Our Three-Party System

[we vs us]

Tea Party Tops GOP in Three Way Generic Ballot Test

Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican.

"In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.

Among voters not affiliated with either major party, the Tea Party comes out on top. Thirty-three percent (33%) prefer the Tea Party candidate, and 30% are undecided. Twenty-five percent (25%) would vote for a Democrat, and just 12% prefer the GOP.

Among Republican voters, 39% say they'd vote for the GOP candidate, but 33% favor the Tea Party option."

This is really fascinating if it bears out.  It would mean that, all of a sudden, we've got three viable parties.  Granted the options range from gently-center-right to breathin'-fire-rightie, but I'd call that a measure of progress in breaking the two party system apart.

[waterboy]

Yeh, if ever there was a chance for one since Teddy's days of the Bull Moose party, now is that time. I think many republicans are hopeful that if they just keep peppering away at Congress and the new prez that sooner or later they will get back in control by default.

The truth may be scarier to them. People are disgusted with incumbents of both parties. They will vote out incumbents unless they show real chutzpah by showing a willingness to actually work for the country as a whole rather than their party.

[rwarn17588]

Interesting poll.

But in practical matters, it doesn't mean much. The Teabaggers are so willy-nilly and nonspecific in their platforms and behave so erratically that a huge majority of voters would run, not walk, away from them by the time the election rolls around. They're loud and attention-getting, but in the end will get about as many votes (if they're lucky) as Ron Paul.

And that's assuming the Teabaggers would be organized enough to field viable candidates, which is a huge assumption.

[Ed W]

Here's one historical parallel, the fragmentation of the Democratic party by the Know Nothings.  The Know Nothings were largely anti-immigration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing

[rwarn17588]

Here's one historical parallel, the fragmentation of the Democratic party by the Know Nothings.  The Know Nothings were largely anti-immigration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing

Ah, the Know-Nothings. Abraham Lincoln neatly skewered them in 1855:

"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of Negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that 'all men are created equal.' We now practically read it 'all men are created equal, except Negroes.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except Negroes and foreigners and Catholics.' When it comes to this, I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy."