Comments on: Bull Moose Thinks The Center Is Surging http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/ Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:55:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Donovan http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-92879 Donovan Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:03:35 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-92879 I agree that we're heading in the right direction. But for any kind of independent centrist movement to go anywhere, we'll need more than a good candidate. We'll need to actually agree on what we stand for rather than simply being against the excesses of the two established parties. And that is where I fear any such movement would fall apart. On the other hand, the Republican party started out as a single-issue party and used the foothold they gained to expand their platform. The only issue of that magnitude I see today is Iraq or the war on terror. Maybe we could make "national sanity" our wedge issue? :-) I agree that we’re heading in the right direction. But for any kind of independent centrist movement to go anywhere, we’ll need more than a good candidate. We’ll need to actually agree on what we stand for rather than simply being against the excesses of the two established parties. And that is where I fear any such movement would fall apart.

On the other hand, the Republican party started out as a single-issue party and used the foothold they gained to expand their platform. The only issue of that magnitude I see today is Iraq or the war on terror. Maybe we could make “national sanity” our wedge issue? :-)

]]> By: N. Hanks http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-91471 N. Hanks Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:20:00 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-91471 There are lots of ideas about a third party candidate running for President in 2008. For example, Michael Bloomberg has been fending off media questions about this for months. Why all the hub-bub? Because Mayor Bloomberg won his office in 2001 with his margin of victory supplied by the Independence Party, and won reelection in 2005 with 75,000 votes on the IP line (Column C - yes, we have fusion in New York) in coalition with 47% of the black vote which jumped the Democratic Party ship. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that independent voters are the ones with the gravitas to step up to the national plate. The more we speak out about the need for alternatives to bi-partisan corruption, and use our votes to express our independents, the more reason there will be for a heavy-hitter to step forward. There are lots of ideas about a third party candidate running for President in 2008. For example, Michael Bloomberg has been fending off media questions about this for months. Why all the hub-bub? Because Mayor Bloomberg won his office in 2001 with his margin of victory supplied by the Independence Party, and won reelection in 2005 with 75,000 votes on the IP line (Column C - yes, we have fusion in New York) in coalition with 47% of the black vote which jumped the Democratic Party ship.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that independent voters are the ones with the gravitas to step up to the national plate. The more we speak out about the need for alternatives to bi-partisan corruption, and use our votes to express our independents, the more reason there will be for a heavy-hitter to step forward.

]]> By: Justin Gardner http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-91168 Justin Gardner Thu, 26 Oct 2006 02:28:39 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-91168 No way, no how. Ted Turner is box office poison. No way, no how. Ted Turner is box office poison.

]]> By: ascap_scab http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-91070 ascap_scab Wed, 25 Oct 2006 23:33:33 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-91070 Ted Turner isn't doing much these days. After you get over your initial gag reflex, think about it. He has a lot of favorable qualities. Ted Turner isn’t doing much these days. After you get over your initial gag reflex, think about it. He has a lot of favorable qualities.

]]> By: sleipner http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-90981 sleipner Wed, 25 Oct 2006 20:30:39 +0000 http://donklephant.com/2006/10/25/bull-moose-thinks-the-center-is-surging/#comment-90981 The biggest difficulty I see is that Bush's "no compromise" attitude will basically make the next two years a pointless standoff - he will veto anything that doesn't give him everything he wants, and the Democrats will have so the government will grind to a halt. Of course that is far better than hurtling downhill towards the cliff like we've been doing for the last 5 years... Until and unless we change the nature of elections a third party is impossible - the entire system, in particular the primary elections, are designed to maintain the status quo of two parties and shut out challengers, and tend to yield extreme candidates from both parties. The biggest difficulty I see is that Bush’s “no compromise” attitude will basically make the next two years a pointless standoff - he will veto anything that doesn’t give him everything he wants, and the Democrats will have so the government will grind to a halt. Of course that is far better than hurtling downhill towards the cliff like we’ve been doing for the last 5 years…

Until and unless we change the nature of elections a third party is impossible - the entire system, in particular the primary elections, are designed to maintain the status quo of two parties and shut out challengers, and tend to yield extreme candidates from both parties.

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