With the 2006 elections barely a week away the debates are starting to heat up over the bread butter issues of the two ruling parties. For the Republicans its about their Orwellian war on terror, gay bashing and their latest attacks on women’s write to choose if she wants to keep an unplaned pregnancy or not. For Democrats, its about social security, homeland security, no less Orwellian its approach, and at times the Environment. They both are posturing around the issue of campaign reform, neither side would benefit if real reform were to happen, you understand. But the Democrats are speaking out against the war some two years too late. But, the one issue no one is talking about is, what role does third party candidates have in the more meaning full elections.
This issue is constantly being buried in the back of the American mind set. And no wonder. We only have to look at the PR time the major media have given both sides of the isle. One of the most glaring outcomes is that America has become the land of the mantra of ‘I’d vote but there’s no one to vote for.” In fact, most third party voices have been silenced in most if not all the major stations on the radio and the television. There are exceptions of course on both mediums, think NPR, Pacifica MNN and late nights on CNN. For a while the only party members that most voters could point to who had some weight in the outcome of an election was Ralph Nadar, Pat Buchanan, and Ross Perot. The most forgotten name is Eugene Debs who received 24% of the votes in 1918 when he ran on the Socialist Party ticket. The party today has little relevance but they also don’t have the money of the fortune five hundred on their sides and neither do the Greens or Working Families Party. However, in an act that is almost unheard of, a judge ordered that a third party candidate must be able to be involved in the state debates.
In a decision made in a Tampa court, a judge ordered that the third party candidate Max Linn to has to be allowed to debate current Republican Florida sweat heart Charlie Cris and Jim Davis. Max came out swinging at both candidates, saying that Americans are tired of Democrats and the party system. Then he turned his guns on Crist who dodged the question concerning the amount of money he received from the insurance companies. Linn yelled at him to answer the question, “for once.” Admittedly though Jim Davis and Max Linn did gang up on the Republican who is the favorite to be the next Governor. But, in the end it was Davis who won out. The canyon in the opinion poles that separated Crist from Davis has narrowed considerably and if Davis does win in an upset, one has to wonder how much Davis has to thank Linn. It’s 1993 all over gain when Bill Clint won by less than 50% of national votes but, was able to get in thanks to Pero.
In states like New York where its still legal for cross indorsement of a single candidate, the Working Families Party tipped the scales for several of the Democrats who were involved in retaking of the Nassau and Suffolk counies. So we are seeing third parties finally getting ready to sow their oats.
Until next time.
http://www.groundhog.tv/apps/editor/staticplayer.jsp?clip=1162323934739.wmv
