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Louis Buccino

Founder & Managing Member, Applicate LLC

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The US is in need of a legitimate and enduring third political party to combat the inertia and polemics of our current two-party system.

The current system has become strictly polarized, new ideas are stagnant, most debate is extremely partisan; solutions are unimaginative, leadership is questionable, progress is illusive.

A third or other additional parties might generate new ideas, prompt progressive debates and generally energize the largely unproductive, blame-seeking political process.

Current third party movements appear to be splinter and often extremist partitions of the current parties rather than new, unattached and wholly independent thought/policy platforms.

There is room for more than traditional liberal and conservative approaches, with Democratic and Republican umbilical cords, and existing PAC/special interest purse strings.

Topics: Political platforms
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    Walter Radtke

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    Oct 3 2011: I dunno about that. Parliamentary systems haven't given European politics an edge as far as I can see. 3rd parties have come and gone often and, at least in the US, they don't seem able to crack the two party meme even though they try. the Green Party and Peace and Freedom Party are on the ballot every election year but they don't do well. I think that our primary system allows the testing by election of the winability of a particular faction within an existing party. If a splinter group can't win a primary, then how can it win the general election?
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    Phil Murphy

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    Oct 3 2011: Hopefully the third party will get in power and start from scratch with a zero-based budget - everything must be justified to be funded. Education, police and fire (security) and a strong national defense come first everything else should be revisited - especially the money we spend propping up governments around the world. The world needs a police force, but it should not be us/US. We have a role in it as should all other nations, but we are not it.
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    Bill Harrison 10+

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    Oct 3 2011: The unspoken backdrop here is how the Green Party splintered the liberal vote and got George W. Bush, the single worst thing to ever happen to America, into office.

    Would the system be better if there was some sort of instant run-off voting as suggested by Ralph Nader? Sure, why not.
    http://www.tree.org/instant.htm

    But until that happens, it does not make sense to vote for a third party, when neither it nor your second best alternative will win as a result of you voting for it.
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    Krisztián Pintér 200+

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    TED Translator
    Oct 3 2011: i happily present you these american parties:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_the_United_States#Major_Third_Parties

    the only reason they are not anywhere near the government, the senate, the congress or local governments is they don't get votes. it seems american citizens don't want actual change.
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