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Politics

Poll Indicates That There is Record Demand For a Third Party

Matthew Feeney | 10.11.2013 1:30 PM

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Reason

For the first time in the history of Gallup's 10-year-old poll on Americans' attitudes towards third parties a majority of Democrats and Republicans believe that a third party is needed.

From Politico:

Americans have never been more eager for a third party in American politics as the government shutdown continues to generate record levels of frustration, according to a new poll.

Sixty percent believe Democrats and Republicans are doing such a poor job a third party is needed, according to a Gallup poll out Friday, a record high in the 10 years Gallup has polled on the question. Similarly, a record-low number of Americans — 26 percent — said the current two major parties adequately represent Americans.

The poll was released a day after it was announced that Robert Sarvis, the Libertarian Party's candidate for governor of Virgina, will not be taking part in the final gubernatorial debate.

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NEXT: Trucker "Ride for the Constitution" Beltway Protest Not as Big as Announced

Matthew Feeney is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute.

PoliticsPolicyPollsRepublican PartyDemocratic Party
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  1. fish_remote   12 years ago

    GO AHEAD…VOTE FOR A THIRD PARTY….YOU’RE JUST WASTING YOUR VOTE!!

    /kodos

    1. Hugh Akston   12 years ago

      The least you could do is get the quote right.

      1. fish_remote   12 years ago

        You’re right Hugh….I am properly shamed!

        I feel just like Perots hat!

  2. anon   12 years ago

    What that poll doesn’t say is that those same idiots probably want the third party to be the Communist Party.

    1. Some call me Tim?   12 years ago

      This. There certainly is no agreement on what the platform of that party would look like.

      I imagine the plurality is for something very “populist,” and overflowing with free shit.

      1. anon   12 years ago

        I imagine the plurality is for something very “populist,” and overflowing with free shit.

        Much like my in-law’s septic tank, they’ve just been fed too much shit.

      2. Jon Lester   12 years ago

        It can’t happen here…

        …or maybe it can. The sequel to “The Purge” just might be out soon enough influence the midterms…

      3. GroundTruth   12 years ago

        My first reaction was similar “It sure won’t be a libertarian group”.

        But maybe we can become the fourth significant party, then all four corners of the spectrum would be covered.

    2. Rhywun   12 years ago

      Yeah, the poll seems kind of meaningless as is. “We want TEAM C!” doesn’t really tell us anything.

      1. BakedPenguin   12 years ago

        I wonder if the people polled are also angry.

  3. Hugh Akston   12 years ago

    I’d be satisfied with a second party.

    1. The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc   12 years ago

      I’d be satisfied with a second zero parties.

  4. Palin's Buttplug   12 years ago

    Hey, how about the Libertarian Party? Remember them?

    1. fish_remote   12 years ago

      Hi Blockage…how’s life in the basement been treating you?

  5. alan_s   12 years ago

    ” a majority of Democrats and Republicans believe that a third party is needed.”

    Well, gee whiz, if only those sorts of things existed.

  6. The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc   12 years ago

    So which Team has more devout believers in the party? Democrats of Republicans?

    Which is to ask is a Democrat or a Republican more likely to vote or support a third-party if that party is more representative of their needs?

    I tend to view most Democrats/liberals as having a deep-seated hatred of third parties since they’ve convinced themselves that Ralph Nader gave Bush the election in 2000.

    1. jesse.in.mb   12 years ago

      A professor made a comment about Nader stealing votes from the Dems and a friend of mine immediately put the prof in her place with “He didn’t STEAL my vote, I gave it to him because I thought the other options were shitty.”

      1. Mr. Soul   12 years ago

        those shitty options are why we need a turd party.

      2. General Butt Naked   12 years ago

        Substitute Johnson for Nader and that could of been Professor Tulpa (red-bo for those who don’t know who that is).

  7. Hillary's Clitdong   12 years ago

    The Republicans don’t care about me, and the Democrats are too friendly to the damn Mexicans. We need a party which combines Nationalism and Socialism, and is actually friendly to American workers. We need a National Socialist American Workers’ Party.

    /populist

    1. Endless Mike   12 years ago

      The National Socialist Federation of Workers! Google us!

  8. Hyperion   12 years ago

    Well, we effectively have one party now. The Purple Proglodytes.

    Now, let’s get the LP going (formally known as the GOP) and get down to the final battle of good and evil, which will be fought on a plain somewhere in the middle east between the Libertarians and the Proglodytes.

    1. Floridian   12 years ago

      I would follow you into the heart of Mordor.

    2. The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc   12 years ago

      I thought the final battle between Libertarians and Proglodytes will take place on an alien world where each side is given three champions to fight to the death.

      Team Libertarian will get Rothbard, Ayn Rand, and Drew Carey while the Proglodytes get Hitler, Stalin, and Barbara Streisand.

      1. Sevo   12 years ago

        “Barbara Streisand.”

        Oh, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

      2. LynchPin1477   12 years ago

        Mecha Streisand or regular Streisand?

      3. E. Zachary Knight   12 years ago

        Can we trade Drew Carey for Penn Jillette? I think Penn would be way better in a fight.

