I don't understand why potential 3rd parties are not capitalising on the current political debacle. This would be an ideal time to point out that lesser evilism doesn't work, will never work and is the road to nowhere but somewhere we should not be heading.
Where are the voices of Rocky Anderson (Justice Party), Jill Stein (Greens), Democratic Socialists, Socialists, to name a few? Maybe they are voicing their opinions - but the media studiously avoids publishing or giving them space. Typical flippin' US media, bought and sold - they are to blame for a lot.
Where are the voices of Rocky Anderson (Justice Party), Jill Stein (Greens), Democratic Socialists, Socialists, to name a few? Maybe they are voicing their opinions - but the media studiously avoids publishing or giving them space. Typical flippin' US media, bought and sold - they are to blame for a lot.
24 comments:
Well the question you ask is very interesting but cannot be answered without considering the **whole** political picture and spectre...
Anyway I would really welcome a Political Third Party indeed...
P.S. I call myself ex-Chomp for on myspace they granted me - as everyone - the loss of **all** the blogs I wrote on it! That is incredible to me!
Only pics did remain ...
Web madness, one makes an effort to let material be saved on the web and some Ceo wakes up wrong in the morning and all is wasted ...
ex-chomp, sorry about your blog loss...I'm sure MySpace's "Terms of Use" agreement allows them the privilege somewhere in that myriad of fine print! Hope you have copies you can re-publish.
Twilight, you're in a beautiful part of Arkansas...explore, explore! There are parts of the Ozarks that have a mystical vortex feel...you are in or near the vortex now. I've been through there many times...my dad was born in Heavener, OK, across the border...a couple of vacations to Heavener, then off to Beaver Lake. Drink that spring water...said to be restorative. There are many parts of Arkansas that are progressive, but overall, Arkansas is regressive...the term "hillbilly" originates there!
Yes, you're right, not much coming out of the third parties. Ralph Nader is the only person I've heard any comment, but he seems to never garner much attention from the press. His stance is the military budget is eating-up our dollars and must stop to balance our nation's budget. Now, that isn't something that most of our please-protect-us-at-all-cost-public wants to hear. Another deaf note for Ralph.
A quick check of the main third party websites shows no real activity of recent time. The Green Party is the only site with a current content. I'm not sure anymore whether Ralph Nader is a member, since he ran independent in the recent past, but they post links to his articles.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-nader/pentagon-budget_b_4046370.html
Well, I was remiss to not mention the Libertarian Party...LOL...Ha! I simply interpret them as a subgroup of the Republican Party, much as is the T-Party. If any third party has a chance, I'd say it is the Libertarian Party, UNFORTUNATELY. They have been quite active during the congressional meltdown, espousing their very conservative, rather radical viewpoints.
ex-Chomp ~ That loss has to be a great disappointment. I'd be truly angry if Blogger ever did that! No doubt, one of these days they will.
You are welcome to do a guest post here Chomp. If the idea appeals you could send content via e-mail and I'd publish it, properly attributed. Let me know when we've arrived home, and I'll post an e-mail address for contact.
Yes, 3rd party and 4th and 5th, with voices raised could make a world of difference. But as things are, it seems unlikely to happen. Media are nothing but puppets to the corporations and oligarchy.
mike ~ Quick comment before we pack up and leave - this time we really should head for home. ;-) We'll be back though - I like Arkansas a lot - this area anyway. Vortex eh? I shall look for info on that. We were once in an area of Colorado said to have a vortex, and UFO sightings. :-)
I hope 3rd parties have not given up - it's beginning to look that way though.
Libertarians were making most noise during the last election go-round - they are a bit too far right for my taste, but I'd take what I could get - any party outside of the duopoly, apart from something further right than Tea Party(if there is such a thing outside Nazi-ism).
Twilight ~ I'm with mike. Enjoy Arkansas. Explore that mystical vortex and let us know how it goes. Have fun!
While I DO NOT endorse "Joe the Plumber" or his views, I think he probably hits the nail with his recent comment...this is why we don't have third parties and, more importantly, why the Republicans currently have their underwear in a bunch over the PPACA:
Joe Wurzelbacher, more commonly known as Joe the Plumber, wants Americans to "admit" they "want a white Republican president again."
"Wanting a white Republican president doesn’t make you racist, it just makes you American," Wurzelbacher wrote on his website Oct. 10.
Wurzelbacher referred to the time before President Barack Obama was elected president as the "pre-black president era," saying at that time, criticizing the president "meant that you didn't like his policies."
"The election of a recognized black president was not supposed to change anything. In fact, it was supposed to (1) ease any perceived racial tensions, and (2) allow the government to focus on legislating without race. So America would be more free than ever to discuss the issues," Wurzelbacher wrote. "Not the case. And that is why having a white Republican president is best for the country."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/12/joe-the-plumber-racism_n_4090529.html
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I think racial issues are part of the unspoken undercurrent to Obama's presidency and his inability to assert an agenda. I believe the Repubs would like to have Obama's terms viewed as a failed presidency and particularly his legacy of Obamacare. The PPACA has deep Republican roots...enacted in Massachusetts by Romney. Why would the Repubs not endorse a program that enriches the insurance industry?
mike ~ I think Joe the P. is right about some Americans - the ones in his particular circle, but he certainly cannot speak for all Americans or even the majority (I hope!)
