What Roles Have The Third Parties Have Played Throughout History? Why Do They Fail To Get Candidates Elected?

10 Comments

1. it is me
   Posted June 13, 2009 at 6:34 pm | Permalink
   the third party tips the scale for the other two
2. Da Mick
   Posted June 13, 2009 at 8:28 pm | Permalink
   I think the reason why we only have two is because they both work. If you really think about it, these two parties have kept this Country running for a very long time. Times when Russia was a great power, under the influence of Communism/Atheism. Or when Hitler took over Germany, causing WWII. Look at these Countries now. Who’s still in the top position? History shows that these parties can stand the test of time and also during crisis. Although we may not like the Democratic party or the Republican party they still keep America intact, and I don’t think a third party can compete at any time with the long historical track record the two have.
3. <33333
   Posted June 14, 2009 at 3:04 am | Permalink
   who careess??
4. Anonymous
   Posted June 14, 2009 at 4:12 am | Permalink
   There are three main types of third parties in the US: single issue parties form around one topic, like the Anti-Slavery party before the Civil War, and they often bring national attention to that one particular issue. Ideological parties want a fundamental shift in the way our government is structured, such as the Communist Party. Finally, Splinter parties form by breaking off of one of the major parties, such as Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party which broke away from the Republican Party in the early 1900s. There are several reasons we’ve traditionally stuck with a two party system. Many of our governmental traditions come from Great Britain, which also has two parties. In addition, most Americans have fairly similar views on many things, and can feel fairly comfortable in one of the two main parties. Finally, from the outset of our nation, we’ve had those two. If it ain’t broke (though many would argue the system is fundamentally flawed) why fix it? Third parties have historically had a great deal of difficulty getting elected to state and national office, although some have been marginally successful at the local level. One of the reasons is our “winner take all” system of electing representatives. Whichever candidate wins the most votes (not necessarily over half) wins that particular seat in various legislative bodies. Other countries elect in different ways that give legislative seats to the various parties based on the percent of the popular vote they received. So the Green Party, for example, may only win 10% of the popular vote, but would get 10% of the legislative seats in whatever body is being elected. It’s also very difficult for third parties to get their candidates placed on the ballot. The Democratic and Republican nominees for any office are automatically placed on the ballot as soon as they win their party’s nomination for that office. Third party candidates must get signatures on a petition and meet various filing deadlines and regulations just to get on the ballot. The major party candidates can also get federal funding for their campaigns automatically, if they agree to a few stipulations about who else they take money from. Third party candidates must fund their campaigns themselves. If, and only if, they receive 5% of the popular vote, the federal government will reimburse their expenses. Very few third parties have been able to attain that sort of success. is that enough info for you?!
5. Anonymous
   Posted June 14, 2009 at 8:30 am | Permalink
   third parties are good for the country because they are more of an independant…but the problem is there are too many firm believers in the system…and people are afriad to go outside of the system because they dont know what will possibly happen…they are afraid that there will be chaos…which who would really know…i mean its good to have the government there and to protect peoples basic rights but not when rights are being violated and we are being taken advantage of
6. Ch
   Posted June 14, 2009 at 11:24 am | Permalink
   Third parties have played an important role in U.S. government. Third parties usually are not looking to elect a candidate office but to promote a specific idea, such as suffrage, environmental protection, etc. They raise awareness about that issue. The other two main parties usually adopt that issue to gain more popularity. Third parties also steal votes that could cause a certain party to win an election. The United States is known for having a two-party system because of the Electoral College’s winner-take-all system. Since third parties rarely win the popular vote in a state, they do not receive any electoral votes. The third parties never win presidential elections. That is why the United States has a two-party system.
7. Anonymous
   Posted June 14, 2009 at 4:53 pm | Permalink
   There Role is to make the other canidates to look better!!=]
8. railroad dave
   Posted June 14, 2009 at 10:38 pm | Permalink
   aren’t you forgetting the whig party ? the bull moose party ? you need to study up more .
9. Zar Tannarith
   Posted June 15, 2009 at 1:12 am | Permalink
   Third parties generally serve only to take votes from one of the main parties. If the third party has a candidate promising similar things to the Rep. candidate, the Democrats are more likely to win simply because their votes are not being siphoned off. Think of it this way: if a school class were to vote on favorite colors and there were only blue and red to choose from, it would probably be mostly equal. But if the same class were to vote for blue, teal, and red, I would be willing to bet that red would win just because its votes weren’t being split like the blue votes were. Teal is the third party. It won’t ever win on its own, but it can be influential in that it can help the opposite party win.
10. Dance Girl
    Posted June 15, 2009 at 3:42 am | Permalink
    just want pionts, not really into politics (: