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Title: "Why 2016 is ripe for an independent presidential candidate"
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Published: Nov 19, 2013
Author: Jon Terbush
Post Date: 2013-11-19 05:51:44 by Tatarewicz
Keywords: None
Views: 76
Comments: 3
.Voters are fed up with pretty much everyone and everything in Washington. Congress is literally less popular than dog feces (according to one poll), a majority of Americans think President Obama is not honest, and there is broad bipartisan dismay with the direction the nation is headed in. All of which is to say that the time could be ripe for an insurgent third-party candidate to channel all that populist outrage into electoral success. Or, heck, why not two independent candidates? Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Independent from Vermont, told the Burlington Free Press this past week that while he didn't want to run for president, he might feel compelled to get in the race if there's no true liberal in the running. And with the Democratic field to be possibly dominated by Hillary Clinton, whom some progressives fear is too cozy with Wall Street, Sanders could potentially find himself a place on the left of the other candidates. "Under normal times, it's fine, you have a moderate Democrat running, a moderate Republican running," Sanders said. "These are not normal times. The United States right now is in the middle of a severe crisis and you have to call it what it is." Sanders has a bigger social media following than almost anyone else in Congress. And he earned something of a national reputation with a nearly nine-hour-long filibuster of a proposed tax compromise in which he blasted wealth inequality in America. He would have trouble courting big-money backers, something he openly acknowledged to the Free Press. But he does have a deep activist-powered fundraising network around the country that could plausibly raise a decent chunk of money to fund a presidential campaign. "There is no shortage of billionaires willing to bankroll extreme right-wing candidates," he wrote in a recent national fundraising letter. "We have to respond." Money aside, Sanders or any other self-styled Democratic socialist would be an enormous long shot in a presidential race that favors the entrenched two-party system. Yet the political climate is at least warming to the idea of an insurgent lefty campaign. A 2011 Pew survey found that young Americans viewed the term "socialism" slightly more favorably than they viewed "capitalism." And this November, Bill de Blasio, an unabashed progressive and alleged communist, earned a resounding win in the New York City mayor's race with his "Tale of Two Cities" message, while socialist candidates nearly picked up city council seats in Seattle and Minneapolis. Meanwhile, there's room on the far right for an independent candidate to emerge there, too. Tea Party Republicans have for some time been floating the idea of breaking off from the GOP and running their own candidates. Though they hail from the opposite end of the political spectrum than Sanders, their supporters share a skepticism of the status quo that has gained traction in recent years, and that could help a nascent party get off the ground. Plus, the GOP's approval rating is at an all-time low, with even members of the party faithful becoming less, well, faithful after the government shutdown. If the GOP were to nominate an establishment figure like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in 2016 — or if a battle between someone like Christie and a Tea Party hero drives a wedge between the GOP's two camps — a chunk of jilted voters could support a more conservative candidate whom they feel better represents their interests. Remember, Donald Trump and Herman Cain briefly led the GOP horse race in 2012 before being laughed off the national stage, indicating there was at least a desire among GOP voters for an outsider-type candidate. If a more serious alternative to the mainstream GOP decided to run independently in 2016, he or she could potentially tap into that same sentiment. If everything aligns perfectly — and yes, it's way too early to start gaming out exactly how that could happen — we could see a rare, four-way battle for the White House, with upstarts on the left and right trying to capitalize on pervasive anti-Washington anger. It's incredibly unlikely that such a race would really happen, but it sure would be fun to watch. View this article on TheWeek.com Get 4 Free Issues of The Week Poster Comment: Why 2016 is ripe for an independent presidential candidateTranslation: We here at The Week are worried sick that Hillary Clinton won't be a shoo-in presidential candidate like before, so we have to hope for a strong third-party candidate similar to Ross Perot to help Hillary out. Geoffrey W...1 Third party candidates are a great way for the opposition party to win. Virginia's Governor race recently went to the Democrat because a bogus "libertarian" candidate split the Republican vote. I dearly hope that Bernie Saunders runs, because every vote he wins is one less for Hilary or the other Democrat candidate. And he doesn't have a chance in Hell of actually winning the race. Synical1 The system is fixed and it will never happen. Both "D"s & "R"s will challenge any independent or 3rd party candidate in the courts and do their best to block them from appearing on the ballot. Making matters worse, the MSM will never endorse a 3rd party candidate because they will not spend enough advertising revenue to buy MSM's support. Cameron Young people must be dumber than I thought. Capitalism is the only system that has lifted whole populations our of poverty. The poor in America live better than George Washington, one of the richest men of his day. Socialism has brought idiots to power for their enrichment at the expense of society's Bruce L Bernie Sanders is a Democrat. Chris Christie is a Democrat. Hillary Clinton is still a criminal, after all these years. Stephen C How exactly, dear delusional Bruce L, is Hilary a criminal? Surely you have some proof of your hilarious FOX-like so-called "factual" statement. Put your money where your big mouth is. We're waiting! Dewey Bowyer this is a bull*hit story by the liberal news agencies ! everyone should know by now, that people voting means absolutely nothing ! money buys the presidency ! and, an independent wouldn't even stand a chance with so many greedy dems & reps. that's why there will never be an independent bought into office !! ( yes, i said BOUGHT )
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#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
As a long term Independent, I don't believe I'll be voting RepDem in the next Presidential. My State always has others on the ballot. As they've been saying for years, "I'm Throwing My Vote Away" ! :-) Tough Crap ! "If we don’t adhere to the Constitution on matters as significant as presidential eligibility, then the Constitution ceases to be a meaningful document for guiding our nation."
As long as our electoral system remains structured the way it currently is, there will be no significant 3rd party or independent candidate that can challenge the two party duopoly. Reforming the election laws to allow for more fairness and pluralism must be done NOW. Waiting until 2015 or 16 will be too late for that election cycle, just as it has been for all the preceding election cycles. The system is broken. Let's not get our hopes up that somehow an independent candidate will make it under the system we have now. John Howard says: There are 4 schools of economics: Democrats don't mind war as long as they can have big government. Republicans don't mind big government as long as they can have war. Bernie Sanders is no friend of Good White Men. I don't see anybody on the horizon worth voting for in 2016.
#2. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Marxism: steal everything
Keynesianism: steal by counterfeiting whenever needed
Chicago school (Milton Friedman): steal by counterfeiting at a steady, predictable rate
Austrians: don't steal
'Wiped off the Map' – The Rumor of the Century
#3. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Independent *JEWISH Communist* from Vermont
-Alex Kurtagic
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