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Third Parties
After reading Matt Bai on Michael Bloomberg’s prospects as a third party presidential candidate along with various recent commentary about the idea of a from-the-left challenger to Barack Obama, I’m coming to the view that too much of this kind of talk focuses on the actual viability (or lack thereof) of possible third party runs. What’s more interesting to me is all the ways that non-viable candidates can make a difference.
After all, it’s reasonably common in recent years for an incumbent or quasi-incumbent center-left party leader to succeed in capturing the median voter and nonetheless lose power in the face of many people voting for further-left candidates. That’s how Al Gore lost, that’s how Paul Martin lost power in Canada, that’s how Gerhard Schöder lost power in Germany, and it’s arguably the reason Lionel Jospin couldn’t beat Jacques Chirac for the Presidency of France. In all these cases, I think the Nader/NDP/Linke/Trotskyite voters were being short-sighted and counterproductive. But the point is that these things happen. A lot of people all around the developed world are basically pacifists and fundamentally don’t accept the neoliberal economic consensus. And there’s basically no way for a center-left movement to win without getting the votes of that constituency, even though few mainstream center-left political leaders (and certainly not Barack Obama) actually espouse those views.
The resulting problem of coalition management is both big and quite difficult. It’s something worth paying attention to even though the idea of a third party candidate winning the presidency or of a primary opponent beating Obama is silly.
Will A Third Party Ever Be Viable?
In an age of hyperpartisanship, will a legitimate, viable third party emerge?
That was one of the questions that emerged during the first panel discussion at the launch of “No Labels” in New York.
MSNBC host and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough said it’s “inevitable” that third-party candidates will start winning — if the major parties continue to fail to tackle the national debt and energy independence.
“The practical barriers to a national third party are so substantial,” disagreed outgoing Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.). “More likely, one of the two existing parties will get it.”
Asked to rate the partisanship in Washington on a scale of 1 to 10, Republican political analyst David Gergen pegged it at 15. He said the spirit of the World War II generation, that we are Americans first and partisans second, has been eroded.
Newly elected Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he was struck at his first Armed Services committee meeting how the Democrats and Republicans sat apart – unlike they do at committee meetings in his home state.
Bayh agreed that the caucus system needs to change. “It’s almost tribal,” he said, adding that there were only three times during his 12 years in the Senate that Democrats and Republicans sat down and listened to each other.
“The whole notion of principled comprise seems to have gotten a dirty name on the far left and the far right,” said Bayh, who cited the divisive political climate when he decided not to run for re-election. “If you see people being exceedingly partisan or exceedingly ideological, don’t support them. Join the raging center.”
DADT: Third Time Is The Charm?
Bernstein takes another crack at DADT politicking:
[W]hether the new plan will work depends on whether Harry Reid and the Democrats (and House Democrats) are willing to stick around and do it. That, we don't yet know. It may depend, too, on how quickly the tax bill and any other business can be finished. And perhaps Republicans will be able to throw up enough roadblocks to run out the clock, after all.
Meanwhile, the original advantages of bundling repeal with the Defense Authorization bill turned out to have been a flop, or at least half a flop. The idea behind it was always that marginal Senators would be afraid to vote "against the troops" and would therefore vote for the larger bill even if they didn't want to vote for DADT repeal — and that other Senators who may have wanted DADT repeal but didn't want to vote for it would be spared a separate vote. Perhaps that's worked with some marginal Democrats (all Dems but Manchin voted yes today), but it certainly didn't work with Republicans.
Third Rail
Brian Beutler reports:
“The third rail is not the third rail anymore,” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the incoming House Budget chairman, told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast roundtable with reporters yesterday. “The political weaponization of entitlement reform is no longer as potent as it used to be, and the best evidence is this last election.”
Ryan and several other influential Republicans have found new confidence in the idea that the public would support entitlement cuts. Several candidates, Ryan said, won elections in tough districts on policy platforms modeled after his controversial — and conservative — Roadmap for America’s Future would would privatize social security and turn Medicare into a voucher system.
Here’s the Senate GOP caucus complaining that Democrats want to spend too little on Medicare:
I’m not sure which election Ryan was watching.
Hall of Fame or not, Ron Santo ranks among the all-time great third basemen – msnbc.com
CBC.ca |
Hall of Fame or not, Ron Santo ranks among the all-time great third basemen
msnbc.com When someone successful and beloved dies there's a natural tendency to perhaps overstate their greatness and at first glance it may seem as though people are doing that today in touting Ron Santo's qualifications for the Hall of Fame after the longtime … Williams reflects on passing of Santo Ron Santo books Ron Santo's battle with diabetes, in his own words |
Chicago Tribune |
Vick throws a pick, Bears lead in third quarter
msnbc.com Cutler out-playing Vick is the big story of the game so far, but the other big story is that both quarterbacks are facing a lot of pressure: The Eagles have sacked Cutler four times, the Bears have sacked Vick three times, and both guys have struggled … Eagle Scout: Sizing up the showdown in Chicago Chicago Bears lead Philadelphia Eagles 14-13 in second quarter Bears Instant Message: First-quarter analysis |
![]() Globe and Mail |
Top 25 poll: Oregon, Auburn stay at top; TCU jumps to third
USA Today The aftermath of Thanksgiving weekend has fans of some schools very thankful indeed, while others might be buying up all the antacid they can find. Oregon, Auburn and TCU fans are among the grateful. The Ducks, as they've done so often this season, … No. 5 Stanford awaits bowl fate Off the Grid: Best solution again chaos theory College Football Rankings: Boise State Plummets In Week 14 USA Today Poll |
New York Times (blog) |
Top 25 poll: Oregon, Auburn stay at top; TCU jumps to third
USA Today The aftermath of Thanksgiving weekend has fans of some schools very thankful indeed, while others might be buying up all the antacids they can find. Oregon, Auburn and TCU fans are among the grateful. The Ducks, as they've done so often this season, … Arkansas win sharpens BCS picture College Football Rankings: Oregon Takes Top Spot In Week 14 USA Today Poll Weiss: Boise, Nevada deserve more respect |
TSN |
Marquez eyes third Pacquiao bout after beating Katsidis
BBC Sport Juan Manuel Marquez has demanded a third fight with Manny Pacquiao after beating Michael Katsidis to retain his WBA and WBO lightweight titles. Mexico's Marquez recovered from a third round knockdown in Las Vegas to stop his Australian opponent in the … Juan Manuel Marquez stops Michael Katsidis on TKO Marquez stops Katsidis in bruising fight Juan Manuel Marquez Stops Michael Katsidis in Ninth Round |
A proposal to solve TSA controversy.
American Thinker Blog
The Associated Press declared Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) the winner in California’s 11th District Wednesday afternoon, leaving only one House race still up for grabs heading into Thanksgiving Day.
McNerney holds a 2,474-vote lead over Republican David Harmer, with over 225,000 ballots cast. Nearly all of the absentee and provisional ballots have been counted, with the exception of about 2,000 in Contra Costa County and a handful from San Joaquin County – not enough to overturn McNerney’s lead.
McNerney already declared victory two weeks ago. Harmer has not conceded the race as of this evening, and, despite trailing throughout the post-election tallying, attended last week’s orientation session for new members of Congress.
McNerney’s victory means that Republicans, despite their landslide victory across most of the country, failed to pick up a single House seat in California – and only netted a total of one seat across the entire Pacific Coast.
House Republicans have netted a total of 63 seats – with one disputed race left in New York, where Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) holds a 235-vote lead over Republican Randy Altschuler.