GameOver22 on 24 October 2012
| TheShape31 said: @gergroy I agree, this year none of the 3rd party candidates have a chance to win. But why do you think that is? A defeatist attitude has a little to do with it, but it's much more problematic than that. Think about the one and only time that a 3rd party candidate was allowed into the presidential debate. It was Ross Perot, the billionaire. If you can BUY yourself into the election then you have a chance. What does that say about the top two, who will only allow you to compete on the main stage if you're one of the richest 1%? What does that say about most of the country that votes for one of those two people? It shows a lack of credibility, honesty, and wisdom. I'll let you think about who owns each of those attributes. |
The 1860 presidential election was actually won by a third party (this was the rise of the modern Republican Party), and the Republicans figured heavily in the debates (Lincoln vs. Douglas debates). For the most part, the role of third parties isn't to win elections in America. Usually what happens is that, if a third-party gets enough attention and support, one of the major parties integrates the concerns of the third party into their own platform. In this way, third parties can influence politics, but they aren't going to win.
