ITS (third) PARTY TIME!! Morry Markovitz Because of intervening events and a lot of thinking, Ive radically changed the opinion I held only a year ago about the advisability of a 3rd political party. No longer do I see it as a potential spoiler that would ensure electoral victories for statists/collectivists/progressives and Democrats. I now think the time has come for a third party to begin. Whether or not the reader of this agrees with me, Im going to start with just ONE idea I think we all should adopt even in our current political messaging, as a TEA PARTY organization. Following that, Ill incorporate that idea into a major theme for a 3rd partys self-presentation that would, in my opinion, draw a potentially large fraction of the votes of current rank and file Democrats, and even many liberals. HOW WE PRESENT OURSELVES We Tea Partiers, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Freedom advocates, and Patriots in general should STOP making the same mistake-of-omission that Republicans make, and REALLY start garnering MAJOR support from racial minorities, ethnic minorities, AND EVEN A LOT OF RANK AND FILE LIBERAL / DEM type voters, this way: Start referring to (and taking over the title of sponsors for) THE BILL OF RIGHTS by CONSISTENTLY referring to those rights as the CIVIL RIGHTS of every American. We must seek aggressively to incorporate into our public image that we are FIGHTERS FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF ALL AMERICANS. After all . . . . . . THATS WHAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS IS -- A LIST OF EACH AMERICANS CIVIL RIGHTS RESPECTED BY THE FEDERAL GOVT. The LEFT has co-opted the warm and fuzzy phrase civil rights unto itself UNDESERVEDLY by making it semi-synonymous with opposing racism, and then posing as friends of minorities. LETS END THEIR MONOPOLY ON THIS IMAGE, AND SEIZE IT FOR OURSELVES, BECAUSE WERE THE ONES WHO REALLY DESERVE IT. We can TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DECADES OF EFFORT THE LEFT HAS EXPENDED TO MAKE CIVIL RIGHTS A PHRASE WITH THE ULTIMATE MORAL HALO AROUND IT, AND TAKE THAT HALO FOR OURSELVES, AND DEPRIVE THEM OF IT. We are, after all, the TRUE advocates of civil rights for every individual American. EMPHASIZE, EMPHASIZE, EMPHASIZE THAT WE SUPPORT CIVIL RIGHTS -- because we DO!! Try to find one of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution which isnt a Civil Right -- you cant. By equating the two, by CONSTANTLY EMPHASIZING the phrase civil rights as what we support, we can then (on appropriate occasions) BLAST THE LEFT FOR BEING OPPOSED TO CIVIL RIGHTS -- such as the right to bear arms or the right to privacy, or to security from unwarranted searches and seizures, the right to a jury trial, etc. REMIND AMERICANS THAT CIVIL RIGHTS DOES NOT MEAN ONLY THE 1st AMENDMENT, IT INCLUDES ALL TEN OF THEM, THE ENTIRE BILL OF RIGHTS. SHOW THE LEFT UP FOR THE ANTI-CIVIL-RIGHTS ADVOCATES THEY REALLY ARE, AND PUT THE DEMS ON THE DEFENSIVE. It will be hard for the existing Repubs to convince people of this, because of the decades of false demonizing of the Repubs and Conservatives. But a NEW THIRD PARTY with a clean slate will be selling itself to millions of OPEN EARS curious to find out where it stands, and WELL TELL EM THE TRUTH. The more I think about it, the more convinced I become that with a little bit of intelligence, a 3rd party could actually WIN the 2016 Presidential election by a significant margin. The above suggestion is only a little icing on the cake which I mention first because I think its a good idea right now, even if no 3rd party is contemplated. But lets try to contemplate it for a few minutes. PARTY TIME? Time flies, and we keep on thinking spoiler when we hear 3rd party. But I think thats NO LONGER TRUE. Almost 25 YEARS AGO Ross Perots 3rd party run garnered 23% of the vote. It shocked the pundits then, but if a similar attempt were made today, I think it would shock them even more: Suppose we formed The NEW (or REAL) REPUBLICAN Party. Keep that republican in the name to attract conservatives, but put new or real in front of it to advertise that we are DIFFERENT, that we are NEW AND IMPROVED, and that we are SO FED UP with the old Republicans, we actually seceded from that party. IE, we are almost as upset with them as the Dems and LIberals are!! So . . . minorities, some Dems, and even some staunch liberal rank-and-files may well be curious to give us a hearing, since we share one thing in common with them: we both regard the old Republican party as our adversary. And when they hear civil rights as one of our major theme songs (by which we quietly but not ashamedly mean the 1st ten amendments to the Constitution, ie the Bill of Rights), many from their ranks will stop, look, and take a listen. Theyll be a lot more willing to give us, an unfamiliar