Could this be an example of an idea whose time has not come — or may never come the way our political system and the thirst for politics that also doubles as anger-funneling entertainment is set up? American’s Elect has, in effect, thrown in the election towel. From an email (also is on this URL).
Statement by Americans Elect
May 17, 2012
There is a desire among Delegates and millions of Americans who have supported Americans Elect to see a credible candidate emerge from this process.However, the rules, as developed in consultation with the Americans Elect Delegates, are clear. As of this week, no candidate achieved the national support threshold required to enter the Americans Elect Online Convention in June. The primary process for the Americans Elect nomination has come to an end.
Americans Elect, from the outset, has been a rules-based process, with the rules publicly available and open to debate by the Delegates. Our key priorities have been to: 1) honor the trust Americans Elect has built with the Delegates and American public; 2) require candidates to earn the nomination by building support among the Americans Elect Delegate community and American voters; and 3) create a basis for a solid future for the Americans Elect movement.
This decision honors these priorities.
Through the efforts of thousands of staffers, volunteers and leadership, Americans Elect has achieved its operational goals, including:
· Creating a pathway for nationwide ballot access for a balanced presidential ticket
unaffiliated with the nominating process of either major party to compete in the
2012 race;
· Building the technological platform for the first nonpartisan secure national online
primary at AmericansElect.org;
· Attracting a significant base of more than 4 million supporters, including Delegates,
petition signers and volunteers;
· Educating the national and local media on the Americans Elect mission; and
· Finishing an extensive candidate briefing program involving more than 100
potential candidates.As always, we thank everyone who has helped build this organization and are grateful for the work, efforts, and trust so many people have placed in Americans Elect. We are continuing the Americans Elect mission of creating more choice in our political system, giving candidates unaffiliated with the nominating process of either major party an authentic way to run for office and giving the American people a greater voice in our political process.
I’ve always been one who has mixed feelings on third parties. I lived in India and post-Franco Spain, plus I visited and stayed briefly in Great Britain. Additionally, my favorite courses at Colgate University were the comparative politics courses (political science courses about other political systems) taught by my favorite professor, Dr. Marcus Franda. I’ve been fascinated with countries that had a wide variety of parties.
But without going into detail in this post as a student of American politics it seems clear our system is rigged against third parties. On top of that you have to add our current political culture where the center and bipartisanship are under attack and the fact that you need a charismatic, sound bite getting candidate who can get widespread new and old media attention to spark and communicate excitement so that policies and political personality override American’s reluctance to vote for a party that isn’t a D or R.
And, today, any third party candidate will have to have it in him or her to compete with America’s talk radio political culture where the worst sin is stopping to think and weigh or to say “on the other hand.” This is a factor that is often not taken into an account. The personality will be important to attain the goal.
There most likely IS a third party in America’s future that can be successful. But it will take (1) a special personality coupled with (2) tons of money in this Citizen’s United polity world, (4) solid ideas and (5) disgust with the two major political parties.
We know the last of those factors is already there. As is the need for another party. Now — if Americans want it — they can fill in the rest of the blanks.
The lingering question is whether they really, truly, honestly want to…
OF RELATED INTEREST: THREE MUST READ AND BOOKMARK websites by people who are serious students of third parties and independent voters:
John Avlon (whose book Independent Nation is a classic)
Resurrecting Democracy
The Hankster
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.