Political Crossfire Forums

[Eclectic]

This thread is intended to serve as a discussion board for strategy ideas and campaign coordination that will rely on independent voters and third parties working together.

ALL Political Party HQ members are welcome to post their ideas, suggestions, or even criticisms, but are not permitted to post with the intention of disrupting or upsetting the discussion, or its participants. This restriction is already present in the forum, and violations of it are considered “Trolling.”

Although, many posters in this particular thread, may desire to see misfortune come upon another political party, that attitude does not represent the intention or desire of the original poster of this thread.

I do not wish to see, or cause, the fall of any political party. I feel strongly that since the first political party was born, multiple parties should be encouraged to partake in government proceedings. Despite, what some individuals will have you believe, there is something to be gained by EVERYONE with the presence of more political parties and viable candidates. Having viable alternatives is what will release us, as United States citizens, from being forced to support a candidate or political party that does not represent our overall will. The United States was founded on the principle of diversity, and that diversity is our greatest strength. We only have more to gain from different perspectives. Compromise and compassion are the key elements of a successful government that accurately represents the people.

Whether you are a “right-wing extremist”, a “left-wing radical”, or none of the above, YOU, as an American, deserves and are entitled to equal representation. No one should interpret the effort to put more choices on the ballots in future elections, as being anything other than an attempt to improve the United States government.

From religious practitioners to atheists, we all have the right to be acknowledged and represented. True equality, is only achieved when we achieve a compromise. We can all find common ground on any issue, as long as we are willing to work together and compromise, and that’s what this thread about.

Thank You,

Eclectic

[Eclectic]

Independent Voters and Third Parties Unite!

You can help induce a bipartisan presidency by voting for a third party in the next Presidential Election.

This strategy has many parts; but first, let’s go over a few things you need to know…

The Electoral College is a group of electorates that are given the ultimate power to cast a state’s votes for whichever candidate they choose. The policies differ from state to state, but the usual is that all of a state’s Electoral votes go to the candidate that wins the majority of the votes in that state. Regardless of whether a candidate wins by 1 vote, or a few thousand, they receive all of that state’s Electoral votes.

There are 538 Electoral Votes possible, and a candidate must receive a majority (270 votes) to win the presidency.

FAQ’s from the Electoral College wrote: What happens if no presidential candidate gets 270 electoral votes?

If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each State delegation has one vote. The Senate would elect the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. Each Senator would cast one vote for Vice President. If the House of Representatives fails to elect a President by Inauguration Day, the Vice-President Elect serves as acting President until the deadlock is resolved in the House.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html#270

It is only necessary for an independent or third party candidate to win a single state in order to prevent either of the two popular parties from being able to gain the 270 votes they need to win the presidency. As explained above, this could result in a bipartisan presidency, which is the first step towards an independent or third party candidate winning the presidency.

Okay, now what you need to do…

The first step is voting in the Senatorial and House of Representatives Election, in 2006. Right now, the Republican Party controls all three branches of government. That needs to change because no single party should control the entire government, anyway. Since Democrats are the only ones with a reasonable chance of winning a political election on the Federal level, we will have to focus on helping them gain control of either the Senate or the House. I recommend the Senate; it’s just the most likely.

We will also have to be careful not to allow the Democrats to take control of both the Senate and the House.

Okay, as outlined above, if neither the Democratic or Republican candidates receive 270 electoral votes, they cannot win the presidency and the vote will then go to Congress. The House of Representatives will vote for President and the Senate will vote for Vice President. Since the Republicans control both, the outcome, as things stand now, would be Republican President and Vice President. If we can get the Senate back into the hands of the Democrats and keep the House in the hands of the Republicans, and an independent or third party can manage to win enough electoral votes to prevent the Democrats and Republicans from winning 270 electoral votes, we will likely have a bipartisan presidency.

(note: if an independent or third party candidate seems to have a reasonable chance of winning in your state, strongly consider voting for them, but not at the cost of allowing the Republicans to hold control... and don't forget that it is important that the Democrats do not gain control of both the Senate and the House)

We need to focus on a “SWING STATE,” otherwise it won’t work. California, for instance would be an easy state for an independent to win, but the Democrats always win California so it wouldn’t affect the election other than help the Republicans, as independent and third parties are already blamed for doing. The independent or third party candidate, or candidates, need to focus on two or three states. The first that come to mind are: Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Hampshire, and maybe Illinois… I welcome any other suggestions also.

We have to focus on an independent or third party candidate winning a “SWING STATE” for this to work!

This will do a few things; one is that it will reduce the amount of funding needed for the campaigns. Democrats and Republicans will have to focus on a nationwide election and independent and third parties will be able to focus their efforts on a few isolated states. This will give us an advantage and make it more possible that we will have an effect on the election. No American President has ever been elected by the “people” and this is a first step towards changing that. Once we have a bipartisan presidency, the public will start to realize the positive effects independent and third parties can have. It will also bring more attention to the reality that they can win electoral votes.

(This is not about an independent or third party winning, this is about them working together to take the first step at improving the system. Remember, with an “all or nothing” attitude, you are most likely to end up with the latter.)

Independent candidates have already proven that they can win electoral votes in the past. In 1912, 1948, 1960, and 1968, independent candidates won electoral votes. This can happen again, only with the assistance of a better strategy, it can make real changes take place in our government.


YOU, ME, INDEPENDENT, and THIRD PARTIES can make a difference, and for real this time!

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Here, everyone's voice counts. If you do not agree with this strategy, please feel free to post your own, or an adjustment to this one.

The first goal is to take a step towards bringing balance back into our government by supporting the Democratic Party in regaining enough seats to have a majority in the Senate; even Democrats should support that idea.