Posted by
Andrews on Friday, July 18, 2008 2:24:54 PM
Due to their disappointment with both the McCain nomination and their general disappointment in the behavior of Republicans in congress, many have been talking about the formation of a third party. They will throw around comments about how
the Whigs disappeared, and suggest that voting for a third party presidential candidate is not just a protest vote, but a first step in forming a third party.
The problem is that this is the absolutely worst way to form a third party. Throughout history, the formation of third parties has followed exactly the opposite course of the one they suggest. Rather than starting with a president then electing congressional representatives, most third parties have started with congressional or even state level elections, then moved on to presidential contenders. And really that only make sense.
While people pretend the president sets the national agenda and wields tremendous influence, in reality, outside of military matters, the president is relatively weak. He can use some of his executive powers to change how laws are enforced, and he can use his veto to prevent legislation from being passed, but as far as any positive role in creating laws, he has none. For a president to enact his domestic agenda, he needs allies in congress.
And that is why a third party president would be almost powerless. He would go into office with no natural allies, without any congressional support. Nor would it be easy for him to develop any. Congressmen tend to support the president of their party as that president's popularity can be turned into votes during their reelection bids. With no hope of cashing in on a president's popularity, there is no reason for congressmen to work with the third party president. He could possibly use veto threats to blackmail congress, but likely that would lead to congress agreeing to override everyone of his vetoes, regardless of their individual feelings about the law in question, simply to eliminate that sort of veto based blackmail.
All of this could be avoided were we simply to do things right. The way to form a third party is not to try to start at the top, to stage a dramatic protest vote against McCain which sweeps a third party president into office without any support in congress. That would result in a powerless one term president who would do nothing but convince future voters that third party presidents are doomed to failure. The real place to start is with the congressional elections, or even state legislatures. Once a third party has established a presence, become familiar enough that voters see it as a viable party, then we can begin forming a voting block in congress. Then, and only then, can we begin thinking about a run for the presidency.
But, of course, that is a slow, dull process, which lacks the drama of a sudden presidential victory. And, as I have said elsewhere, it seems many conservatives have been stricken with the
childishness that used to plague only the left. They no longer want to spend the time it takes to do things right.
They lack the patience real politics takes. Not only do they not want to take the time to
reform the Republican Party, they don't even want to take the time it takes to build a third party. Instead they think they can stage some sort of coup, put a third party president in office, and the Republican party will just vanish in a puff of smoke.
Life does not work that way, and most adults once knew that fact. It is sad to see conservatives, once the more adult wing of the political spectrum, failing to recognize that truth.