The words of Irish poet William Butler Yeats in his poem, The Second Coming, have an eerie resonance for American politics today. "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold... The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand."
In an environment of unprecedented political gridlock in Washington and broad-based dissatisfaction with the leading candidates of both parties, 2012 may finally be the year when an independent candidate becomes president of the United States. For the first time in our nation's history, popular dissatisfaction with both parties is reinforced by the existence of serious bipartisan organizations that will facilitate the effort of a non-aligned national figure to become president. Because of these two factors, the opportunity to mobilize what Tom Friedman calls "the radical center" has never been greater. Indeed, "some revelation is at hand".
The extent of voter dismay in America is astounding. According to an October 2011 Pew Research poll, only 11% of us are content with the federal government. In a 1958 National Election Study, 73% of Americans said that they "always" or "mostly" trusted the government to do the right thing. In contrast, in a New York Times/CBS poll taken in late October, only 10% of those polled expressed the same faith.
With respect to the presidential options, voters are also extremely dissatisfied. According to Gallup last month, 47% of all voters and 58% of independents disapprove of President Obama overall, contrasted with only 17% disapproval in 2009. The news is not better for the Republicans, where according to a Washington Post/ABC poll taken in late October, 54% of all voters disapprove of the party. Following the failure of the debt negotiations over the summer, 66% of independent voters disapproved of the GOP.
Both parties have lost support because of the gridlock caused by ideological divisions. According to a report on Senate voting records in The National Journal, in 1982 there were 23 centrist Republicans and 35 centrist Democrats who often worked together on legislation. In contrast, in 2010 there are none, with the publication reporting, "... Ben Nelson, the most moderate Democrat, produced a record slightly to the left of George Voinoivich, the most moderate Republican".
With this state of our politics, it is not a surprise that 61% of all voters and 74% of independent voters in a recent Washington Post/ABC poll said they are ready to vote for a third party candidate in 2012. For the first time, 52% of Republicans share this view. This is significant because in 1992, according to Pew Research, only 12% of voters expressed a desire for a third party candidate. In that race, Ross Perot garnered 19% of the vote. Importantly, according to New York Times exit polls, Perot's vote would have been 36% if voters believed that he had an infrastructure to govern commensurate with the established parties.
The message is clear: as politicians become more partisan and less effective at governing, the electorate is ready for a radical restructure of our election system itself. Voters are refusing to be held hostage to the self-interests of either party. Thankfully, in true American fashion, our civic society has built the tools to meet the challenge; for the first time in our history, the means exist to level the electoral playing field for an independent candidate.
A not-for-profit organization, called Americans Elect is establishing ballot access in all 50 states for the candidates for president and vice president in 2012 who will be nominated directly by the people in an online nominating process. The sophisticated website of Americans Elect allows registered voters a revolutionary new way to nominate a bipartisan ticket to occupy the White House. To date, the website has over 300,000 delegates, more than 50 times the number that participate in both the Democratic and Republican Party conventions (in full disclosure, I sit on the Leadership Board for Americans Elect).
Many other bipartisan organizations have emerged over the past three years to give support and strength to any qualified independent candidate. No Labels is a political organization of Republicans, Democrats and Independents working on the grassroots level to support bipartisan and pragmatic politicians and polices. The group has 180,000 members and on December 13th is holding an open meeting at the Capital to unveil a comprehensive congressional action plan. Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, is leading a movement of business leaders and political donors to end the hyper-partisanship in Washington that could be the bedrock of financing for a viable independent, bipartisan, ticket for 2012.
Simply, both the political environment and the tools are in place for a total disintermediation of our political duopoly. If activated, the "radical center" is bigger and stronger than all the vested interests and the extremists in the political parties, in the media, in the streets and in the guts of Washington. All that is needed is for them to mobilize with "passionate intensity". The way is open for ordinary citizens to reject the options that our dysfunctional party system offers and go online to nominate the people who we think are most qualified to be president and vice president. It is time to change the way Washington works by transforming the way that Washington is elected. Act now to change America!
Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of EL Rothschild, LLC and the co-Chair of the "Better Values, Better Markets" Task Force at the Henry Jackson Society in London. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and at Ldereport.com.
Follow Lynn Forester de Rothschild on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LdeRothschild
Peter D. Rosenstein: End the Obscene Amounts of Money in Campaigns
 |
 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
"The Slick Shtick of Americans Elect"
http://politics.salon.com/2011/12/09/the_slick_schtick_of_americans_elect/
http://warisacrime.org/content/why-iceland-should-be-news-not
"...To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens."
