Should minor parties/independent candidates be banned from the ballot?

[KenH]

Since several people in this forum badmouth minor parties/independent candidates and/or voting for a minor party/independent candidate, I am curious as to whether this translates into a desire to ban such candidates from the ballot.

 

[Ivon Denosovich]

Wonders how Pastor Larry will answer...

My answer is of course, "No."

 

[billwald]

Is anyone happy with our present one party (DR) system? Does anyone not understand that the same people and businesses own both parties?

 

[Pete]

No - the majors should be banned

 

[Salty]

Especially not in states where a fusion ballot is allowed. That helps to keep the major parties in check to some extent.

The Fusion ballot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_fusion
is allowed in seven states:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Idaho
• Mississippi
• New York
• South Carolina
• Vermont

 

[Sopranette]

No! We'll be voting third party for sure next election. I'm sick to death of 16 years or so of pathetic POTUS. I've been voting Libertarian for some time now. They're not perfect, but I'm sick to death of professional political families!

love,

Sopranette

 

[JamieinNH]

No.

I agree with Pete and Sopranette!

Jamie

 

[saturneptune]

With the Republicans on the verge of nominating a liberal and pro choice candidate (Giuliani or Romney), the answer is absolutely not. It is time to dismantle the Democratic and Republican parties that do nothing but feed the political appetite of the self indulgent pigs running the country. It is time to establish two parties that really want to serve the American people and do what is best for this country.

The numbers are out there. Its just a matter of doing it.

 

[Salty]

With the Republicans on the verge of nominating a liberal and pro choice candidate (Giuliani or Romney),

It is time to establish two parties that really want to serve the American people and do what is best for this country.

Sat, I must correct you. Giuliani is NOT Pro-Choice he is Pro-Abortion. There is a difference. You see, I am pro-choice - that means, I believe if the baby chooses abortion, I say go ahead and let him be aborted!

I personally believe that Romney is now pro-life.

As far as a new political party, I would like to recommend you start the Conservative Party of KY. Here is the website for the NY Conservative Party http://www.cpnys.org/.
As I mention before, NY has a fusion ballot, so we often endorse a Rep, or Dem. There are times we may run our own canidate against a Rep and Dem, and the votes we get just may "throw" the election. Candidates need our ballot line to help ensure their victory.

Salty
Vice-chairman
Syracuse City Conservative Party

 

[saturneptune]

The Constitution Party is well established in Kentucky, and it is fine with me. As far as Mitt Romney goes, we will have to differ. I think he is as phoney as a three dollar bill, and no way he will get my vote.

We need new parties to win elections, not throw them to the other side. The idea is to rid ourselves of Democrats and Republicans.

 

[Pastor Larry]

Not at all. I think they should be on teh ballot, and I think when they have a legitimate candidate who has a chance of winning they should be strongly considered.

however, the future of this country should not be gambled with in the hopes of one day getting a party elected. Let's use common sense and work to build a third party without selling out the future of this country any more than it has been.

 

[KenH]

The only way to build a viable minor party is to start voting for it in its infancy. If we don't vote for it in its infancy, then it will never make it to the teen years, much less adult years.

One cannot expect a minor party to all of a sudden appear full grown like Athena from Zeus' head.

 

[Pastor Larry]

The only way to build a viable minor party is to start voting for it in its infancy. If we don't vote for it in its infancy, then it will never make it to the teen years, much less adult years.

That's a pretty narrow view, much more narrow than I take. I think you build a viable party by building it first, and then asking people to vote for it. In the interests of the country, you don't sell the country down the river while building your own political fortunes.

 

[KenH]

Your methodology, PL, would ensure that there would never, ever be a viable alternative to the Democratic and Republican Parties.

I thank God that there are people with the courage of their convictions to work to build minor parties and aren't willing to just go along with the status quo journey into more and more of the Nanny State.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

Ken, if what you say is true about buidling a minor party from the infancy, then why is Ron Paul, a Libertarian, not doing that? Why is he getting involved in the Republican primary instead of focusing on building a minor party from infancy?

It seems to me that you claim one thing, and yet your candidate does something opposite.

 

[Ivon Denosovich]

Ken, if what you say is true about buidling a minor party from the infancy, then why is Ron Paul, a Libertarian, not doing that? Why is he getting involved in the Republican primary instead of focusing on building a minor party from infancy?

It seems to me that you claim one thing, and yet your candidate does something opposite.

If Paul is the typical libertarian (Big IF) I suspect he'd prefer to work within the two party system than build a third party, but is willing to do the latter if that's what it takes to spread the message. I doubt any lbtn wants to do things the hard way if it can be helped.

Excuses himself for answering a question addressed to another

 

[KenH]

Why is he getting involved in the Republican primary instead of focusing on building a minor party from infancy?

1. I am not responsible for what Ron Paul does.

2. I am as interested in spreading libertarianism as I am the Libertarian Party. Therefore, since Congressman Paul(whom I have been a fan of for over two decades) is running in the GOP primary I am supporting him as he spreads the libertarian message.

3. Frankly, I wish that Congressman Paul would leave the GOP and run as a Libertarian Party candidate as I have been stating in this forum for some time.

4. Also, it not so much Ron Paul, the man, that people are supporting. It is the concept of limited government that people are flocking to. Some number of people are fed up with the increasing size, scope, and reach of the federal government. This is bigger than Ron Paul, one man. And this movement will not end when Ron Paul's campaign ends in either electoral victory or defeat.

As far as a libertarian running in a GOP primary I direct you to this quote from Mr. Republican himself, the late, great Ronald Reagan in 1975:

"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.

Now, I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians in the sense of a party say, because I think that like in any political movement there are shades, and there are libertarians who are almost over at the point of wanting no government at all or anarchy. I believe there are legitimate government functions. There is a legitimate need in an orderly society for some government to maintain freedom or we will have tyranny by individuals. The strongest man on the block will run the neighborhood. We have government to insure that we don’t each one of us have to carry a club to defend ourselves. But again, I stand on my statement that I think that libertarianism and conservatism are travelling the same path."

 

[Palatka51]

Since several people in this forum badmouth minor parties/independent candidates and/or voting for a minor party/independent candidate, I am curious as to whether this translates into a desire to ban such candidates from the ballot.

Not as long as the 2 parties that control the issues continue to look, smell and talk the same game. We need the diversity of a multiple party system not the current dead locked 2 party system that is suppressing new political thinking.

 

[Pastor Larry]

Your methodology, PL, would ensure that there would never, ever be a viable alternative to the Democratic and Republican Parties.

If you think this is true, then you don't understand my methodology, or at least what my methodology would be if I were going to do this. I wish you wouldn't make comments about what my methodology would do when you don't really understand it.

My methodology would build a third party from the grass roots level, not the national level, and would develop a viability that way before throwing elections away with no chance to impact them for good.

I thank God that there are people with the courage of their convictions to work to build minor parties and aren't willing to just go along with the status quo journey into more and more of the Nanny State.

I do too. And I hope they will continue, while not throwing away their votes by voting for a third party before its time. It is not good thinking, IMO, to pretend that the only way to develop a third party is to abandon the common sense voting when the party is in its infancy. It would be better to use my methodology, working hard to develop the party while ensuring that there is a semblance of liberty when that third party reaches maturity.

 

[KenH]

1) If you think this is true, then you don't understand my methodology

2) My methodology would build a third party from the grass roots level, not the national level

1) Yes, I know, PL. It seems that in your eyes no one who disagrees ever understands what you are saying. How sad.

2) The Libertarian Party is quite active on the grassroots level and has had quite a number of people elected on the local level.