Notice the framing of this article. Third party candidates are described as spoilers, no doubt spoiling the pristine beauty of the two party system just as the present financial crisis is no doubt spoiling the beauty of free markets!
Cheers, k hanly Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html --- On Mon, 9/29/08, Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [Pen-l] "third" parties get some attention > To: "Pen-l" <[email protected]> > Date: Monday, September 29, 2008, 4:39 PM > L.A. TIMES / Opinion > > The power of the other candidates: It's possible that a > third-party > spoiler may tip the election. > > By Douglas E. Schoen > September 29, 2008 > > The presidential election could well turn on a factor that > has gotten > virtually no discussion this year -- the votes drawn by > Libertarian > Bob Barr, Green Cynthia McKinney and independent Ralph > Nader. > > The most recent polls show a race too tight to call: Gallup > tracking > from Sept. 23 showed Barack Obama up only three points with > 47% to > John McCain's 44%. More interesting is a CNN/Opinion > Research poll > released Sept. 22 that includes all five candidates for > president. > McCain is at 45%, Obama is at 48%, and Barr, McKinney and > Nader are > polling a combined 6% of the vote. (Nader captured 4% and > Barr and > McKinney each got 1%.) In a close contest, the support for > any of > these three could well decide which major party comes out > ahead > nationally and in key swing states. > > Indeed, the most recent state polling from CNN/Opinion > Research to > include third-party candidates bears this point out. Taken > earlier > this month, the poll found that in Missouri, where McCain > had a > four-point lead, Nader had 3% and Barr had 2%. In New > Hampshire, where > Obama had a five-point lead, 48% to McCain's 43%, Nader > had 4% and > Barr had 2%. In Michigan, where Obama led McCain by only > two points, > Nader has 6% and Barr 2%. > > Other polls suggest an even more dramatic situation brewing > with Barr, > McCain's biggest third-party concern. Zogby > International polls last > month showed Barr approaching 11% in New Hampshire, 10% in > Nevada and > 8% in Ohio. > > What accounts for such levels of support? > > Most important, there is widespread -- and growing -- > dissatisfaction > with the major parties in America. Even the initial rise of > Obama was > in large part attributable to frustration with the > political system > and response to his call for a nonpartisan outsider to > change > Washington. McCain's ongoing resurgence similarly can > be attributed, > at least in part, to his return to the maverick reformer > message of > his 2000 campaign. Even the popularity of his running mate, > Alaska > Gov. Sarah Palin, at its very core stems from a desire for > new faces, > new ideas and alternatives. > > However, Obama has had to go negative, McCain has > flip-flopped time > and again from the maverick of old to the GOP's status > quo, and the > Palin effect is wearing off as the governor's politics > appear to be no > different from those inside the Beltway. Disenchanted > voters are not > fooled for long by rhetoric. As the major-party candidates > show their > true colors, many of these voters will start turning toward > third-party alternatives. > > There's also a wild card: Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul of > Texas, who > sought the GOP nomination and has continued to attract > fervent > supporters to his "Campaign for Liberty" > attacking big government and > the two-party system. After months of bickering with the > Libertarian > Barr, last week he threw his support behind yet another > alternative > party candidate, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. > With Barr > having raised nearly $1 million and becoming a growing > presence in > many states, adding a Paul-supported Baldwin to the mix > could be > disastrous for McCain, who could lose votes to both > alternative > candidates. > > A third-party candidate in an election this close > doesn't need > double-digit support to be a spoiler. History has shown > that > third-party candidates can gain a large percentage, as in > the case of > Ross Perot, who reached close to 20% of the vote in 1992, > and George > Wallace, who almost gained 14% of the vote in 1968. But > neither of > those had the impact of Nader's single-digit percentage > in the 2000 > election. Nader's 90,000 votes in Florida were a > crucial factor in an > election that came down to George W. Bush's victory in > Florida by > slightly more than 500 votes. [likely, this was less > crucial than the > GOP repression of votes and refusal to allow a full > recount. -- JD] > > To be clear, this election is coming down to the wire, as > it did in > 2000, making real the possibility of a third-party spoiler > tipping the > election one way or the other. As the polls stand now, with > Obama > holding slight leads nationally and in many swing states, > Nader's 4% > could siphon off enough votes to thrust McCain into the > White House. > That said, if Barr steals [sic] 8% of the Ohio vote from > McCain, Obama > will almost certainly win the presidency. > > So in the waning days of the election, it's not the > biggest poll > percentages that demand scrutiny, but the smallest ones. > Because it > could turn out that the crucial role in the 2008 election > will be > played by a candidate no one is talking about. > > Douglas E. Schoen, a pollster, is the author of > "Declaring > Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party > System." He > was an advisor to President Clinton from 1994 to 2000. > -- > Jim Devine / "The only difference between the > Democrats and the > Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be > corrupt, too." > -- Oscar Levant > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
