Blogging like crazy at MacStansbury.org keeps the old writing abilities sharp, and so does reading a lot of news sites. When Portia asked me to keep her little blog company this afternoon, there wasn't really a compelling story anyone could just pick up out as an easy way to blog. It was thinking about the one story that we're continually being beat on the head by, this port thing, that made me start to think about something: this is the first time I've heard the Democrats talking tough about homeland security.
Early this morning, I finally posted my completely feeling-based idea that there will be a major third party by 2008, and I'm starting to see how polls are starting to show me that I may be on to something. The followers of the Democratic Party is starting to see it as being impotent.
From Zogby International:
While high-profile Democrats in Washington, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, spar with GOP adversaries, 58% of self-described Democrats said they think their leaders should “accept their lower position in Congress and work together with Republicans to craft the best legislation possible.”
Only 6% said the top goal for Democrats should be to defeat Republican legislation.
In another sign that Democrats, after spending 11 years in the minority in the U.S. House and most of those years holding minority status in the Senate, are now accepting their lower position, nearly one-quarter of Democrats – 23% – said they think Republicans do a better job running Congress.
Twenty percent of Democratic respondents to the latest Zogby Poll said their party leaders in Washington should work to highlight their policy differences with the majority Republicans, while 10% said they should concentrate on bringing federal money home to their own districts.
Note that I said there would be a third party by 2008; I said nothing about them winning. Something to keep your eyes on.
Posted by Macabee at February 23, 2006 05:05 PM | TrackBack"Only 6% said the top goal for Democrats should be to defeat Republican legislation."
The other 94% said their top goal is to defeat GW Bush at ANYTHING he does.
I read your other post and respectfully disagree with where you think a third party will find support. The Dems are a splintered party, between moderates and the fringes, yet it's the fringe groups (tree-huggers, anti-war, pro-abortion[death]) that bring in the money, so they'll continue to control the party and take the Dems further off the political victory track.
Back in 1980 John Anderson siphoned off Democrats sick of Carter's track record and allowed Reagan to win the election, which is astonishing since the Watergate/Nixon anti-Republican backlash was still quite strong. The other 3rd party phenomenon, Ross Peeee-roh, siphoned off Republicans due to Bush the Elder's mistake of raising taxes (a mild recession did not help either). GHB could justify it until the cows come home, but he said he would not raise them and did, thus losing enough Republican support to allow Clinton to sneak in.
For a 3rd party candidate to succeed in 2008, they will need to tap into the moderate Democrat base as well as those who are dissatisfied with Bush the Younger's lack of control in the growth of the Federal government, continued open borders and lack of confidence in how he is prosecuting the War on Terror. While McCain and Lieberman may be potential 3rd party leaders, I don't see McCain bolting the Republicans (and he has his own electability problems). Lieberman seems to be a good guy but we will see a woman elected President before a Jew - I'm not trying to be racist, but that's where the country is at this time.
Condi Rice? She would be an interesting choice, but she would not do anything to hurt GWB and she does not have the executive/political skills to lead a 3rd party. That's what it boils down to, finding someone with the charisma and skills to persuade enough people to bolt from their own party and join a 3rd party. Nobody on the horizon that I can see.
Posted by: MarcV at February 24, 2006 06:33 AMI think you're thinking like me, only with meeting people in the middle. I see it the other way, with the two other parties going right.
Posted by: MacStansbury at February 24, 2006 10:43 AM
