Time for Change: Why We Need a Third Party

Author:: Joshua Barnett

What The Government Wants

Since the formation of The United States presidents, representatives, and citizens alike have been stating that the people are the ones in charge. When I look at a two party system I have to disagree with that. Can things really be that black and white to us Americans that we still choose to have our views clustered into the form of a donkey or an elephant? Do we really want just a two party system where we are forced to vote for candidates most deem not suitable?

How many people honestly would say a two party system actually represents all their views. Sure we may agree on certain issues of one party over another but certain issues we still feel pulled to the opposing party. Many countries have ended the two party systems and for good reason too. It allows for a better voice of the people to be heard. Many Americans agree that we need an independent party and would choose a third party if the option was open.

"But wait!" you may say, "There are third parties." Yes, you are right; we do have some third parties. Unfortunately the last time an independent third party member came anywhere close to winning an election was in 1912 when Former President Teddy Roosevelt took advantage of a split in the Republican Party. He only came out with 27% of the popular vote and only 88 of the electoral votes. Due to him running under a third party the Republican candidate lost allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the election instead.


Year	Presidential Candidate	Party	% of Popular Vote	Electoral Votes
1832	John Floyd	Nulifier	0%	11/286
1832	William Wirt	Anti-Masonic	7%	7/286
1848	Martin Van Buren	Free Soil	10%	0/290
1856	Millard Fillmore	American	21%	8/296
1860	John C. Breckenridge	Constitutional Democratic	18%	72/303
1860	John Bell	Constitutional Union	12%	39/303
1892	James B. Weaver	Populist	8%	22/444
1912	Theodore Roosevelt	Progressive	27%	88/531
1912	Eugene V. Debs	Socialist	6%	0/531
1924	Robert M. La Follette	Progressive	16%	13/531
1948	Storm Thurmond	States' Rights Democratic	2%	39/531
1968	George Wallace	American Independent	13%	46/538
1980	John B Anderson	Independent	6%	0/538
1992	Ross Perot	Independent	18%	0/538
1996	Ross Perot	Reform	8%	0/538

Now What

Why do you think it's that a third party can never get rooted and stay rooted? There's plenty of reasons to not trust and better question the current men and woman in political power. We have plenty of reasons on why not to trust out government. Why is it we don't question more and choose to let so much slip on by. Is it because we get so fixed on popular media that we forget?

It's no secret how much popular media refuses to give any coverage to third party candidates. With over 54 third parties in the United States you'd think they could give at least some of the third parties more then 1% of the coverage. In the end the fact is that the two parties do not want you to know you have choice. I'm not talking about picking between Republican or Democratic. I mean a choice of a candidate that isn't forced to cooperate with a power hungry group of people that are actively seeking to control the government.

A two party system is just another way for the rich and "powerful" to stay in control of the masses. Follow the money trail and ask the right questions. If you look at the evidence it become more and more obvious that the two party system only wants a two party system. It allows for a forward movement in line with the two parties combined ideals are. However if we continue to push and fight for what we the people want this takes away their power. This is why third parties are so important. It takes away the power of the rich and spreads it out to the people.

Maybe we are just cattle becoming distracted and being herd to the next interesting news story. All the while the butcher slowly bleeds us dry so he can stay on top of the food chain. That is not freedom and that is not The United States Of America. We can take back our nation as a collective people united under one goal. We are a nation made up and ruled by people. It's time the people took it back.

We The People

I want to ask you an honest and sincere question. Regardless of what your political views are, your ethnic background, job, religion, etc. When is the last time you felt that you really had a voice in what was going on in your country? That your say was heard or represented in anyway what so ever. Do you feel like your vote in the election honestly made a difference? Does your state representative actively represent your views?

Its hard to think you're actually being heard and making a difference in today's American with voter fraud cases, possible Russian influences on the election, and extreme disagreements involving the current president and representatives of your state. It at least makes you wonder if everything is actually as it appears.

In the inaugural address by President Donald Trump he is quoted saying; "What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now."

It's a good start at the very least and I would be happy to hear it from our 45th President of The United States if he wasn't known for changing his mind so often. It doesn't come as much of a surprise that a personal trying to gain and now in political power would lie to their county. At the same time I hope it's true.

"We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change."

— Dr. Henry Cloud

This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters.