A Credible Third-Party Movement

Chris Hedges writes in his new column "Is America 'Yearning for Fascism'?":

Left unchecked, the hatred for radical Islam will transform itself into a hatred for Muslims. The hatred for undocumented workers will become a hatred for Mexicans and Central Americans. The hatred for those not defined by this largely white movement as American patriots will become a hatred for African-Americans. The hatred for liberals will morph into a hatred for all democratic institutions, from universities to government agencies to the press. Our continued impotence and cowardice, our refusal to articulate this anger and stand up in open defiance to the Democrats and the Republicans, will see us swept aside for an age of terror and blood.

Although there is an anti-Southern/anti-Republican bias in Hedges' statements, which is part of his overall 'holier than thou' narrative, I think his last sentence has a great deal of merit. He is speaking from experience, so he knows what he is talking about. We must stand up to the Democrats and Republicans right now. That is a given. Both parties are equally responsible for the bankruptcy of the nation, as well as the two unpopular wars that have unnecessary caused the loss of innocent lives and precious wealth. But America is not "yearning for fascism," it is instead yearning for genuine political and social change.

On both sides of the isles, leaders have strictly maintained a centrist/corporate status quo since the 1980's. So the solution is obvious: a new political party. And not just any kind of party. But a party that brings together both progressives and libertarians around some basic and popular political stances, such as no bailouts for Wall St., no immoral wars, no corporate subsidies for health insurance companies, no police state laws, and no drug war. I bet a majority of people can agree to that platform.

Credible and truthful political leaders like Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Dennis Kucinich, Gary Johnson, Jesse Ventrua, and others need to come together and organize progressives, libertarians, independents, and generally discontented Americans into a strong third-party contender, and then elect a president that has both the experience and the honesty to serve in the White House in this period of international crisis.

It's hard to succeed at voting out members of the Congress and Senate because the Republicans and Democrats have their electoral power so consolidated, and the debates are so unfair, that it is wastes a lot grassroots energy and time. A more productive way is to elect a third-party president, and once he/she is in office, he/she can use the bully pulpit to encourage Americans to vote the democrats and republcians out of office. The voice of the president is more powerful than the voice of the major media channels and corporate newspapers.

And the platform has mass appeal, and more importantly, it will attract an energetic grassroots following. More than 60% of the citizenry agree that the two current wars are immoral and illegal, especially in the case of Iraq, which was based on false intelligence and misleading statements by Bush administration officials. Also, people across the political spectrum agree that Wall St. banks unfairly received the public's money, so building a grassroots base around these two issues is politically doable. The problem is media access to voice the platform of this new party, but with the internet and alternative media growing, it's not like ten years ago, a third party candidate, especially a famous and credible person, can draw huge attention.

The main obstacles include a lack of political will, and visionary leadership, but I'm sure a hybrid of progressive/libertarian voices will emerge and galvanize a grassroots movement to take back the White House from the Republicans and Democrats. Winning an election with a newly formed party is not rocket science. It has been done before in American politics. And it will happen again.