Ted Rall for August 19, 2022

It’s not a two-party constitution but it IS a two-party system. When it’s working (when people are being something resembling rational), better ideas from anywhere, that might have been used to form an alternate party, get pulled into one (or both) major party platforms and voters still have a wide range of options, albeit gathered into only two bags. The historical reasons for this are mainly about the fact that the founding fathers had seen how badly the English system worked and were determined to do something different.

As for suppressing voters, that clearly IS what the Republicans are trying to do and it IS clearly not what the Democrats are trying to do. Though I’m pretty sure most of the Republican brain trust types are also trying to be sure that liberals have many voting options other than Democrat, each of them more palatable to some than the Democrats are.

“Well I wonder who would lead us if none of us would vote” (Larry Norman) or could vote (scary).

We get it you got a hate for hating dems Ted

Now…..where’s my mallet

Republicans are just evil.

If men today had a backbone to stand up for the reason they were voted in office, we wouldn’t be in this mess!

Everything is scrutinized to the enth degree, they have their own agendas, too much greed, bribes, deflections, investigations for irrelevant happenings, too much lying, deceit……..it’s why this government is ineffective!

There were the days when men didn’t “cave” to every whine and b¡tch…they had scruples, convictions, morals, respect, compassion, proud and love of country!

Now, it’s bedlam…any wack job is being elected by other wack jobs because they are disrupting the ebb and flow of the system. They’re making waves and now it’s out of control!

I ask…WHERE ARE THE MEN/WOMEN who will get a set and a spine and stand up for our democracy and freedoms?

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED…OR AMERICA will fall into the hands of fascists and loons!

The other parties always try to run for president. I think starting at the local level would be more productive.

Libertarians are just repugs who don’t want to admit it, the green party always has a candidate who always gets votes. Just look at Ralph Nader costing Gore the election and likely Stein hurting Hillary. The others (sans Democrats) aren’t actual viable parties. The bubble should just read “We try to make it impossible for anyone who ISN’T republican to vote”

Contrary to how conservatives have been demonstrating themselves, people are not stupid, Ted. That 3rd-Party inflection into our 2-Party system right now only benefits, to a degree, Republicans who know they have nothing to offer voters and are eager to promote something, anything, that can dilute the current massive rush to support Democrats in the upcoming elections. Republicans have handed over the country to the Democrats by their ineptitude and corruption. That 3rd-Party Hail Mary won’t work this time.

And yet Roger Waters is anti “Brandon” and has right-wing leanings, just like Clapton.

Teddy is always sad that he doesn’t have many friends in his sandbox, but I think this is a good point. Very difficult to get thru a primary without toing the party line, other than a few outside cases. Sadly, I don’t think there is much desire from the populace to change, easier just to live in your own cable-news-social-media echo chamber and click a party-line ticket; I know I’m guilty of this for many down-ballot items.

In the entire history of American third party attempts to organize, which is in the hundreds, there has only been one that was successful. Generally, voting for third party candidates can be a good idea for local and statewide elections. A candidate can build a sufficient network of supporters and tell his or her story to every eligible vote. The reality is that most of third party candidates aren’t strong enough to win. Their ideas don’t resonate with significant numbers of voters and their personal charisma isn’t strong enough to attract significant numbers of voters. That is why they rarely win. At the national level, most strong candidates move to one of the major parties because it is a significantly easier way to win. And, if they have any real strength, the party will come looking for them. Joining a party allows a candidate to leverage infrastructure that is already built and get access to money that is already out there, and getting the voters who will uncritically vote for their party’s candidates. It is a lot easier to change a entire tribe’s way of thinking about things than it is to start a new tribe. As a result, most people running for national office from third parties are the kinds of people who would struggle to win in any election at any level and are simply doing it to call attention to their ideas. They have no expectation of winning.

Ted Rall should wake up. If you want to elect someone in the categories he lists, you have only to wage a successful primary campaign. If that’s too much work for you, the next time someone tells you to STFU, listen to them!

I think this situation is actually more “bi-partisan”. Democrats have been attacking third parties for a long time. (The “throwing away your vote” meme probably came from the Democratic Party). 2000 and 2016 are standout examples in the presidential race. An article back in 2020, https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/24/gree-a24.html, described the organized efforts against third parties, then there’s this year’s battle against a Green in NC.

IMO, the most important theater of this war is ranked choice voting. Even when RCV is instituted, it usually still maintains separate primaries for the parties. And both Democrats and Republicans are, by and large, vociferously opposed to a partyless election process.

Both parties would burn this country to ashes before they allow a third party to emerge.

The problem is displayed by the number of representatives who begin their career with a relatively low net worth and retire as multi-millionaires. This is made possible by the power that government has over business and personal life. The only cure involves finding a way to prevent politicians from profiting from their positions, which may be impossible.

It’s not Democrats’ job to hold the GOP’s feet to the fire. That is for the American voter, who is failing mightily.

That first word balloon skipped their biggest target…blacks. Rall is afraid to say so.

American politics has never been a “lofty” calling.

I think anyone here who doesn’t read and think about Learning How to Die: Finding Meaning in the Midst of Collapse at commondreams.org shouldn’t be here, whether because they’re here under false colors or they’re not smart enough to keep up.

The author had a commercial motive, I’m sure, so you’ll have got pretty much all you can get without reading all the way to the end. But it’s still the best unintentional call to action I’ve read in I can’t think how long. She says we’re going under right now, no more pretending that there’s a future for life on Earth.

For my part, I disagree that we’ve no future, but I do believe that this group, here, assays out to too much magical, “blue no matter who”, “status quo is best” thinking and too little willingness to do the work needed to take government away from the psychopaths and stop pan-extinction. As Al said back in the day, problems cannot be solved by the same kind of thinking that caused them.

Actually it’s a two party operation, Dems go after the progressive third parties and Repubs go after the conservative ones.

Another weak bothsiderism play Rall.