Posted on 01/11/2012 6:46:13 AM PST by elvis-lives
I know that the third party option has been discussed on this forum for a long time and most recently it has been a hot topic. I am a "newbie" and don't presume to tell others what to do, or think, but as a new member, this might qualify as an "out of the mouths of babes" observation. It has become obvious to me that there is no real discussion as to if a third party should be formed because the truth is WE (CONSERVATIVES) ARE A THIRD PARTY!!!!!!
The GOP has cast us out. The Republicans are deciding to choose the most liberal candidate in the race. Behind Romney, nut-job Paul carried a large percentage as second place and third place candidate is the next most liberal in the race. Conservatives are not appreciated or wanted by the GOP. If we are more welcome in the Republican Party than we are in the Democratic, it is just barely and just to get our votes. Our issues are now considered an embarassment and we find no support in the GOP.
I am at my wits end as I know the math and a third party means Obama is in the Whitehouse four more years. But, I shudder to imagine the press coverage every time a President Romney measure is passed and it is promoted by the MSM as a Conservative bill or GOP idea when we will know it is Massachusettes liberal trash with the GOP label pinned on it.
I plead with other conservatives, that if this does not turn around and the inevitable happens, first we must fight to get REAL conservatives voted into the House and Senate in 2012. Even if we have to pool resources and get only a few members in each we must have just enough to throw a wrench into the works and stall the agenda until next election. And then, the minute after the polls close in 2012, we have to form a third party to begin working on 2014 and 2016. I do not want to do anything now to make matters worse in 2012, but we can't just sit back and hope things will change. We have to do this ourselves.
Actually, we need a second party.
The GOP establishment and the democrats are the good cop,bad cop of collectivism.
I keep posting this message: Both parties are driving us toward socialism its just that one party is driving a little faster than the other. If obama is reelected the fault lands squarely at the feet of the GOP for not supporting a true conservative. I will not vote for a RINO and if obama is reelected because of a third party then Im ready to rip off the band-aid and have this revolution. I can fight for my childrens freedoms. If I help elect a RINO then my children will have to fight for their own freedoms. Id rather do that for them.
Ping
I am with you in heart, may still vote Romney in the general, but will not enouthousastically campaign for him! J.S.
This is premature until we know if Myth or Ron Paul becomes the nominee.
If that is what happens, then it becomes imperative.
Until then, we should all be fighting for an acceptable alternative.
The truth is we are being kept from having a viable candidate which we shouldn’t allow under any circumstance. They are afraid of the mention of conservative.
Practical Semantics, but the complaint is the same. I now know that I am not a Republican. I am from a very conservative state, but even “conservatives” like Jim DeMint are taking the easy, GOP route rather than standing up for the fight. It’s like being married to an abusive drunk- you can’t make it go away by pretending things are OK or by saying, atleast myh spouse isn’t a drug addict. Things are bad. They have been for a long time and the time to stop pretending is at hand.
Can we hold off on the panic attack until we have a few more primaries? Right now we’ve just had two primaries in liberal states where Dems can vote in them.
The thing to keep in mind ( all of us ) is that it takes 1440 delegates at the convention to get the nomination. With ballots cast in the most moderate and liberal states for mcromney says nothing.... gotta let this thing play out, and do not get upset, it ain’t over till it is over
Agreed that the fight is not over. But if this goes as predicted, we must not go into 2016 the same way. We must take this into our own hands!!!!
Welcome to Free Republic!
This is because they cannot work structurally in our system, which is not parliamentary or first-past-the-post.
Third parties are small businesses - their revenues are donations and the product they sell in exchange for those donations is the illusion of being part of something important.
My concern is that if Romney wins the primary and the general election, he will run for reelection in 2016 (meaning conservatives will struggle with the same choice again). I hope the republican party would run someone against him in a primary in 2016 who is more conservative, but I question the party's desire to do so.
As long as RINOs, i.e., Boehner, McCain, McConnell,
Miss Lindsey Graham, control what happens in republican politics, conservatives will always be on the outside looking. The key is voting their sorry big government RINO asses out of power and replacing them with real conservatives.
Well said. It should be clear now. De facto "Republicans" run like conservatives to get elected, but rule like the RINOs they are.
The Republican label can no longer be trusted.
Maybe I’ll run my own personal experiment. If Myth Rino gets the nod then I will not participate in the general. i will vote senate and house and leave pres alone. If he can win without me then I am good to go third party from now on. The R’s don’t want or need me.
The GOP was founded as a Third Party. Like any other venture, its success relies on the hard work and focus of its participants.
No matter how bad and unloved the Republican candidate is (e.g. McCain) the vast majority of conservatives will hold their noses (or delude themselves by focusing on whoever the veep is) and vote for what they claim to be the "lesser of two evils".
A better strategy would be to try to help create a real third liberal party, e.g. Green Party. Every conservative in a solidly blue state should vote for the Green Party candidate, whoever that is.
If you are a conservative in a blue state, voting for Romney will do no one any favors. If, however, enough people vote for the Green Party candidate then that party will get funding next year and will be recognized as an official party. They will most likely get invited to participate in debates, etc. This will siphon off votes from the Democrats and force the Democrat candidates to move further left than they want in the primaries to keep these people on their side.
Once a liberal Green Party is established, we can then think about creating a conservative fourth party to keep the Republicans honest.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.