It's unanimous -- time for a third party

[we vs us]

Ok, so for this thread I have to quote tweets from Robert Reich.  Yeah, the liberal lion Robert Reich, and yeah, tweets, all from about 2 hours ago:

"Another White House cave-in. How many more cave-ins before nothing's left to cave in on? A president who looks weak IS weak.

Concentration of income and wealth at the top is the single biggest economic reality of our era, yet O allows them a tax cut w/o a fight.

Unless you stand up to bullies they will be encouraged by your unwillingness to fight. Yet O refuses to fight on matters of core principle.

Bush's 2003 tax cut gave those with incomes over $1 m and average tax cut of $90K per year. And O & Dems extend it without a fight?

This isn't just a matter of "liberal" indignation. All Americans should be appalled that politicians are so clearly controlled by the rich.

Is it time to begin a third party -- a Peoples' Party -- to get Americans back to work & break the lock of Big Money on politics?"

So Reich is no communist but definitely a liberal economist, and one of the more outspoken members of the Clinton era.  He holds a position slightly below Krugman as far as influence amongst the liberal smarties out there in the blogosphere.  So for him to go off on this rant is big news.  Krugman himself has also wandered into Obama-questioning territory with all of this tax cut maneuvering, deal-making, and the perception that Obama has given away the farm for nothing.

If Obama has lost or is in danger of losing the left-leaning economists then he's in real danger of losing the liberal base.  Since the Recession has turned into the nation's primary problem, those two (+ Joseph Stiglitz) have gained a lot of prominence in the left's political thinking. 

If things are like this two years out from 2012 -- and they get worse -- I might very well have to revise my prediction that Obama doesn't get primaried.  Or that D's split altogether and have their own version of the Tea Party, but based on economic justice issues rather than the Tea Party's protectionism

[nathanm]

If Obama doesn't grow some cajones pretty quick, I may be on board with Reich. I think Obama has gotten a lot done, but he's compromised on principles a lot along the way. I guess his idea of centrist and my idea of centrist are two different things. I assumed he meant in the middle, you know, the median, and not center-right.

The constant cries of socialism are all the more annoying given his being about as far from socialist as one can get and still be able to see the stadium.

[waterboy]

I remember the same moans from the left when Clinton took power and "turned" on his base. Yet the country prospered under his compromising leadership. There are some realities of politics in America that just can't be ignored. One is that the right wing is a lot more adept at achieving their goals at all costs than the left. Truth and conscience be damned they will sell granny out for the right price.

I revere Reich. He was my favorite member of Clinton's cabinet. If he is unhappy, it carries a lot of weight with the moderate left. But just how much stroke does a president have when the sins of the fathers has visited his country? The view from the presidential perch is different than from the base.

[Red Arrow]

One is that the right LEFT wing is a lot more adept at achieving their goals at all costs than the left. Truth and conscience be damned they will sell granny out for the right price.

You are entitled to your opinion.  I am entitled to mine.

We'll have to pass it to find out what's in it.  (No quotes since I don't remember if those were NP's exact words.

[custosnox]

I vote with doing away with the parties all together.  Go back to how the founding fathers had intended it to be.

[Conan71]

"economic justice issues"?

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

[Ed W]

Sooooo, you think those of us on the left whose beliefs are anathema to the religious right and the tea baggers could find common cause with them?  I'd find it very hard to believe that the right wing culture warriors could set aside their insistence that those of us on the left are somehow drunken, unabashed sinners hell bent on...well...hell.  Talk about an uneasy coalition!

[Red Arrow]

I'd find it very hard to believe that the right wing culture warriors could set aside their insistence that those of us on the left are somehow drunken, pot smoking, unabashed sinners hell bent on...well...hell. 

You forgot pot smoking. Get the stereotype right.   

I'd find it very difficult to believe that the left wing could set aside their insistence that everyone right of somewhere slightly left of center is a religious tea partying right wing culture warrior crackpot.

[Hoss]

You forgot pot smoking. Get the stereotype right.   

I'd find it very difficult to believe that the left wing could set aside their insistence that everyone right of somewhere slightly left of center is a religious tea partying right wing culture warrior crackpot.

