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Volume 38 Issue 5
November 7, 2000

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Third Party not a third wheel

MESA LEGEND
Submitted November 7, 2000

All right — let’s chat. The topic: Third Parties. Lots of folks know that there are candidates other than Bush and Gore, but Buchanan and Nader are examples of only two of the numerous other parties.

Nader is from the Green Party. These are the folks who favor ecology, diversity, equality and responsibility. Buchanan is the Reform Party’s candidate and he stands on displaying high ethical standards, fiscal responsibility and accountability.

The Libertarian Party  candidate is L. Neil Smith who supports a free-market economy and believes the federal government should play a minimal role in day-to-day life. John Halegin, the Natural Law Party candidate, is a certified physicist who proposes a self-governing system based on unity, comprehension and understanding.

So what is it that third parties bring to the ballot? This year, they seem to offer more open-minded, balanced ideas than those of the typical Republicans or Democrats. Those parties, like the American Taxpayer Party, are set in the “yes” and “no” of things. For example, a firm “yes” to bilingual education, or a set “no” to abortion. The Constituion is still what matters most to them in government.

Third parties have often challenged the Constitution and lobbied for changes.  Many common ideas like women’s rights, child labor laws, 40-hour work weeks, even Social Security, are all due to the pressure of third parties.

This is what third parties stand on — popularizing ideas before the major parties are ready to address them. By voicing ideas that are still under the table to most politicians, third parties spark citizens’ attention. Then, those ideas are seen as plausible, so they are proposed, and the groundwork is laid for the enviroment in which a third party will likely rule.

Many third parties campaigning this year are not looking to be elected. Instead, they are setting the stage for future elections. Is this an insane scheme, or a clever strategy?

No one can say that for sure, but in recent elections, third parties have been gaining support. One of the most noted third party candidates, Ross Perot, proved that in ’92 and ’96. When third parties began posing a threat in 1892, vote percentages varied from one percent to 12 percent, but Perot managed to snag 19 percent in the ’92 election.

That doesn’t seem like very much, but it is considering that Clinton only beat Bush by 13 percent in ’92. The same goes for the ’96 election. Who would’ve run if Bush couldn’t have? What policies would’ve changed without Clinton in office? The questions go on and on.

Most students are taught that when a party splits, the other party will automatically win. A good example: Reform (Perot) splitting from Republican (Bush), Democrat (Clinton) won. But there are four major contendors this year. Reform (Buchanan) split from Republican (Bush) and Green (Nader) split from Democrat (Gore).

This means the old way of thinking won’t work. So how will the votes get split up this year?

There’s no way to answer that question until election day. Voting gets so much hype because, well, it deserves it! It’s the only way to get opinions heard and things changed.

So scream out your standpoint — whether it be conservative Republican, liberal Democrat, trustworthy Reform, responsible Green, rebellious Libertarian, or optimistic Natural Law — in the privacy of your own little voting booth. It does make a difference!

Christine Bink is a freelance columnist for the Mesa Legend and a student at MCC whose major is undecided.

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