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Chuck Todd: Third Or Fourth-Party Presidential Candidates Will Emerge In Spring
NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

Posted on 11/08/2011 7:23:05 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest

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To: Old Retired Army Guy
I think Obama’s victory strategy all along hsa been for a 3d Party (Conservative) candidate to split his opposition votes. That is how Clinton won (Perot) and that is the game plan for 2012.

Could well be. Sadly, there are still legions of confused conservatives who voted for Perot (twice in some cases) who still can't figure out that they are responsible for allowing Clinton to worm his way into the White House. The media was laughing the whole way knowing Perot was helping Clinton win.

A lot of these people haven't quite realized that our constitutional republic is, in effect, a 2 party system. You can work to change the least bad party from within, but rarely if ever will folks have the perfect candidate to vote for. With no means to build coalitions, 3rd party voting is just flat out stupid. Now, maybe we need a constitutional convention that moves us to a parliamentary type system that encourages multi-party coalition building, but that just isn't likely to happen in our lifetimes. We are stuck with what we have, and there are only going to be 2 realistic choices each election cycle - very often that is going to be bad and less bad.

21 posted on 11/08/2011 7:48:33 AM PST by Longbow1969
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
There's 3rd parties every election. There will be this election. Since 1854, they always failed. They fail now. They will fail this year. Even Teddy Roosevelt and Millard Fillmore, ex-presidents, failed as a 3rd party candidate.

So has Ross Perot, Strom Thurmond, George Wallace, Bob Barr, Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, John Schmitz, Cynthia McKinney, and a host of other names.

22 posted on 11/08/2011 7:51:57 AM PST by Darren McCarty (Anybody but Romney or Obama)
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To: Old Retired Army Guy

I don’t buy it. I don’t see how the WH will be able to manufacture a Conservative challenge to the GOP nominee if we are satisfied with him. If you remember, Perot hated Bush with a passion and that is how that whole thing started. Even though Bush lost GOP votes to this dope, there was little or no indication that Perot was a right winger. He was a garden variety populist that conned a bunch of gullible rubes to vote for him.

BTW, Upchuck Todd doesn’t have sources on Team Obummer, he is the source along with all the other cretins on PMSLSD.


23 posted on 11/08/2011 7:55:29 AM PST by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: Jim Noble
Jim, you figured it out!

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

After Eric Holder resigns and is thrown under the bus, more and more of Obama’s dirty laundry becomes public. Howard Dean announces his candidacy and accuses Obama of selling out to Wall Street and the Military-Industrial Complex. Dean wins the first primaries and caucuses.

A Democratic “death squad” goes down to the White House and explains to Obama that he still has the blacks, but the rest of his coalition has deserted him. He pulls an LBJ and stands down his candidacy.

The next day Hillary resigns as Secretary of State and announces her candidacy. She becomes the main rival to Dean, representing centrists, much the way her husband did. Wall Street money immediately piles in.

The Democratic Convention is a rerun of 1968 with super-delegates giving Clinton the nod. She picks Evan Bayh of Indiana as her running mate.

Dean pulls his people out of the Democratic Party, charging that it is collaborating with a corrupt establishment, and he dusts off the old name of the Progressive Party, picking Dennis Kucinich as his running mate.

REPUBLICAN PARTY

Mitt Romney is the last man standing and gets the nomination. There is an old saying, “Democrats fall in love; Republicans fall in line.” Conservatives are expected to fall in line. Wall Street falls in line.

As expected, Ron Paul leaves the Republican Party and goes to the Libertarians, but there is a shock. Paul explains that he is 76 and is too old to do this anymore. It is time for the Libertarians to grow up and merge with the Tea Party. Paul motions offstage, and Sarah Palin comes on. Paul endorses Palin for the Libertarian-Tea Party nomination. Palin picks Rand Paul of Kentucky as her running mate.

THE ELECTION

Palin once remarked that she expected 2012 to be an “unconventional” election. I assumed she meant that it would not be a two-way race. While two-way races are won from the middle, three- and four-way races are won from the base. He who consolidates his base the most wins, and the Great Middle doesn’t matter at all.

The model for a truly unconventional race is 1860. The two candidates of the center (Douglas and Bell) captured few states. The candidates who consolidated their bases (Lincoln and Breckinridge) won the most states. Lincoln was elected with only 40% of the popular vote.

Palin repeats Lincoln’s accomplishment with 38% of the popular vote. The Democratic and Republican Parties go to the ash heap of history, and the American political landscape changes.

24 posted on 11/08/2011 7:57:37 AM PST by Publius
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To: Jim Noble
The Romney nomination, which is inevitable,

No it's not. Likely, yes. Inevitable, no. We have two months before the first Caucuses take shape.

