With only days away until the elections, Americans are gearing up for probably the most historical and important election in decades.
Why is this election so special?
For the first time in awhile, a third party has successfully squeezed its way into the notorious American two-party electoral system, but third parties have been in existence for a while.
The three largest parties are the Libertarian, Constitution Party and Green Party of the United States according to www.politics1.com, but there are more than 30 third parties in America.
Third-party candidates haven’t been a phenomenon in recent elections. According to www.politics1.com, Cynthia McKinney, D-GA, ran in 32 states and won 1 percent of the vote for the Green Party. Also in the 2008 elections, Chuck Baldwin ran in 37 states and won 15 percent of the votes for the Constitution Party.
There have only been 13 presidential elections where a third-party candidate ran, according to www.america.gov.
In 1848, Martin Van Buren ran under the Free Soil Party and won 4.9 percent of the vote. In the 1912 presidential election, Teddy Roosevelt ran under the Progressive Party and won 27.4 percent of the popular vote.
So, what does all this mean for this election? It means the two-party system may not be that way for long.
The Tea Party, just in this year alone, has managed to make significant waves in this country’s political atmosphere.
I think the Tea Party has been one of the few third parties to make such an impression.
Democrats and even Republicans fear the immergence of a third party, which will alter a system that has favored them for years.
For me, the emergence of the Tea Party opens a doorway of opportunities for other parties to make their concerns heard.
American people may be able to have more of a choice in voting if more parties come into the mix.
In this election alone, there are 129 Tea Party candidates running in the U.S. House of Representatives and there are nine U.S. Senate Tea Party candidates.
I consider myself a semi-Republican. I tend side more with the Republicans. However, I’m starting to see a lot of my views and beliefs in the Tea Party Movement.
According to
TeaParty.org, the Tea Party is a grassroots movement that focuses on the “security, sovereignty and domestic tranquility” of the United States.
The party also claims they are a movement for the people, started by those who opposed the British government during the founding of our nation.
The Tea Party is mostly associated with the notion of limited government, decrease government spending and taxes.
Tea Partiers, for me, are only present day anti-federalists.
When the Tea Party surfaced early this year, I think some people were taken off-guard, but others, mostly ordinary Americans, saw this as a new opportunity to find a party that exactly fits their beliefs. I think Democrats and Republicans are worried third parties will take away from their votes — but why?
If government is for the people, then shouldn’t the government give Americans as many choices as possible for different ways to run the government?
Try to manage the system to accommodate third, even fourth parties. I understand our system has worked for a long time, but some things need to be changed.
I’m all for the Tea Party and other American third-party activists standing up for what they believe in and for their concerns for our country.
Face it, the economy is still rebounding, unemployment is crappy and we are fixing the world’s problems instead of the domestic ones.
Yes, change will take time, but, folks, we need to realize change is here.
The country needs a new path. Whether it is a Democrat, a Republican, a Tea Party or Green party member that leads the way, the system and the government needs work.
By AMANDA FRENCH
Features Editor
aafrench@imail.iu.edu
