Alright, guys. I think it's time I write a more formal post about the third party candidates that have grown in popularity during this election cycle. I have had many conversations with many different people on this topic; therefore, instead of having more disgruntled arguments that tend to just result in party bashing, let me give you a more well-formulated summary of what the third party candidates mean to me, as well as what they mean to me in this election cycle.
I genuinely appreciate everyone who has had a hand in bringing the third-party conversation up. I know many of you who have been adamantly against Hillary and Trump think that I'm just ridiculously closed-minded to the Democratic agenda, but I can assure you that so long as anyone can present me with an abundance of facts about a different and better candidate my mind is, indeed, swayable. If those facts that you believe in are ones that I don't, then that's just that, but I have, and have continued to, research all 4 candidates in the current election cycle. There are pros and cons to each of them.
That said, I think a more open-minded person would realize that the situation, as dire as it is, does not facilitate the start of the third party conversation in this election cycle. Though my sample space is only those that I know, and not the millions of those that I don't, the unanimous consensus is that no one wants Trump to be president. Like, literally, not a single person I have talked to, which is including the third party supporters, want Trump to be president in an alternate universe let alone this one. About 75% of those unanimously against Trump--and that percentage is definitely a rough estimate and by no means an empirical value--and are for a third partier do not want Hillary Clinton to be president, but would be able to tolerate her presidency. The majority of the 25% of the people that wouldn't be able to tolerate Trump OR Clinton understand that their votes will hardly matter this election, but will vote for a third party anyway thinking that it'll help those third partiers for the next election cycle. The fact is, though, that the growth of a third party happens over time and not instantaneously as the video below will illustrate. That growth does not necessarily come from more votes for that party's presidential candidate each cycle, but rather from votes for that specific third party throughout Congressional elections. Moreover, the evolution of a third party will simply mean the destruction of another, and thus we'll be right back to a two-party system anyway due to first-past-the-post election process that we currently use in the US--this information is specifically geared toward the "I'm sick of the two-party system!" people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo
As the above video illustrates: If we're not careful Trump could become president purely because someone like Gary Johnson is closer in ideology to Hillary than to Trump, therefore spreading the vote and allowing Trump to win the candidacy. ( I would also recommend watching the video on Alternative Voting! If there's one thing we may be able to change sooner rather than later, it's the way our system votes, and Alternative Voting would make more than two parties semi-relevant to very relevant every single election cycle!)
Secondly, if any of the third party candidates were as star-spangled awesome as they make themselves out to be, I would totally be on board! There was a guy in this election cycle that WAS that awesome. And I'm pretty sure we all remember Bernie Sanders! There are many of you out there that have switched to a third party ideal because Bernie is no longer in the race. And now, not only is there 3 parties, there are 4! And not one media station uses the term "Fourth party," but that's exactly what there is. Personally, if I found out that enough people would write down "Bernie Sanders" on the ballot come November, then I would totally do the same! However, I know that doing so is a wasted vote. I know that by writing anyone's name down that isn't already on the major ballot will be a vote straight to the garbage bin. Therefore, my attention has to be diverted elsewhere. To some of you that has seemed like a closed minded idea, but I can't figure out how it could be. As I said, I was a huge Bernie Sanders supporter, but once I found out he was going to lose--whether the primaries were rigged or not--I had to divert my attention elsewhere. I also received criticism for changing sides--so I guess I can't do that either?--but I had to rid my mind of conspiracy theories and simply look at the facts. He was not going to win, which means I had to look to someone not named Trump that had a real fighting chance of winning the general election. For those unaware, Trump had the most votes during the Repub primary this year in history. This is alarming.
Lastly, it might not seem like it right now, but voting for a third party candidate this election, in line with the First Past The Post system I posted a video about above, is against our own interests. I'm aware that the voting system is neither reasonable or fair, but that's why I attempted to also bring up Alternative Voting, which is one thing I think we can all agree is a better process. It's not a perfect process by any means, but it's better than what we have. To paraphrase a friend of mine having a similar discussion: If we vote a third party candidate we'll feel good about ourselves, but the vote won't help us accomplish anything we want done. In order for that to happen, we need to be more vocal with our representatives that can actually help change happen regardless of party alliance. Yes, some representatives suck, and we don't realize how much they suck sometimes until they're in office striking down the 9/11 First Responders bill or something, but if we speak up and speak loud enough we can change enough minds to practically reverse the ideologies of the parties. Let's not forget, when Lincoln was president, he was a Republican; however, a Republican then is a modern-day Democrat in beliefs. So although we want change, and many of us feel like a third party is the way that change occurs, that's not really the truth. There aren't enough third (or fourth) party members in Congress to help a president of that party make changes. Change is not overnight. It takes time. Even if we currently didn't live in a FPTP environment, there would still need to be a large amount of those party members in Congress to make a difference.
Ultimately, I applaud those that want change. I do! I constantly use the quote from Teddy Roosevelt that states, and I'm paraphrasing again, in any given decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Due to the situation we have this election cycle I see voting for Hillary as the best thing we can do. I see voting Donald Trump to be the wrong thing to do (It's disgusting to think that is the second best thing, right?), and I see voting a third party candidate, given the sheer mathematical improbability of any of them winning and against our own interests it would be, to be like doing nothing. I understand the desire for change! But like Barack Obama asked for during his campaign in '07, in order to make change we need people to work together and speak loudly! If we keep pointing the finger at those we don't like instead of studying their values, principles, and policies, then we're just hypocrites, right?
(Update)
The following article is from Robert Reich, who was the Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. Whether you're for or against Hillary Clinton, I really think you should read this! Reich is really good at putting this election cycle into perspective. What's cool for me is that he wrote this shortly after I wrote this original post. It seems that him and I have a similar mindset.
http://robertreich.org/post/150611415595
- PatInTheHat
