Time for a third party?

I asked Princeton Professor Robert George that question several months ago during primary season, and he considered it a valid, good point….but not the time. We are a two-party democratic system, and for many reasons a third party would not solve our political/cultural problems.

That question came up again in the runup to the recent elections, but especially in the days since. Carmen speaks for a lot of people in this recent blog post:

No longer can two people, who have differing view points, have a calm, reasonable discussion of the issues, without that conversation degrading into a heated shouting match.  One person trying to talk louder than the other in a vain attempt to have their point heard.  We think that the louder we speak, the better we’re getting our points across.

The question now becomes, is America ready for a 3rd party?  I believe the answer to that question is a resounding YES!  There are moderates in both parties who, if they were willing to take any risk at all, would band together and create the third party that is so desperately needed in this country.  Both the democrats and republicans have such a strangle hold on the American political system, that the general public believes that there are no other options.  The two party system has been so ingrained into our collective conciousness, that the thought of a 3rd party is summarily dismissed by the public as a long shot at best, and crazy, alternative thinking at worst.

…The time is now…to vote as Americans, not as democrats or republicans.  To vote for those who are willing to work with others and listen to their constituents.  Not just vote the party line.  To vote for those who have not lost touch with the American public.

That’s just what the candidates ran on in the election, and that’s what pushed the winners over the line to victory. When the new Congress convenes in January, we’ll see how many of them — Democrat or Republican — have stayed in touch with the voters who elected them and the principles they value. In most cases (‘blue dog’ Democrats, as well as Republicans) respect for the sanctity of life was the primary conservative value they shared.

But we don’t have to wait until January to get the sense of where Congress is heading with these values.

Members of the Democratic caucus in the House sealed their plan to promote abortion and embryonic stem cell research in the next session of Congress as they picked staunch abortion advocates to lead their party. That means pro-abortion lawmakers will set the agenda of the House for the next two years…

Meanwhile, House Democrats selected pro-abortion Maryland congressman Steny Hoyer for the number two post. Hoyer, who has a 0 percent pro-life voting record going back to the 1980s, according to the National Right to Life Committee, will become the Majority Leader…

Like Pelosi, Hoyer also backed the bill forcing taxpayers to pay for embryonic stem cell research and voted to override President Bush’s veto of the measure…

Democrats, in the Senate held their leadership elections Tuesday and chose abortion advocates to head their party. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada was elected as the Majority Leader while abortion advocate Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin will serve in the number two post.

So, let’s get back to that question. Is America ready for a third party? Now that the 2008 presidential season has officially opened, this would be a good time to answer that.

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