Forum Overview :: Balance of Power
 
Third parties are landfills of poisonous personalities by skip 07/08/2016, 8:59pm PDT
Mysterio's Phone Bank wrote:



What I see is a fracturing of that base across the other candidates (Hard to say what the split will be though? I'm not gonna pull a Nate Silver). True Bern Victims are left to either vote Independent, or just stay home and hate blog about it.


Most of them will just suck it up and vote HRC. I guarantee that most Berners who refuse to vote this year were going to find any excuse not to vote. Anyone who join the Green Party will quickly leave if they're sane and don't want to deal with histrionic personalities or drama bombs (Twitterati) starved for more attention than third party activism will give them. The Green Party has some genuinely nutball stuff in their platform and Stein isn't a strong candidate. The Green Party is such a mess they don't even get on all 50 state ballots and most state websites are outdated.

I was reading a site by a disillusioned Libertarian Party activist who was discussing third party problems/solutions. Most third parties are run by people who are committed to a pure vision that would never attract the mainstream, because only fanatics can keep these small parties alive. But parties are meant to be coalitions, groups that find common ground or compromises when necessary and moderating more extremist positions to attract a bigger base, while being based in some sort of overall principles (bigger government, social democracy, preserving traditional and Constitutional values, etc). Most of these parties are actually like churches, a place for the true believers to come together and loudly announce that they are not contaminated by modern beliefs such as taxes (if you're a Libertarian) or nuclear power (if you're a Green). It's why they're obsessed with presidential elections which get a ton of press but are ultimately futile elections. Their time/money would be better spent on local elections and moderating their message but that might alienate the diehard radicals who keep the party alive. It's a no-win situation.

If I were running a shadow Republican cabal, I'd try to funnel funding to some evangelical third party that votes on abortion/family values. Sure it would suck away votes from Trump but all their downballot votes would be R and third parties aren't smart enough to run local politicians. Even if the Repubs lost the presidency, they wouldn't lose the Senate and they're currently in danger of doing both.
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Sanders supporters still out for purity purge by Animal Mother 07/06/2016, 1:26pm PDT NEW
    You misspelled "policy" by Mischief Maker 07/06/2016, 3:30pm PDT NEW
        Yes it's totally not a complete purge the Sanders campaign is after by Animal Mother 07/06/2016, 9:29pm PDT NEW
            Except those already on board NT by EXCEPT THOSE ALREADY ON BOARD 07/06/2016, 9:40pm PDT NEW
            "EIN FUHRER BERNIE!," what by Vested Id 07/06/2016, 10:58pm PDT NEW
                What we need is a new National brand of Socialism by dr. no 07/07/2016, 9:07am PDT NEW
                    Fuhrer Bernie's five year plan will probably take ten years because he keeps by falling asleep on his hoverthrone. 07/07/2016, 10:09am PDT NEW
                    l guess you out-Wolpawed me because I have no fucking clue what you're saying NT by Vested Id 07/07/2016, 10:40am PDT NEW
                    Fuck you for stealing my /nick you garbage. by Dr. No 07/07/2016, 1:56pm PDT NEW
                        Bern victims stand by their betrayer in Philly by No refunds 07/24/2016, 4:27pm PDT NEW
            Dude, I share your fears. That's why I voted for the stronger candidate. by Mischief Maker 07/07/2016, 4:27am PDT NEW
                I suspect that if Sanders got the nom/became Prez he'd be our Jeremy Corbyn. NT by Fullofkittens 07/07/2016, 8:36am PDT NEW
                    Better that than Trump get the nom/become Prez and be our George W. Bush. by Mischief Maker 07/07/2016, 4:06pm PDT NEW
                        "Trump is Hitler" doesnt help. NT by Dr. No 07/07/2016, 7:43pm PDT NEW
                            If Anti-Establishment > Racism for righties they would have voted for Rand Paul. by Mischief Maker 07/07/2016, 8:03pm PDT NEW
                                Are we sure we want to be calling the right a bunch of racists all the time by Vested Id 07/07/2016, 11:20pm PDT NEW
                                    MPC prefers to identify as NT by 'Gay racist bodybuilders' 07/08/2016, 7:30pm PDT NEW
                                    Having an iron cross tattooed on your finger though? Racist! NT by Fuck you, Id you dishonest shit 07/24/2016, 6:16pm PDT NEW
                                        Part of a pattern buddy by Vested Id 07/24/2016, 7:16pm PDT NEW
                                    "posting career" are you seriously putting those two words together? NT by laughable 07/24/2016, 6:47pm PDT NEW
                                        Yes, that's the point by How to bodybuild the gay racist way 07/24/2016, 7:12pm PDT NEW
                        I don't believe that Trump can beat Clinton. NT by Fullofkittens 07/08/2016, 4:18am PDT NEW
                Thought the blue dogs went extinct? by mike williams usgamer 07/07/2016, 9:26pm PDT NEW
                    "Repubs" should really be "conservative voters" by mike williams usgamer 07/07/2016, 9:31pm PDT NEW
                        Re: "Repubs" should really be "conservative voters" by Animal Mother 07/08/2016, 2:57am PDT NEW
                            Problem is the Blue Dogs just jacked off after flipping control of congress by mike williams usgamer 07/08/2016, 1:05pm PDT NEW
            Hey wait I just found a good image BrandNewCongress.org could use by Animal Mother 07/07/2016, 2:18pm PDT NEW
                Is this jsoh? by Mischief Maker 07/07/2016, 4:05pm PDT NEW
                    Oh fuck you, cunt by Animal Mother 07/08/2016, 2:44am PDT NEW
                Again by Vested Id 07/07/2016, 7:29pm PDT NEW
                    Teabaggers defended themselves with those exact same lines by Animal Mother 07/08/2016, 1:59am PDT NEW
    Hey really quick ... who fucking cares? I'd elect Pol Pot at this fucking point. NT by Worm 07/06/2016, 10:44pm PDT NEW
    Because this worked out in the past by skip 07/08/2016, 7:05am PDT NEW
        Was it really McGovern that sunk them? by fabio 07/08/2016, 1:30pm PDT NEW
            You're talking about the South? by skip 07/08/2016, 3:47pm PDT NEW
        Re: Because this worked out in the past by Mysterio's Phone Bank 07/08/2016, 7:52pm PDT NEW
            Third parties are landfills of poisonous personalities by skip 07/08/2016, 8:59pm PDT NEW
                Re: Third parties are landfills of poisonous personalities by Mysterio's Phone Bank 07/08/2016, 9:38pm PDT NEW
 
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