Via RSS
Via Twitter
Although here in Indiana we do have a strong third party presence in the Libertarian party. It is worth noting that the presence of a strong third party can do wonders in shaping up the other two parties. If they see the 3rd party as a threat then bam, they start watching the p's and q's.So, we cannot change the two party system from the outside, we must work within the confines of the two-party straitjacket, and play by 'their rules' because that's just the way it is, but third parties are a veritable force in our politics, to which duopoly politicians strategically respond, and third party activism can work wonders!
Working Wonders
To paraphrase Hegel (paraphrasing Kant), duopoly ideology is a whole nest of casual contradictions. A post by Lydia Scott on the upcoming tea party protests at Campaign for Liberty asks: "Are we going to talk it or walk it?" meaning, "what are we going to do after April 15th?" She advocates continuing on with everyday organizational work, and then, under suggestion #5, writes: "Like it or not we have a two party system and the only way we are going to change that is from within. We are not going to change it from outside the system." The implication, then, would be that the only way to change government or policy for the better is by infiltration, and the usual ways and means of two-party politics, ostensibly because third party activism has little to no effect on the system itself, and is incapable of effecting change. Yet, in the very next sentence, she continues almost as an afterthought,
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
[Lydia Scott] advocates continuing on with everyday organizational work, and then, under suggestion #5, writes: "Like it or not we have a two party system and the only way we are going to change that is from within. We are not going to change it from outside the system."
It's exactly this type of attitude that undermines the success of independent, third-party challenges to the current duopoly. While challenging from within may be a viable approach for change, it certainly isn't the only one and it presents it's own unique hurdles to success.
I simply don't accept the conventional wisdom that says third-party politics are doomed to failure. If every voter that claims to want a different choice actually pulled the lever when it was available, we'd achieve true change. What keeps that from occurring? FEAR.
Fear of change keeps the two party system in business. Together, the duopoly parties deliver just enough change so that everything stays the same.
I suspect the Abilene paradox is also at work in the creation of this dynamic. From Wikipedia: "The Abilene paradox is a paradox in which a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group."
Post a Comment