.
Forgetting the Abolitionists, and the Woman’s Suffrage Party, the AP has chosen to characterize third parties as spoilers, whose only real successes have been Strom Thurmond and George Wallace. Gee. Thanks.
Interestingly, this article does mention Ralph Nader and Bob Barr, but completely leaves out Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney, whose poll numbers at various times have been equal to or greater than those other candidates at various times this election season.
(excerpt from the AP story, also seen on Yahoo News)
Third parties unlikely to spoil presidential race
By MITCH WEISS, Nov. 2, 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)
…But there’s no chance that on Election Day she will be for any candidate from a third party.
“This election is too important,” said Goode, a 43-year-old accountant from Charlotte…
Without billionaire H. Ross Perot and his flip charts, Bill Clinton might not have won the White House in 1992. If Ralph Nader hadn’t won 32,000 votes in Florida, Al Gore might have moved into the Oval Office in 2000.
But this year, neither Nader, former GOP Rep. Bob Barr — running as a Libertarian — or any of the other small-party candidates who have qualified for the ballot in some states appears likely to play the role of spoiler…
There is a long history of third-party candidates in presidential politics, but few that could be called a success. Among those that connected with voters are two relics of racial politics: Strom Thurmond won 39 electoral votes in 1948 on the States’ Rights Democrats ticket and Alabama Gov. George Wallace’s 1968 bid on the American Independent ticket captured 46 electoral votes.
“Since 1832 — the birth of the modern Democratic Party — only 13 times has a third-party candidate actually pulled better than 5 percent of the vote,” Goldford said…
While he did not win any electoral votes in 1992, Perot won 19 percent of the popular vote and helped push Clinton into office. Nader did not come close to Perot’s level of support in 2000, but because it came disproportionately from voters who were otherwise likely to vote for Gore, it was enough to swing the outcome of a tight race to George W. Bush…
My refutation to this inane article and its accusation that third parties have done nothing besides activate racist politicians and spoil elections is in the video below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WvANr-P8EE]
Filed under: 3rd party, Ballot issues, campaign 2008, election, Election 2008, elections, green, Green Party Websites, Green Presidential Campaign 2008, News, Political Websites, president, presidential, presidential race, progressive politics, Ralph Nader, rants, social & economic justice, third party, US Politics Tagged: | AP, cynthia mckinney, Mitch Weiss, Nader, Ross Perot
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