INTRODUCTION: From my studies in Political Science it is not hard to understand that the United States political system is dominated by two political parties; the Republican Party, and the Democratic party. This is known as a two-party system, the definition of a two party name is evident from the name. A two party system functions on two parties, much like United States politics this is confusing because more than two parties are allowed to compete in elections. In America, any party outside of Democrats or Republicans is referred to a “Third Party”. My research paper will focus around one of the third parties, The Libertarian party. This paper will set up necessary knowledge through an exploration of the ideals of the party, and where …show more content…
A small amount of the core ideals of libertarians has changed. According to the current Libertarian Party website; “We seek a world of liberty; the world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.” This party is notorious for values that are socially liberal, and economically conservative. This platform has also been referred to as neoliberalism. The United States Libertarian party focuses on personal liberty, self-ownership, privacy, economic liberty, free markets, protected environments, strong national defense, and minimal war actions. The LP is supportive of gay rights, gun rights, pro-life ideals. They stand against labor unions; universal health care, restricted markets, government surveillance of citizens, and government provided security. Libertarians like to think of themselves as defensive whenever it comes to foreign policy, and to refrain from attacking unless they are …show more content…
This puts into perspective the disparity that Republicans and Democrats hold against other parties, it would be huge for a third party to get one percent of the vote. He discusses the importance that the Libertarians get at least one percent of the vote because it would help them break through a large barrier. This article concludes by saying that the LP has a good chance of breaking the typical third party barrier. They have the most support as a third party, and among others, they do the best in all
Everybody knows all about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at this point, but with these two candidates failing to satisfy the American people, more citizens are beginning to look towards using their votes for other candidates, rather than supporting the lesser of two evils. With so many people losing faith in both their candidates and their political parties, it is important that the public know all about the two leading third party candidates, namely Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. They experience reasonable success considering their lack of media exposure and mainstream appeal, and this can be attributed to their relevant and well thought out platforms. Stein and Johnson share a fair amount of common
Despite being the constant underdog and loser in major elections third parties make some significant contribution to the political spectrum in the United States. Third Party Agendas are taken serious by the Democratic and Republican Parties and specific pieces of the Third Party Agendas are sometimes adopted by the two major parties. Third parties give discontented voters other alternatives. The Republican and Democratic Parties have been known to operate in similar styles and third parties give the voter the opportunity to express their discontent. The third parties in the United States are policy advocates and often are more specific about were they stand ideologically. Often the Republican and Democratic Parties try and take a moderate
Third parties offer voters an alternative to the same two parties that run in the presidential election every four years, often with more concrete goals and views, yet there has never been successful third party candidate. For over one and a half centuries, the Republicans and Democrats have held a duopoly over the United States government (Diamond 2015). People have been growing more and more frustrated in their government and the two parties, so why haven’t third-party candidates gained any ground in the political sphere?
When Johnson turns on the news he feels like he is watching a drama tv show and not real things actually happening in the world. He wants to see innovation now, not only in the future. Johnsons says he feels that the government system as is, is failing. The way the election has been going is just continuing attacks on the other party, not getting anything of importance done. Johnsons states, “There is a need for a third party”. He believes that the favor for a third party is at the greatest hight it's ever been. Johnson wants the Libertarian Party to become a major party, however becoming a major party will take lots of resources and time. Johnson specifies,“Libertarian party: a group that has the right ideas and the right practices that represent most americans.” He continues saying that the definition of the libertarian party sounds like a Major Party to
Libertarian conservatism is very different. Libertarianism sees liberty as a priority over all other values, and many conservative ideas are libertarian in that they support the greatest possible economic liberty and the least possible regulation of social life. Libertarian conservatism differs from liberalism as it advocates these values alongside a more conservative social philosophy based on authority and duty. This is linked to the ideas of Edmund Burke.
