{news} NB HERALD- DOES A BROKEN 2 PARTY SYSTEM HAVE ROOM FOR MORE?

[Tim McKee]

09/14/2008
IN OUR VIEW: Does broken 2-party system have room for more?

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a former candidate for the 2008 Republican
presidential nomination, said last week, "the strongest message can be
sent by rejecting the two-party system, which in reality is a one-party
system with no possible chance for the changes to occur which are
necessary to solve our economic and foreign policy problems."

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He also called on his supporters to vote for one of the
non-establishment, "principled" candidates.

He made the appeal at a news conference with three third-party
candidates: independent Ralph Nader; former Georgia Democratic Rep.
Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate; and Chuck Baldwin, the
Constitution Party candidate. Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, was
invited but said at his own news conference later that he declined
because Paul didn't endorse one candidate.

In a campaign e-mail, Nader said of the gathering, "the coming together
of third-party candidates marks the beginning of the realignment of
American politics," though he added he didn't share many of the same
positions as the very conservative Paul.

According to The Associated Press, Paul called the presidential elections
a charade and said voters are faced with choosing the "lesser of two
evils."

He, himself, has refused to endorse GOP nominee John McCain.
"The idea," which Paul rejected, "was that he would do less harm than the
other candidate," Paul said.

The majority of Americans, about 60 percent, are unhappy with their
choices in the race, Paul said. He urged the three-third-party candidates
to bring all their supporters together to vote against the "establishment
candidates."
Frankly, we like the idea of a new party but, if we were creating one, we
would envision it as being "a big tent," as both the Republican and
Democratic parties were during the mid-20th century. We hate the
increasingly narrow partisanship of both of the major parties and would
love to see a group that was dedicated to uniting the many faces and
viewpoints that are America, of fostering leaders who could reach across
the political divide for the benefit of the country.

But we don't think that's what the current third party candidates are
trying to achieve.

Moreover, we saw the "spoiler" role that Ralph Nader was accused of
playing in the 2000 election and it concerns us. Nader, age 74, campaigns
for president as much to get his ideas heard as with any real expectation
of winning, but in a tight race he could again draw away enough votes to
determine the election.

Is that what his supporters want?

email:

letters at newbritainherald.com



******************************************
Tim McKee, Manchester CT, main number cell-860-778-1304, 860-643-2282
 National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT.
BLOG-http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com

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