I've seen many people call for a "new party" to counter the two factions of the Corporate party. They call for a party that refuses to accept corporate financing, that is concerned with the workers of our country, that believes in free-at-the-point-of-service healthcare and the welfare of the people over that of corporations. They tout "build over time" and "incremental change", as the course we should take. I, for one, have lost hope that much of anything will change for the better by voting. However, incremental change can happen in small ways electorally. If you understand that is what you're doing, there is a good argument to be made for continuing to participate in electoral politics. That can be a part of a strategy for change, but it shouldn't be seen as the be-all end-all of action that must be taken. Other components such as organizing both unions and politically, should be a part of that strategy, as well. If you do want to continue to participate in the electoral process, here are some sobering things to consider.
It's naive to think that we need to "start a new party" and all will be well. As of December 2021, there were 37 distinct ballot-qualified political parties in the United States. Most have only one state in which they can function. 37 parties. How many of them are national? Four. The D's the R's, Libertarians and Greens. No other party exists in more than 12 states, and many of them go the route of endorsing a major party candidate. Why have none of these caught on? How long have people been saying "we need a third party"?
The problem inherent in "starting a new party" is the myriad and sundry hoops through which all "third parties" have to jump, in order to achieve any numbers worth talking about. ALL election and campaign laws are made by the two major parties, and they are not making them to benefit other parties nor the people they ostensibly represent. The Greens have managed to ballot qualify in over half of the states in each of the past few elections, and are currently represented in 144 elected offices...no small feat. Libertarians, on the other end of the spectrum, have the same struggle, and have had the same limited success (nationwide, there are over 300 Libertarians holding elected office). And yet, they have to turn around and qualify all over again, at different frequencies in different states with different requirements in each state in order to remain on the ballot. It is not unusual for a states to raise it's requirements from election to election. It's a never ending process of constantly trying to overcome the electoral and media related obstacles to any but the two major parties to have any chance, whatsoever, of any real, sustainable success. This is not an accident. It is the desired result of the two major parties. This is why the biggest opponent of the Greens is not the GOP, but the Democrats, just as the biggest opponent of the Libertarians is not the Democrats, but the ideologically equivalent GOP. Both major parties would rather we vote for their supposed "opponent" than any independent party. Both of them are CORPORATE parties and would rather share power between the two of them than to let someone else that is not beholden to corporate owners get a foothold.
Listen to what lawyer and Nader campaign manager Theresa Amato has to say in her interview with Chris Hedges here.
While it may be comforting to think that a 'new party' would galvanize the imagination of the people, it is not the case. Set aside the "name" of the Green party. Their platform is in complete agreement with the wishes of the majority of Americans. The Green party offers a platform that works for people, planet and peace over profits:
A green new deal
Jobs as a right
Ending poverty
Health care as a right
Education as a right, including abolishing all student debt
A just economy
Breaking up too big to fail banks
Ending wars for oil
Ending police brutality/militarization
Abolishing corporate personhood
Enacting electoral reforms
Yet after all the years they've existed, they are still marginalized and still seen to not be "viable". What is the excuse generally given as to why people won't support the Greens, after they're made aware of the platform, policies and plans of the Greens? "They are not viable. I won't waste my vote on someone who is not viable". That is the most common response I hear. Well, guess what? They, nor any other third party, will be "viable" until people will support them, which they will not. "A third party is not viable, so I won't vote for them. I don't vote for them, so they will remain not viable...so I won't vote for them...so they remain not viable...." and so on, ad infinitum. This is one of the major tenets of "lesser evilism". DON'T WASTE YOUR VOTE. SETTLE FOR GOOD ENOUGH, which is neither "good" nor "enough".
Read Theresa Amato's Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny for an in-depth, insider's look at the obstacles posed to third parties...then thoughtfully and realistically see if you still think a "new party" is the answer. The consideration of such a task is just another distraction to keep us busy while our finances, freedoms and, yes, choice, are stolen from us by our "representatives". "A new party" would have the same obstacles as the Greens and Libertarians without the benefit of the years of work, the progress achieved and the "boots on the ground" readiness of the G's and L's. It is as much a pipedream as expecting to "take over the Democratic party" to bank on a new third party. MUCH better to build on the work of a party that already has a platform, elected office holders and BALLOT ACCESS in numerous states. Much easier with a ready to respond infrastructure. If you are on the "left", the Green party IS that party. No new party on the progressive side would get any further than the Greens, and almost certainly not as far starting from scratch, today.
We don't have time for "incremental change", nor to "build over time". We are steadily losing our rights. Already, it is perfectly legal for the US military to arrest and detain indefinitely any American, anywhere at any time with zero evidence. Americans are being murdered routinely by a rapidly growing militarized police, with people of color making up an overwhelming percentage of the victims. According to NOAA, our climate could reach the point of no return by 2042. A new third party does not have time to affect any of these things in time to have any substantial effect on any of them. Don't fall for the arguments that are favored by the major parties. A new third party, voting for an "independent" member of their parties, voting for the "lesser evil" are all designed to siphon legitimate disgust with the status quo and funnel the political will it engenders right back into the very entities that caused the problems (and refuse to fix them) in the first place. Time is up. If it doesn't happen NOW, it won't happen without violent revolution. Time to back the largest, most successful national progressive third party, the Greens. It’s the only rational choice left leaning independents who believe voting has any chance of changing anything have.
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