        1. Old Man With Candy   12 years ago

          Nah, he’d just do something like pour a milkshake over his own head.

        2. LynchPin1477   12 years ago

          Carey has that Marine training, and he’s slimmed down a lot.

  9. Reverend Jim Jones   12 years ago

    They tell Mr. Pollster this, but every election something like 85-90% of incumbents get re-elected…Me thinks someone mishandle truth.

  10. Hyperion   12 years ago

    While I agree with those who say that eventually the country will split apart sort of like the old USSR did, I was reading a secession article somewhere yesterday and the comments from so called freedom minded conservatives really cracked me up. One of them was something like:

    Let’s form our own country where people can be free! And no tolerance for pot users, and no one with tatoos!

    Wow, what a freedom lover that guy is.

    1. Floridian   12 years ago

      Well yeah. Those aren’t people. Duh!

    2. Hillary's Clitdong   12 years ago

      Also, no fags! Wouldn’t want a pair of high-income guys with no kids messing up our conservatopia with all their gay sex and Appletinis.

      1. jesse.in.mb   12 years ago

        I’m offended. Appletinis!?

        We bring you bottomless mimosa/bloody mary brunches and all you can remember is that one time in the late ’90s that we thought appletinis were fun?

        1. Pelosi's Accommodator   12 years ago

          Wait, that was y’all? Well, suck my cock.

        2. fish_remote   12 years ago

          …all you can remember is that one time in the late ’90s that we thought appletinis were fun?

          Well Jesse….you know what they say…drink one appletini and you’re labeled for life.

          1. jesse.in.mb   12 years ago

            I only ever had a sip of a coworker’s!

            I didn’t inhale!

            Look over there! Chris Martin and Gwenyth Paltrow named their child Apple Martin…one vowel off from apple martini.

            *runs from the room while f_r is distracted*

            1. JW   10 years ago

              Look, we don’t blame the Cosmo on homos, so you’re still in the clear.

      2. Acosmist   12 years ago

        A pair is about all there would be – homosexuality is barely a blip on the radar. Of COURSE such a dysgenic predilection is not going to be common. Question is why so many people think it is, enough to give a crap about it.

        1. jesse.in.mb   12 years ago

          I just hate when things are dysgenic. We need more of the opposite…I’ll call them EUgenics. That’s the ticket.

          EUGENICS NOW, DYSGENICS NEVER!

          I’ll get the poster board, you get the giant permanent markers and the sparkly paint!

    3. LynchPin1477   12 years ago

      Don’t forget about Muslims. And probably Hindus. They’re basically just vegetarian Muslims, anyway. Well, they can come, but only if they do what I say!

  11. John Galt   12 years ago

    The one thing Republicans and Democrats agree on is libertarian thinkers have no place in their parties.

    1. Agile Cyborg   12 years ago

      Human nature embraces the overwhelming desire to rule and be ruled. Libertarians desire not to be ruled or rule others which makes them social and political eunuchs. Libertarians are impotent and amusing. I consider this unfortunate but representative of reality, sadly.

  12. LynchPin1477   12 years ago

    Poll Indicates That There is Record Demand For a Third Party Nebulous Idea Onto Which People Can Project Their Own Political and Ideological Goals

    FTFY

  13. Too_Big_to_Fail   12 years ago

    Just read, and participated in, a rare civil comment thread on a Yahoo! news article with several other people advocating for more Libertarian support. Took a lot longer for the Derp to gain traction since it was conservative bashing TEAM RED. It was big ‘L’ libertarian cheer leading so I guess it could be mostly TEAM butthurt, but still kinda fun.

  14. Rich   12 years ago

    How about the “FYTW Party”? The honesty and crudeness that modern Americans crave. Its adherents will be known as, of course, “Fuckers”.

  15. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    You know who else started a third party?

    1. Ted S.   12 years ago

      Frank Stronach?

    2. Gadianton   12 years ago

      Jimmy McMillan?

  16. Brian   12 years ago

    Great. Good luck petitioning our dear leaders to switch us over to a multi-party system. There’s no political incentive for that.

  17. JeremyR   12 years ago

    The “third party” would simply be a centrist party, full of RINOs like McCain and what moderate Democrats are left.

    1. Agile Cyborg   12 years ago

      McCain iS truly a coffin dildo. Mod dems are the tin-ashes.

  18. Robert   12 years ago

    Usu. what people wind up wishing for or supporting (sometimes actually) is a political party that’s not political?& then it can’t get anything done.

  19. Jimoxe   12 years ago

    Don’t forget the Republicans started as a third party in 1856, fielding The “Pathfinder” John C. Fremont as their candidate. And their ranks swelled after that with ex-Whigs tired of compromising on slavery, along with abolishionists and free soilers. Northern democrats joined in too, when they saw their constituents were anti slavery and favored a protective tarrif. The issues today are just as divisive. When enough Republicans get sick of their leaders caving on debt and defict, and dems and indies grow weary of high taxes and regulation, we will have a viable base to mount a third party challenge to the beltway insiders.

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