27 April 2005
The Third Party
Freedom & Progress is very pleased to see the extent to which open contemplations of Third Party potential have been vocalized recently. Freedom & Progress has always thought that the time is ripe for the emergence of a serious Third Party. The Third Party could be filled with all those excited by Republican progressive innovation, like reforming taxation and social security, but disenchanted with the ultra-conservative motif of the past four years. Similarly, the Third Party could be filled with those that are proud of the Democratic progressive traditions of muscular foreign policy to inspire global standards for freedom and human rights (and particularly women's rights) and disgusted with the reactionary tendencies and utter hypocrisy of the modern Democratic Party, i.e. conserve social security, conserve international stability...
Ronald Brownstein discussed the potential emergence of the Third Party this week in the Los Angeles Times. Brownstein's thesis asserts that the Internet could provide the means for such an emergence by displacing the need for the significant party infrastructure that has inhibited the emergence of third parties in the past. Brownstein concludes by offering his fantasy Third Party ticket of John McCain (Republican) and Bob Kerrey (Democrat).
This fantasy ticket got a "Hallelujah" from our friend The Bull Moose. The Moose is a bit of an independent himself, and though he presently wears the skin of the Donkey, he has historically worn Elephant skin. Freedom & Progress imagines that the Moose would be among the first to sign up and contribute to the Third Party, should one in fact emerge.
Brownstein and the Moose are both correct in suggesting that a neccessary condition for the emergence of the Third Party is the participation of a few well-known, national political players. Freedom & Progress would welcome both McCain and Kerrey. Also welcomed (indeed recommended) are Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman on the Democrat side and Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Republican side. The announcement of the formation of the Third Party by such serious players would lend early legitimacy to the endeavor and perhaps provide the impetus for a flood of party affiliation changes from the great silent majority of independent-minded Americans.
The Third Party could potentially and finally provide a venue for consistency-hungry Americans who value both freedom and progress. The Third Party could advocate fiscal sanity while simultaneously emphasizing the Federal Government's moral responisbilities to its citizens. It could propose innovative changes to decrease the welfare state, like Social Security plus private universal savings accounts. It could address the looming crisis in healthcare without falling into the dogma of Republican and Democratic rhetoric on the subject. It could champion the sciences as the future of American economic supremacy and hegemony. TheThird Party could enthusiastically pursue a foreign policy that treats Democracies differently from Autocracies, and back up demands for global standards in human rights, women's rights, and basic civil liberty. And the Third Party could advocate all of this without appearing to be Republican hypocrites or Democratic relativists.
Finally, the Third Party should cry out universally for FREEDOM and PROGRESS!
Ronald Brownstein discussed the potential emergence of the Third Party this week in the Los Angeles Times. Brownstein's thesis asserts that the Internet could provide the means for such an emergence by displacing the need for the significant party infrastructure that has inhibited the emergence of third parties in the past. Brownstein concludes by offering his fantasy Third Party ticket of John McCain (Republican) and Bob Kerrey (Democrat).
This fantasy ticket got a "Hallelujah" from our friend The Bull Moose. The Moose is a bit of an independent himself, and though he presently wears the skin of the Donkey, he has historically worn Elephant skin. Freedom & Progress imagines that the Moose would be among the first to sign up and contribute to the Third Party, should one in fact emerge.
Brownstein and the Moose are both correct in suggesting that a neccessary condition for the emergence of the Third Party is the participation of a few well-known, national political players. Freedom & Progress would welcome both McCain and Kerrey. Also welcomed (indeed recommended) are Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman on the Democrat side and Rudy Giuliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Republican side. The announcement of the formation of the Third Party by such serious players would lend early legitimacy to the endeavor and perhaps provide the impetus for a flood of party affiliation changes from the great silent majority of independent-minded Americans.
The Third Party could potentially and finally provide a venue for consistency-hungry Americans who value both freedom and progress. The Third Party could advocate fiscal sanity while simultaneously emphasizing the Federal Government's moral responisbilities to its citizens. It could propose innovative changes to decrease the welfare state, like Social Security plus private universal savings accounts. It could address the looming crisis in healthcare without falling into the dogma of Republican and Democratic rhetoric on the subject. It could champion the sciences as the future of American economic supremacy and hegemony. TheThird Party could enthusiastically pursue a foreign policy that treats Democracies differently from Autocracies, and back up demands for global standards in human rights, women's rights, and basic civil liberty. And the Third Party could advocate all of this without appearing to be Republican hypocrites or Democratic relativists.
Finally, the Third Party should cry out universally for FREEDOM and PROGRESS!
# posted by Publicola @ 12:01 AM 