NEW party, the hearing that they would never grant the old Republican Party they already know and hate so well. And remember, weve had 25 years, almost, since Ross Perot got 23% of the vote, a full generation longer for the growing ideas and the growing following of freedom, free markets, and individualism to spread. That trend has GOT to be much stronger now than it was 25 years ago. Im sure there are millions of people in BOTH parties who would LOVE to have a REAL choice, instead of the same old REPUB/DEM business as usual. PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR CHANGE, DESPERATELY. THATS WHY SO MANY VOTED FOR OBAMA. BUT WELL PUT SOME REAL DETAILS AND REAL MEAT ON THE BARE BONE OF CHANGE THAT OBAMA TOSSED THEM. WE WONT JUST MAKE PROMISES. WELL EDUCATE THEM -- LIKE PEROT DID!! Its my opinion that one of the reasons Perot got such a big vote was that he took the time to EXPLAIN IN DETAIL the reasons why he was running, and what he believed about where our nation was headed. No cute, snappy sound bites, no attack ads, no spun, misleading presentations. Just facts, and explanations of them. Americans dont get that anymore during elections; they get too much of the same baloney they get a hundred times a day even between elections from TV commercials and magazine ads. Giving them credit for having a brain is a compliment to them, and theyll appreciate it. Im not saying we should eliminate clever slogans or sound bites -- but if we seek to learn at least one lesson from Perots success, I think this is the one we should take to heart. In a 3-way race, you can win with only 34% of the vote, though 35-37% would be a lot more likely win. Considering the passage of time enabling liberals to shoot themselves in the foot a few more times while the ideas of the right keep slowly gaining more traction, AND CONSIDERING THE UTTER DISGUST WITH WHICH MOST AMERICANS NOW REGARD BOTH PARTIES IN CONGRESS, I think an intelligently planned 3rd party endeavor JUST MIGHT WIPE OUT BOTH THE CURRENT MAJOR PARTIES IN A 3-WAY RACE. I dont see how, with even minimal competence, such a party could avoid AT LEAST substantially beating Perots 23% by a mile. Conditions couldnt be riper for it. It will be obvious that The New Republican Party is a home for Tea Party groups of all stripes, the We, the People groups, the Patriot groups, the Liberty groups, all the differently named roses with the same sweet smell. It will have a common sense platform, or basic statement of principles, consistent with Tea Party principles. But in our terminology, CIVIL RIGHTS will be the #1new wrinkle we add, the rights that are the Constitutions Bill of Rights, along with the provisions of the original Constitution itself. Sane government. We will sell the Bill of Rights as the CIVIL rights they are. We will also, in our platform, decry the fact that weve strayed from Abe Lincolns Government OF, BY, and FOR the PEOPLE. (Thats why we left the repubs!! Because they strayed from their own heritage well say when asked.) We have somehow morphed into a nation of little people with few rights, ruled by an elite class of professional politicians who vote themselves SPECIAL rights and favors, paid for by us, but of which we are deprived from enjoying ourselves (this will strike a chord with MANY dissatisfied Dems, NOT just Independents). Its time for Americans to regain their self-image as INDEPENDENT individuals, as SOVEREIGN INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS, proud to be Americans who have RIGHTS that no one can touch, not even their own government: the right of INDIVIDUAL SELF-DETERMINATION, to pursue their own lives in one of the myriad ways each American chooses for himself. The FREEDOM to be YOURSELF and live YOUR life the way YOU choose, without some bureaucrat 1,000 miles away telling you what to teach your kids, what you can eat or drink, and what medicines you have to or will be allowed to take. We will declare that its time for CITIZEN legislators, REAL people, not career political hacks, to represent us in Congress and throughout government. We need NEW BLOOD to solve the problems which the OLD Guard of Dems/Repubs have created, and shown ZERO ability to solve, despite their ability to make repeated promises year in and year out which they never keep. Vote for sanity, common sense, and GOVERNMENT OF, BY AND FOR REAL PEOPLE. We dont need to fund research on how monkeys peel bananas or how hogs feed at their troughs. We see enough of that in D.C. every day. Lets get some AMERICAN HUMAN BEINGS elected to serve their peers, us, who are AMERICAN HUMAN BEINGS TOO. All the Tparty-type groups, blogs, websites, etc will support us -- even though its not now centralized, and even though it can REMAIN THAT WAY, we can be sure ALL THOSE GROUPS WILL BE OUR CORE SUPPORT. We have a nationwide news and communications