You'll have a much better feel for this than I, mike. I can only speak from personal experience of Americans which isn't very extensive, in fact it's almost non-existent, considering the vastness of the country.
I have no feelings at all about colour - people are people are people, presidents are presidents are presidents. Since I've been in the USA we've had a terrible one and a poor one, and I still think both were little better than puppets, with the figures behind the curtain pulling their strings, sweetening the experience with whopping donations and promises of a wealthy retirement after 2 terms.
:-(
While a 3rd party, if ever allowed to bloom sufficiently, would go in with the best of intentions, I suspect they'd be cut down in what promised to be their prime by the same "behind the curtain" gang.
LB ~ We did enjoy it all, yes. I shall read up on that vortex and investigate on another trip to Arkansas some day. :-)
@Twilight, I believe you are right on the money with the 'behind the curtain gang' and that it won't matter who is elected to be the next puppet. I think corporations are the ones pulling strings in our government, and they are motivated by money and profit. A tremendous amount of greed there. Even politicians with the best of intentions bow to the corporations who make it possible for them to be in the office to begin with. We're so in bed with the WTO and NAFTA agreements that I don't see a path to sanity because all of that is tied back to the corporations, and not only ours in the US but all over the world. Anyway, that's my limited view of the problem. I'm sure it's much more involved than that.
Puppet or puppeteer, both serve the same master. Generally speaking, most of us can only be manipulated through our temptations and weaknesses. I also believe people in the political arena have a greater understanding of how it all works than some might like to think. It takes many steps to arrive with many small choices along the way.
Madison Woods ~ Hi there!
Agreed - we're in a bind with no way out - for now. It's a dismal prospect, but change will come, somehow, sometime, somewhere.
That's a very nice blog you have Madison. I shall add it to my assorted links.
:-)
LB ~ They do know what they're doing, yes, I think so. They all know how the dirty mechanics of US politics work; either they knew when they entered, or found out along the way. They've made their choices, and some of them have made it impossible for some of us to make ours.
Nothing lasts for ever though.
What was that saying I recall from the wonderful old TV series, "Centennial" adapted from the novel by James A. Michener:
"Only the stones last forever" .
Thanks, and I'll add yours to mine. I've enjoyed poking around in here today :)
Stones don't last forever...millennia, but not forever!
Why do we have any party? A designated party insinuates a designated political ideology. Maybe it's time we vanquished parties in favor of the person.
A number of years ago, probably the 2008 election cycle, PBS' Charlie Rose had a panel of five scholars define the perfect presidential candidate: doctoral degree, preferably in a scientific discipline with a strong political science background, non-affiliation with a specific religion, and experience managing large groups of people...might have been more "wants", but this is all I remember.
Madison Woods ~ Many thanks! :-)
mike ~ That raises the question "What is forever?" Another blog topic? :-)
Your 3rd para. is obliquely relevant-ish to a post I've just drafted for tomorrow. I'll leave it at that for now. See what you think then.
"Diamonds Are Forever"
Ian Fleming's novel and a James Bond movie!
"Maybe it's time we vanquished parties in favor of the person."
Seems like a good idea mike, though tribalism (in the negative sense of the word) would likely still play a role in labeling candidates. It's a symptom of the same either-or thinking that leads many of us to pick a cause (or causes) in alignment with our chosen group, while dismissing or demeaning other legitimate concerns as being somehow less worthy of consideration.
Did anyone get a chance to watch the short animated film about the forced feeding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay? http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/from_the_mouths_of_hunger_strikers_20131012
mike ~ So they say! :-)
LB ~ Thanks for the link. Oh! That video is shocking! It underlines yet another way in which President Obama has veered in the exact opposite direction from his campaign promises in 2008. If these men have been cleared for release, and so long ago too, why haven't they yet been set free? What reason has been given, I wonder.
Twilight ~ It's awful, isn't it? On top of all the other injustices, it's pretty terrible how we've dehumanized and tortured these men. As to the why, whatever the reason, I don't believe there's a good enough excuse: http://presstv.com/detail/2013/06/21/310176/obama-has-the-authority-to-close-gitmo/
LB ~ You're right - there can be no reason good enough.
I found this piece - months old, but some kind of explanation is included:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/04/25/kafka-at-gitmo-why-86-prisoners-are-cleared-for-release-but-might-never-get-it/
It's said that countries willing to accept the remaining prisoners who have been cleared for release for a long time cannot be found, or that diplomatic requirements of certain countries cannot be met; or that it is feared that their release would result in their becoming terrorists (who could blame them, say I); or that legal proceedings they might bring in international courts could result in facts being made public which would make the USA look bad (hmmm - yes indeed, and so well-deserved!)
Ever see the movie, "Rendition" starring Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Omar Metwally? My husband and I both thought it was an excellent flick, as did film critic Roger Ebert who gave it four stars. This recent animated film about force feeding at Guantanamo reminded me of it.
LB ~ I didn't see that one - I shall make a point of getting my hands on a DVD from the rental store, if they have it.
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