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I predict we will see a third party develop within the next few years. I think that a good 10-20% of the American people are either socialists or communists. Their numbers have grown to the point that they will have their own voice and the strength to support their own candidates. Scary, but I think that it is happening. They also now have the financial support that they didn't have in the past.

I don't think this is that scary. It will merely triangulate the left into moderate left, extreme left/communist left.

we will see a third party develop

If the new party is on the left, I approve.

I think that a good 10-20% of the American people are either socialists or communists. Their numbers have grown to the point that they will have their own voice and the strength to support their own candidates. Scary, but I think that it is happening.

That would only be scary in a country with continental European-style proportional representation, in which each electoral districts sends multiple representatives.

Here, we have the Anglo-Saxon "first past the post" or "winner take all" system. You only need a plurality of votes to win, not an absolute majority, and each district sends one representative. That means that even if the barking-mad commies had 30%, the remaining decent Democrats had 30%, and we had 40%, we could still shove a conservative agenda right down all their throats.

There are advantages and disadvantages to such a system. In Canada and England it has caused conservatives to get fewer seats than their popular vote would deserve. It also encourages gerrymandering. But looking back to the election of 2000, when Ralph Nader siphoned off a lot of Gore's votes, it is the reason Bush was elected in the first place.

If the Left eats itself and splinters into two parties, it will mean Republican supremacy for a generation. We should all be sending money to the Daily Kos.

-ccm

You seem shocked that this would be the case. America has always had commies and socialists since there have been such people.

In fact, in the early-mid 1900's, they were at dangerously high levels.

If you think that America somehow will gain tons of them though, you are mistaken. They will never be a political force capable of actually winning elections or coming close. But, they will help peel off Dem votes if they become strong enough.