network EFFECTIVELY ALREADY IN PLACE. We are WAY AHEAD of where Ross Perot began when he ran. We will get MILLIONS AND MILLION OF DOLLARS WORTH OF FREE ADVERTISING from the many grass-roots groups who will love the new partys statement of principles. I think many will agree with me that LOTS of Americans would like to FLEE the 2 major parties, if only there were another place to go where theyd feel comfy. LETS CREATE THAT PLACE FOR THEM, and WIN THE ELECTION. If Ross Perot could get 23% of the vote, drawn mostly from Republicans, I think a 3rd party today, done right, could easily get pretty much all those votes PLUS 50% MORE in todays political environment. BTW, I dont think we should EXPLICITLY have tea party in the partys name, or well waste all our time defending ourselves against the ongoing demonizing from the left and the Dems. We need to LEAVE the Tea Party with its current concept of GRASS ROOTS, NON-POLITICAL stature. Yes, when asked, probably 99% plus of the current Tea Party type groups will say we like the new party, and we sure do need something new, it seems to REFLECT THE SAME American malaise or discontent with todays politics which spawned the Tea Party, but it is separate, not affiliated. Were waiting to see what kind of candidates they put forward. It is a political party, the NEW REPUBLICAN party, and the Tea Party should remain what it now is, a flexible, non-centralized amalgam of many groups, and it will likely support many of the new partys candidates, but will also support Dems and old Repubs here and there too, if the individual candidate supports Tea Party (well, the new republican party) principles. THE TEA PARTY CONCEPT SHOULD REMAIN SEPARATE AND DISTINCT FROM the new 3rd party. This is for many obvious positive reasons, and one anti-negative reason: just in case the 3rd party effort should bomb, or be taken over by a few individuals who do not truly understand Tea Party principles, or who botch the explanation of them, this separation will prevent the new party from dragging down the Tparty movement with it. I think there should ALWAYS be a place for a phenomenon like the CURRENT Tea Party, out there observing and educating the public on current issues and on the nature of our unique government. Furthermore, feelers should go out early to the Constitution party and Libertarian party to join with us and assist us in this one election, 2016, and if possible run their candidates under our label, to save us from losing a few percent of the vote. We will be a genuinely viable means for carrying THEM a few steps forward toward their own specific goals, many of which we share. Who knows? It might even mark the beginning of the end of the 2-party system, the evils of which we were warned about by none other than President George Washington in his Farewell Address. Though better known for its warning against foreign entanglements, that speech spent more time warning against the 2-party system. If that should happen, it would be a godsend. Candidates would have to run on their own unique and individual merits, not on one of only 2 major platforms. A year ago, I was opposed to a 3rd party, but events and much thinking have changed my mind. Particularly the demoralizing and actually disgusting way the Republicans behaved after the 2012 elections, especially with regard to fighting Obamacare, the debt ceiling issue, and the govt shutdown. Republican leadership behaved abominably toward the conservative members of the party who helped so many Repubs get elected, and toward their own constituents, to whom the promises they made were broken. I remembered Perots run 25 years ago, and in light of our current political atmosphere as described in brief above, I have been forced to conclude that, far from being a spoiler, a 3rd party NOW could end up being the very breath of fresh air that a majority of voting Americans seem to be yearning for. A final consideration is this: WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? With the way the Republican leadership has been behaving, they are nothing more than enablers for the Democrats agenda, and I dont need to comment on how many Democrats are themselves fed up with that agenda. And if we let the current Republican leadership continue in power unchecked, they will continue to penetrate ever deeper into the Democrat-light territory theyve been accelerating into of late . If we end up hurting the re-election of some Republicans and enabling a couple more Dems to win in a 3-way race, then we wont be much worse off than we are already. But the longer we postpone the implementing of a 3rd party, the WORSE the situation will get, and the harder it will probably become to mount such an effort effectively.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 20:15:13 +0000
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