25 posted on 11/08/2011 8:04:54 AM PST by Darren McCarty (Anybody but Romney or Obama)
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To: Darren McCarty
We have two months before the first Caucuses take shape

You don't seriously believe that voting can derail Romney at this point, do you?

26 posted on 11/08/2011 8:13:56 AM PST by Jim Noble (To live peacefully with credit-based consumption and fiat money, men would have to be angels.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

John Anderson ran as the 3rd party candidate and it didn’t hurt Reagan. Anderson got 6.6% of the vote.


27 posted on 11/08/2011 8:18:29 AM PST by Mikey_1962 (Obama: The Affirmative Action President.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
If Cain's not the nominee there's probably some right side sentiment for a 3rd party candidate for the lunkheads who will only vote for a 'pure' conservative. There's planty of them around here these days.

I also expect some kind of challenge to obama from the extreme left...maybe Ralph Nader again or someone he pushes. Should be an interesting summer.

28 posted on 11/08/2011 8:22:46 AM PST by pgkdan ("Make what Americans buy, Buy what Americans make, and sell it to the world" Perry 2012)
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To: Jim Noble
It is almost impossible under current conditions for a real conservative to go from 40% to 51%. In a three way race with two liberals (Obama and Romney) to split the 60%, victory is not only possible but probable.

Do you seriously believe that Romney would seriously invade the 40% conservative base, presuming that the conservative candidate were not a paranoid dwarf with no political experience?

How is it "not only possible, but probable" considering the history of 3rd party candidacies and their failure to win since 1856? I'm seeing parallels to the Wilson election more than the Lincoln election with 3rd parties. Roosevelt and Taft split, and Wilson wins 400+ electoral with 40% of the vote.

It's not just about who is liberal or who is conservative. It's about convincing voters to vote for something besides defeating the other guy. It's about organization to get the message out. It's about getting one's people to the polls through door knocks, absentee voter chase, sign locations, and the other nuts and bolts things required for a successful campaign.

Let's stop Romney now while we can, and avoid this argument in the general election. I may throw up a protest vote in November like I did against Snyder, but I hold no illusions about a 3rd party candidate winning a presidency. Ever.

29 posted on 11/08/2011 8:26:10 AM PST by Darren McCarty (Anybody but Romney or Obama)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Exactly, to hell with the neo-whigs!

If they select ORomney to be their candidate, than the GOP will become the third party.

The way they treated Sarah is shameful, and is one reason I am no longer a registered Republican. I hope we can all stick it to them!

30 posted on 11/08/2011 8:39:27 AM PST by KC_Lion (I will NEVER vote for Romney! The GOP will go the way of the Whigs if they nominate him.)
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To: Publius; Jim Noble
I wish FR had a "LIKE" feature, because your post would be at the top of my list, you are 100% correct.

I just pray it doesn't have the same aftermath like 1860 did

31 posted on 11/08/2011 8:44:15 AM PST by KC_Lion (I will NEVER vote for Romney! The GOP will go the way of the Whigs if they nominate him.)
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To: Darren McCarty
How is it "not only possible, but probable" considering the history of 3rd party candidacies

You presume that the GOP is something other than a corpse.

32 posted on 11/08/2011 8:48:40 AM PST by Jim Noble (To live peacefully with credit-based consumption and fiat money, men would have to be angels.)
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To: meadsjn
Conservative Independents and Republicans would elect Sarah Palin in a landslide, against both Romney and Obama.

No they would not, and that goes for any potential 3rd party candidate. Sarah Palin knows this and hence said she wasn't running.

This is NOT 1992.

No, it could be worse. 1912.

33 posted on 11/08/2011 9:00:24 AM PST by Darren McCarty (Anybody but Romney or Obama)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

Definitely. If either Romney or Cain win the nomination, the scene will be ripe for it.


34 posted on 11/08/2011 11:45:17 AM PST by Huck (TAX TEA NOW==SUPPORT 9-9-9!)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Todd based his bold prediction on the theory that there is a hunger for populist candidates, and that populism is not the way Obama or Romney [his presumed Republican candidate] "roll."

Then Chuck Todd has a very selective form of amnesia. Obama was a populist candidate in 2008, from jump...

the infowarrior

35 posted on 11/08/2011 11:56:17 AM PST by infowarrior
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To: Publius
I see you remember 1968 very well. So do I.

Who in your scenario plays James Earl Ray? I have no doubt whatsoever that martyrdom for The One is Soros and Ayers' hole card.

36 posted on 11/09/2011 5:25:26 AM PST by Jim Noble (To live peacefully with credit-based consumption and fiat money, men would have to be angels.)
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