It think it'll eventually happen. Ross Perot came pretty darn close in 1992 (I think in Maine) and his campaign was out of thin air, faulty and directionless.
It looks like the Green party is here to stay and committed to the long haul.
If it ever happens in significant numbers though, get ready for even more bitter rhetoric from the politicians than what we are hearing from the Dems about 2000.
-pheirce Post edited by pheirce at 10/18/2002 4:49:00 PM
But it's organic poop!TeamWarfare VetTWL Contributor
2002-10-19 14:04
Probably Maine, Vermont, or Minnesota has the best chance of any state to get electoral votes to a 3rd party.
Of course, we should eliminate the electoral college, because if a third party gets popular in the US- and wins electoral votes, then no presidential candidate will end up getting enough electoral votes to win! Bloops!
Direct popular vote to elect the president is the only way to go, with Instant Runoff Voting of course. What's IRV? Good question- go to http://www.fairvote.org/irv/index.html#whatis for more info.
I don't think either Republicans or Democrats (the only guys with power right now) would vote in a direct democracy. While I don't like the electoral college because it doesn't allow for thrid party candidates very well, I don't like the thought of a direct democracy. It's coming very close to mob rule if we did that.
On a similar, but completely different note, what your thoughts on the seventeenth amendment? The Senate was originally appointed by state legislatures, if I'm not mistaken, to combat special interest groups (I believe either Madison or Hamilton refered to them as "factions" in the Federalist Papers). With how it is now, we almost have a unicarmel house when you talk about distribution of power.
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Don't listen to this guy. He just rambles on about random things and calls himself a philosopher because of it.
But it's organic poop!TeamWarfare VetTWL Contributor
2002-10-19 15:24
Well, I believe the Senate is undemocratic, personally. The amount of people represented by each senator varies vastly from state to state.
I know about the "great compromise" when the government was put together after the revolution. But-that was then. I think we should have one legislative house, and just add two extra reps per state. Also, the terms of each rep in the new Unicameral house should be extended to 4 years.
This will also eliminate the "conference committee" that exists to eliminate differences between duplicate bills that are introduced in the house and senate at the same time.
I get real nervous when we start proposing major constitutional changes like getting rid of the electoral college and esp. getting rid of the Senate. (For the record, I also get nervous when people talk about Constitutional Amendments for protecting the flag, but less so. Protection of the flag would not change the base way our government runs.)
Cimat is right though, my comment about the rhetoric increasing when a third party starts getting significant votes is based on the fact that the Constitution requires a pure majority of electoral votes for a President to be elected. If there is an event where a single candidate does not get 50% of the electoral college votes, the President is elected by House of Representative with each state getting a single vote. The VP is elected in the Senate.
Man, the losing side would let the rhetoric fly!
-pheirce
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"We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good" --Hillary MarxClinton
"the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God." -- John F. Kennedy
"I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and when the President made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him." -- John Kerry, Democratic Primary Debate, 5/03/03
Some philosopher once said, "Democracy is a great idea, but it only lasts as long as the people don't realize they can draw from the state treasury. As soon as they do, the people are ruled by tyrannts in control of the treasury." Post edited by Sly Duck at 10/22/2002 4:43:17 PM
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Don't listen to this guy. He just rambles on about random things and calls himself a philosopher because of it.