Until that happens, I'll vote for the Democrats. Voting for an Independent only drains votes from Democrats and risks putting Republicans in office. Lumping Democrats with the GOP is a false equivalency because Dems, especially the progressive caucus, still make an effort to do the right thing. The GOP openly oppose doing anything that would help the country. Their philosophy runs counter to that ideal. For them it's their party over all other considerations.
http://www.petition2congress.com/5656/abolish-disband-112th-congress-establish-new-elections/
Run for Congress in your hometown congressional district.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Start with 100 people you know who will support you.
2. Recruit them by pledging “I Will Not Take Corporate or Special Interest PAC Campaign Money.”
3. Set up a webpage that lists the “First 100 Supporters”
4. Each of the first 100 supporters recruits 10 friends, who are linked to the person who recruited them on the webpage. They become the “First 1,000.” Each of them recruits 10 more, etc.
5. At a predetermined point, say when you reach 100,000 supporters, everybody donates $25.00. Once. When new people come on they each donate $25.00. Once.
6. Depending on you and your district, you might run in the Republican or Democrat primary, or not.
Some advantages:
This idea -- JUST SAY NO TO THE MONEY -- will recruit supporters from across the political spectrum who want their lawmakers to construct pragmatic, evidence-based solutions.
The webpage connects people in small groups who know each other. Policy ideas can bubble up. People can remind each other to vote. Everybody can see how big the network is.
The webpage is your defense against negative ads and misinformation.
The webpage is also how your supporters can monitor your actions and integrity after you are elected!
William Fabricius
William.fabricius@asu.edu
Get money out of Washington and politics in general. Start equating taxation with patriotism, and tax capital gains at the same rate as income. Get corporations to pay their fair share and repatriate their offshore tax havens or strip them of their U.S. corporate status.
And let's start pushing for a real Progressive third party. Let's reclaim the word "liberal" as a virtue and not an epithet. I would love to see some of the members of the Progressive Caucus in the House and a few high-profile Senators (and would-be Senators like Elizabeth Warren) break from the Democrats and stop compromising their values.
Enough is enough.
Usually the interperations has been on the side of freedom or to meet needs of a chnaging world... until recently under a more Business owned Repub court, with a Corporations are poeple ruling over thowing 2 hundred years of rulings and the right to imminent doman now aooplying to taking of private property for Corporate use, not public use such as school or highway. And then there was the reducing of the award of 5 billion on Exxon Valdez oil spill to just 500 million, overturning 20 years of jury verdicts, not even a constitutional question...not an excessive word...Just pro Business by this conservative court.. maybe its more more business than conservative.
Regards
The GOP candidates are horrible, but despite the accolates some give Ron Paul, I don't think he's strong enough - either as a GOP candidate or a third party candidate.
Obama/Biden 2012
And if you have grid lock now, just wait to till you have repubs, dems in Congress and an independent WH... given the nature of the filibuster and that who has the majorities in Congress, controls all committees and every single process( except letting a majority vote in the senate)....
The differences are the greatest they have been between the parties since 1929.
Some may think they should even be greater and preach they are the same... but thats is just so absurd.
ONE Party is for healthcare reform of an already dead system, re regulating the failed finanical system, min wages, medicare, .soc security, VA,re industrialization, HS rail, green energy, clean air and water, civil raights, equal pay, prochoice, balanced deficis reduction apporach with higher top tax bracket(vs repubs wanting the very rich tax rates cut to just 2%!!!!!!- no cap gain and dividend tax rates), against Corps as people with unlimited influence....
Repubs for going back pre 1900, pre middlelclass, pre child labor laws, the era of the robber barons owning the government and setting up for another great depression.
Repubs are for supreme court judges that gave us corporations as people, government right to take your property not for just a Public use, but for a corporate us... and will take a way a wmens right to chose and now heading toward even the right to take the pill.
Regards
Its us. The repubs showed up at townhall meetings over healthcare,not progressives.
True, we got what more moderate and every repub till 2009 helathcare had run under, but with some cost controls... but thats the best that has been done since 1965!! .. As long as we get 41% voter turnrnout. and until americans get educated, we cant get A medicare for all, we will be lucky to keep meidcare or soc sec.
Its not John Mccain finanical reform, he voted against it and every repub is against it, any reform... and wants to undo what little is left.
Yep more immigrants have been deported. The law like under Clinton is being enforced and at the workplace/employers.. as it should be until reform is passed as opposed to allowing more in to become second class citizens/docile workers, used by Corporate america and repubs to enhance their race to the bottom....
The extention of patriot act was passed by Congress, get more people to vote..who arent scarity cat repubs...who live in fear of everything!
Regards