I think most of us don't have the inclination to think that, even though you think I might.

The way I see it is that the TP has fractured the 'real' Republican party in such a way that those people that, as you put it, are 'right of somewhere slightly left of center' had to coddle to those far right extremists during election season, so as not to piss off that ever-growing TP population.

With Mama Grizzly at the helm, I wonder how long it will be before you have base Republicans and TP Republicans literally fighting it out over ideology.  Oh, wait...isn't that already happening?

Believe it or not, as I've stated before, I'm actually more of a fiscal conservative, but a social liberal.  I don't understand why old school Republicans think you couldn't be that (fiscally conservative) AND be for things like healthcare for all (within reasonable spending limits) and programs like SS and public schools without being a heathen.  I guess Reagan really made a mess of things when he brought the Evangelicals on board to win him his first Presidential election.  I think that's where all this crazy right-wing ideology got it's inception.

Before you (R)s go screaming, I don't think all right wingers are all like that.  I happen to like people like Colin Powell (yes, I wanted him to run in 2000), although most here will consider him a RINO, much as Governor Schwarzenegger is considered one.  There are others, but the problem is that the current movement has scared the bejeezus out of the mainstream Republicans enough for them to start parroting the TPs talking points to appease, as I said before, that growing contingent.

We have an interesting AND challenging 23 months ahead of us, that's one thing I'm sure we can all agree on

[we vs us]

"economic justice issues"?

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

You know . . . all that income inequality goobledygook.  Economic justice, Brother Conan!

And Red Arrow, if the American Left had any ability to get things done at all you'd have a single payer healthcare option, billions more in stimulus for infrastructure investment rather than tax cuts, and a higher tolerance for flexible tax policy.  The fact that these things are all not only NOT in current legislation after the Ds controlled Congress and the White House, but are actually things we can't really talk about as future policy says all it needs to about the ability of the left to get things done. 

[Red Arrow]

You know . . . all that income inequality goobledygook.  Economic justice, Brother Conan!

And Red Arrow, if the American Left had any ability to get things done at all you'd have a single payer healthcare option, billions more in stimulus for infrastructure investment rather than tax cuts, and a higher tolerance for flexible tax policy.  The fact that these things are all not only NOT in current legislation after the Ds controlled Congress and the White House, but are actually things we can't really talk about as future policy says all it needs to about the ability of the left to get things done. 

Excuse me.  I keep forgetting that people I consider to be slightly left of center, you consider to be right wing extremists.

[Gaspar]

The legacy of Democrats and Republicans approaches: Libertarianism by bankruptcy. – Nick Nuessle, 1992

[cannon_fodder]

The 2 party system is horrible.  It is binary, self serving, revolving, and largely static.  Swing one way, then the other.  No point finding the middle or caring what will actually work, you have to hold the party line to distinguish your party from the other.

Political parties themselves are harmful in a republic, but enevitable.  The way to reduce their power is to increase their number and disparity. A 5, 6 or 20 party system would be much better.

Why does the government treat 2 special parties different anyway?  Special ballot access rules.  Special governmental funding.  Why?

The founders were concerned political parties would turn the government into a noneffect self feeding machine.  And they were spot on.

Bring on the greens, the libertarians, the rinos (canadian style), the tea party, the holy rollers, the pot party, even the socialist...  the 2 party system sucks.

[Gaspar]

The 2 party system is horrible.  It is binary, self serving, revolving, and largely static.  Swing one way, then the other.  No point finding the middle or caring what will actually work, you have to hold the party line to distinguish your party from the other.

Political parties themselves are harmful in a republic, but enevitable.  The way to reduce their power is to increase their number and disparity. A 5, 6 or 20 party system would be much better.

Why does the government treat 2 special parties different anyway?  Special ballot access rules.  Special governmental funding.  Why?

The founders were concerned political parties would turn the government into a noneffect self feeding machine.  And they were spot on.

Bring on the greens, the libertarians, the rinos (canadian style), the tea party, the holy rollers, the pot party, even the socialist...  the 2 party system sucks.

+1

[nathanm]

We need instant runoff voting or something similar. First past the post will always tend towards two and only two major parties.