is absolutely no sanity anywhere in the GOP!
Obama/Biden 2012
Sane is the public face of a failed political ideology. It's sad, really.
What ???? Another personal attack from SeekingSanity .... surprise, surprise, surprise................ NOT !
Ruken
And you think Mitt Romney is that candidate?
LOLOL!
Ruken,
Sadly so it's true. I realize this a democracy and everyone the age of 35 and a natural born American citizen has the right to run for President; but I fear the 3rd party people are Ralph Naders who will shave votes. It's bad enough we have Republicans shaving votes in the states our President won in 2008 with their FAKE voter ID laws.
Furthermore, when has a 3rd party won anything?
It is worthwhile to remember that, for the first 100 years of our country's history, the political landscape was in an almost constant state of flux. During this time period we saw shifting fortunes for the Federalists, and Anti-Federalists, the Democratic-Republicans, the Whigs, and eventually the ancestors of today's Democrats and Republicans. There were plenty of other parties who could claim Senators and Representatives, governors, and state assemblies - but these guys all had their turns at the presidency.
Many of the founding fathers did not the like idea of political parties at all. James Madison was particularly worried about the development of idealized factioning within a party system. I find this of merit, especially coming from the Father of the Constitution. And let's not forget; George Washington himself never took a party affiliation.
During all those tumultuous and formative years, a Lot got done. We fought and won our freedom, and the primarily defensive outings that followed. We built a thriving national economy and stepped into international trade in a big way. We made the Louisiana Purchase. We bridged a continent with our railroad and telegraph. Economic activity was vigorous, and America was far and away the shining beacon of aspiration to the entire world. And we did all of this with a degree, rather lack, of technological advancement that today's Americans would find almost non-survivable.
We need more numerous and vocal political parties at every level of government. More of you need to get off the silly Republicrat band wagon and begin to threaten the stranglehold these corporatized puppets have on our country. The government of our capitalist society needs healthy competition.
A monopoly is Always bad for consumers; Wal-Mart does not help a local economy thrive. If the owners of Wal-Mart set up a parallel retail chain and called it something different, we would also not expect that to help a local economy. The two stores under the same ownership would certainly be no threat to the bottom line of profitability of the owners. That means that there is not actual competition.
So, why aren't we smart enough to stay out of this false 2 party format? You do your country a disservice with almost every vote you cast for a Republicrat, especially at the national level.
I guess I can only HOPE that Mitt would bring that CHANGE. Hey we tried it last time. It seems that the last four administrations can only please half the people half the time. Economically I don't think we can stand four more years of this administration. At some point I would have liked them to say they had control. All you ever hear is that the "GNOPS" control it and made it fail. If you believe that it is an admission of weekness and lack of leadership for a president to play the victim for three years. I am willing to trade an unproven, for an admitted failure, who claims he was out smarted by the minority party for 2 1/2 years. I am willing to blaim the repubs if it is true that the dems never figured out how to take charge as you have pointed out so many times. Which is it?
LHT
If people felt their vote would not be wasted, there would be much more support for third parties. If we adopted some form of ranked-choice voting (like IRV), third parties would get much more support (and no one would ever again "waste their vote"), because if their favorite doesn't make it, their vote will go to their second favorite (D or R). But the two parties love the current system (because they designed it), and they control the levers of power. So, nothing will change. Welcome to "democracy" as brought to you by your political heroes, D and R.
I am really surprised that a Howard Baker, Olympia Snowe type hasn't started a third party. As a liberal, I must say that the moderate Republicans of the 1970's - particularly those from the Northeast had a very practical and logical approach to governing. They supported education and a responsible approach to the environment. They never were much on welfare, but then spending on welfare programs is very tricky and I will admit - can be counterproductive. So where are the Jacob Javitts's, the Charles Percy's, etc.? Mayor Bloomberg is the closest thing to this approach. Rudy Giulianni could have followed a third party route, but then he went off after 9-11.
I agree. Today's Republican party is far different than the party of IKE, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln. Although not a radical right wing nut himself it was Ronald Reagan who allowed them to get a foot hold in the Republican party and so we are stuck with an extreme element of Fascist wanabes running the Republican Party. Even some who would ordinarily been more moderate and cooperative seem to be cowtowing to that element. Grover Norquist, the Koch Brothers and the Bushies seem to be what's wrong with the formerly grand old party. Not so grand any more.
"2% volunteered Ron Paul’s name." As usual, they didn't ask about Ron Paul.
I will never vote for Mitt Romney or Obama. They both support the Project for the New American Century. Romney even named his foreign policy plan An American Century. Look it up! Iraq was all lies, now they want to bomb Iran for FUTURE weapons. War is a racket!
Why would anyone care about Ron Paul? His impractical, cockamaimie ideas don't appeal to sane, middle of the road thinking Americans. If you want anarchy and a total financial mess that would make the Great Depression, let alone our recent Great Recession, look like boom times.
Since the California Republican party is having money troubles maybe they go away and we'll have more support for the so called third party candidates. (One can dream can't one?)
Black pastors group launches anti-Obama campaign around gay marriage
By Dan Merica, CNN
Washington (CNN) – A group of conservative black pastors are responding to President Barack Obama’s support of same-sex marriage with what they say will be a national campaign aimed at rallying black Americans to rethink their overwhelming support of the President, though the group’s leader is offering few specifics about the effort.
The Rev. Williams Owens, who is president and founder of the Coalition of African-Americans Pastors and the leader of the campaign, has highlighted opposition to same-sex marriage among African-Americans. He calls this campaign “an effort to save the family.”
“The time has come for a broad-based assault against the powers that be that want to change our culture to one of men marrying men and women marrying women,” said Owens, in an interview Tuesday after the launch event at the National Press Club. “I am ashamed that the first black president chose this road, a disgraceful road.”
At the press conference, Owens was joined by five other black regional pastors and said there were 3,742 African-American pastors on board for the anti-Obama campaign.
When asked at the press conference for specifics about the campaign – funding, planned events and goals – Owens said only that the group’s first fundraiser will be on August 16 in Memphis, Tennessee. But Owens insisted that “we are going to go nationwide with our agenda just like the president has gone to Hollywood.”
Looks like the Rattlesnakes are beginning to commit suicide! The decision to pander to the Hispanic vote added 800,000 illegal aliens to the job market in the black 18-30 demographic where the unemployment rate is 40%! Now he's abandoned a major part of the leadership in his own black constituency... All decisions made out of desperation of a failed presidency and a failing president!!!
Talk about @!$%#ting in your hat!!!
Romney 2012!!! Yeah Baby!!!
Daniel:
You're batsh-t crazy. Trust me, Africa Americans will enthusiastically support Obama (on average). But they have their religious fringe, just as you are that fringe for the white race.
Is Gary Johnson the real deal, or is he just like the rest of the candidates?
Take a look at his platform and see what you think - yourself.
garyjohnson2012.com