In order to participate in major elections, third parties must first overcome a myriad of obstacles that have been put in place by both the founding fathers and politicians of our current two-party system. Rosenstone and his colleagues contend that the most important barrier in place to discourage the success of third parties is the plurality single-member districts that are the cornerstone of the American electoral process. Not only do single-member districts elect only one member to higher office, but they also allow such elections to occur without an electoral majority. If voters know that a third party is unlikely to receive a substantial amount of votes, they may believe a vote for the party would be a wasted vote. This requirement for a plurality of votes is especially detrimental for a third party presidential campaign, due to the fact that the Electoral College distributes electoral votes to the winner of each statewide vote (excluding Nebraska and Maine), and the only plausible way for a third party candidate to receive any electoral votes is to be extremely popular in a certain region of the United States. Unlike the two major
“It is a natural evolution of our mass consciousness to begin to see third parties as a viable option; it is reflected in the corrupt and broken two-party system.” Michelle Augello-Page, an author and writer, uses this quote to speak to the frustration Americans feel about the two-party political system. Since the 1850’s, the Democrats and Republicans have received the majority of the popular vote, while third party candidates struggle election after election (Schechter). The two major party candidates don’t always speak to the issues many Americans want to be addressed. Therefore, Americans must consider voting for third party candidates to ensure democracy works for everyone.
It is defined as a system where two major political parties dominate voting at nearly all elections that take place and the elected members form part of either party. The two major Parties in America are the Democrats and Republicans. The arrangement is such that all the parties who are elected form part of wither parties and it is very rare that a third party win any seat in the legislature. There are three types of third parties. These are the single issue, the candidate driven and the ideological. The single issue is made up of the peace and freedom and the independent party. The candidate driven is built up of the reform, Bull Moose and the green. The libertarian and socialist form part of the ideological party.
Very rarely do third party candidates poll more than 10 percent but Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, is doing just that (Russonello). The Libertarian party as a whole has seen a recent rise in recent elections with Gary Johnson being the first third party candidate to be on the ballot in all 50 states in 20 years (Tau). Despite the general public confusion on them their ideology is quite simple. The general idea is that Libertarians are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Britannica defines Libertarians as, “classical liberals who strongly emphasize the individual right to liberty.” (Encyclopedia Britannica). It is ultimately about giving people the liberty to do what they want without hurting other people.
The case studies, Perot and Nader, give historical context to the persistent necessity of third parties. Their third-party campaigns changed American political history through the reasons they arose, the effects they have, and their lasting impacts. Perot presented alternative views and issues in a race that was seen as “politics-as-usual”(Toner). Nader presented himself as an oddity in a race that lacked clear contrast between the two major candidates, “a vote for Gore, is a vote for Bush.” Perot’s campaign can be credited with focusing national attention on the national deficit, forcing the two parties to adapt and develop their own agendas. Nader's campaign can be credited with changing history by splitting the Democratic vote and indirectly
America is vastly known as a country boundlessly pursuing equality in all facets of life. In this seemingly endless quest for equal opportunity, there has been one lurking negation; our election system. The addition to equal representation in public funding and on the ballot will create variability and allow Americans to entrust their vote in a political format that more closely aligns with democratic philosophy. Therefore, a shift away from a bipartisan, a two party, dominated election system would not only be a healthy change for American electoral satisfaction, but for the future of third party politics. Unfortunately affluence and inherent wealth have played a large role in this divide between a true democratic election and our present biased, broken, and benyne system.
Once the libertarian party goes camping they set up rather quickly exactly one main rule that reads: ‘every member will follow their own desires and allow others to do the same.’ Members agree with their only policy until they realize that what they want directly interferes with the desires of others. One member wants to set up kindle for a fire, another use the wood for structure for settlements, and yet another wants wooden fishing rods. No one desires to get wood.
One of the first thing an individual will notice by looking at this site is the party’s slogan, “The Party of the People: Minimal Government, Maximum Freedom.” Since this party has gained more traction in this election than in recent years, their homepage contains an abundant amount of information on the party as well as news sources regarding the Libertarian Party. The first page also includes an Libertarian Party Poll where visitors of the website can poll which candidate they are supporting and the party that they identify
Today’s economy centers itself around the political parties today that are created with the intent of efficiently demonstrating the many shared opinions of thousands of individuals across the United States. Among them all, the two parties that attract the most attention are Democrats and Republicans who are often seen constantly creating tension among each other and campaigning/competing for political control in our country. But there are other parties such as third or minor parties whom are denied chances to express their views. These parties are considered minors in the increasingly competitive environment of the United States. From a public standpoint, minor/ third parties are considered less attractive because they are formed with the intent
Third parties in America address major issues and facts which most of the primary political parties in United States often ignores (Rosenstone, Behr and Lazarus). Therefore, in a nutshell, third parties in America are very significant, and their absence would hugely impact the American politics. Their presence to ensure that the major political in America do not violate the right of the