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Entry: Barr None Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/barr_none#22440 Post contents: Mr. Newman, I'm deeply skeptical that any of the existing third parties will ever be at all effective. I also think the electoral demand, on both the left and the right, for a third party is overstated by disenchanted liberals and conservatives alike. If I'm wrong about this second point, than that means I'm doubly right about my first point, given their pathetic vote totals. Constitutionally, we don't have proportional representation or a parliamentary system of government. We have a race by race winner-take-all system. That doesn't require two major parties, and the larger minor parties still occasionally manage to win elections, but it tends to help entrench the two major parties. Secondly, state ballot access laws discriminate against third parties. These smaller parties end up spending most of their time and money trying to get on the ballot rather than campaigning. A few, like the Libertarian Party, tend to do quite well with ballot access, but they also don't wage anything close to competitive national general election campaigns As for the question of lunatics, I don't disagree that third parties are often filled with sane, even sensible people. But I've also encountered quite a few who resemble the commenters Richard is trying to get rid of at this website. Having said all that, I vote for third parties all the time. If I don't like the Republican or Democrat, I just vote for somebody else or blank. Third parties can occasionally move a major party in their direction. In the case of the Republican Party, one actually became a major party. So if the Republicans ever go the way of the Whigs… Sent at: 2008 10 13