Sunday, May 20, 2012

I hate to say it

but I actually agree with the broad range of Jeff Jacoby's column today, as he inveigles against the punditariat's tendency to gin up third party challenges in presidential races.
To which I will only add that 2012 seems like it will be a lean year for third presidential parties, typically these sorts of affairs arise around a particular charismatic leader and are fueled by electoral cohorts that are transitioning from one of the two major parties into The Other, or else said third party is itself a magnet for partyless political outcasts.
In the former case, the instructive example was George Wallace's "American Independent Party" who in 1968 single handedly brokered the transition of the "Solid South" from the democratic ranks and into the GOP's clutches.
In the later case, Henry Wallace's 1948 "Progressive Party" uprising was an "attractive nuisance" for any number of unpartied uplifters, borderline Marxists, Independent Progressives of all types, people who'd never ever have voted for that war monger Harry Truman.
So trust me, charismaless cash strapped would be third party candidates like Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer ain't goin' nowheres this time around, 2012 just isn't the year for that kind of split the battle lines between the GOP and democrats are getting more boldly drawn every day.

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