Unit 4.2: Singin ’ The Third Party Blues

1. Unit 4.2: Singin’ The Third Party Blues I sent the club a wire: Please accept my resignation, I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member" -Groucho Marx

2. The Perennial Argument Voting in the most effective way instead of the way you might want to vote, in order to better affect the results. • Strategic Voting vs Ideology • Can They Ever Win? • No 3rd Party Presidents • Few 3rd Party Nat’l Reps • Few 3rd Party State Level • Some 3rd Party local level • Ralph Nader • Ross Perot • Jesse Ventura • Why Have ‘Em? Voting because of a strong ideological agreement regardless of how your vote affects the outcome. Can include people who are pure one-issue voters.

3. Can They Win? The many advantages of incumbent officeholders will be a recurring theme in several units this year – pay attention now and reap benefits later! • Incumbent’s Advantages • Name recognition • Fundraising contacts • Volunteer network • Party power • Press attention • Policy agenda • Strategic Voting • Wasted vote syndrome • First-Past-The-Post • AKA ‘Winner Takes All’ • 30-40-30 Problem • Getting on the Ballot • Catch-22: Money and Polling Most United States elections – local, state, and national – use a “First Past the Post” or “Winner Takes All” system that damages third parties. More on this in the elections unit! States and state parties are allowed to write the rules for getting on the ballot – money, signatures, and more. Many states set the bar very high, disadvantaging third party candidates.

4. So What Can They Do? • Undermine A Coalition • Demographic groups leave parties and cannot join the other main party. • Expresses discontent with party system. • Activists For an Issue • Specific policy agenda elements that are outside of the system right now. • Promotion of issues on the agenda from the outside. • Can eventually force the major parties to discuss their primary concern. Many third parties choose a very specific policy issue that is their primary concern, and devote most of their time and power in politics to promoting that concern on the policy agenda.

5. Can Third Parties Spoil Elections? What happens when a third party splits off voters from a main party, causing them to lose in a situation where that major party would have won without the third party’s influence. • “Spoiler Effect” • Draw off voters from one of the main parties by representing an issue or demographic. • Draw off voters by using general dissatisfaction as a springboard. • “Coalition Laboratories” • Test out new groupings of voters and interests. • Bring together “unlikely allies.”

6. How Do We Classify Third Parties? Ideological Parties • Broad ideological take on many policy issues. • Comprehensive vision for social organization, policy priorities, economy. • Radically different broad worldview from two major parties. • Examples: • Socialist Party • Libertarian Party • Communist Party • Constitution Party • Green Party (Sometimes)

7. How Do We Classify Third Parties? One-Issue Crusade Parties • Focus on one policy area or one policy issue. • Sometimes an area ignored by both major parties. • Sometimes different take than parties on an area they do address. • Examples: • Prohibition Party • Pirate Party • Marijuana Party • Women’s Party • Green Party (Sometimes)

8. How Do We Classify Third Parties? Economic Protest Parties • Exist in times of economic distress, unify vulnerable or hurt populations. • Advocate for policies they think will alleviate economic problems for vulnerable population. • Policies are not ideologically coherent or consistent. • Examples: • Free Soil Party • Greenback Party • Populist Party • Working Families Party

9. How Do We Classify Third Parties? Factional Split/Bolter Parties • Occur when a specific group – usually demographic – leaves a major party over policy disagreement. • Often very short-lived or dependent on a specific leader or issue, and re-merge with main party. • Often regional or have very incoherent platforms. • Examples: • State’s Rights Democrats • Bull Moose Party