H 32°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°We’ve been conditioned by the mass media to believe there are only two political parties worthy of our attention. Because only the Republican Party and the Democratic Party receive significant coverage, especially during election cycles, it’s easy to forget that other parties do indeed exist.
Case in point: While Democratic presidential-nominee Barack Obama filled the Kohl Center to an over-capacity crowd of over 17,000 during his trip to Madison in February prior to the Wisconsin presidential primaries, Independent candidate Ralph Nader, running for president for the fifth time, struggled to fill the small Orpheum Theatre this past Friday on State Street, which has a capacity that is only 10 percent of the Kohl Center at 1,700.
Most students here probably didn’t even know Nader would be speaking at the Orpheum, and those who did know scoffed at the idea of him running for president again. The situation is shameful — because over the past eight years, the two mainstream parties have failed us and no one really seems to care, nor do they really want to do anything about it.
With wars on two fronts both deemed failures by the general public and key congressional leaders involvement in Jack Abramoff’s money laundering scandal, the odds were rightfully stacked against the Republicans for the 2006 midterm elections. And indeed, they resulted in sweeping changes in the
Democrats gained 31 seats in the House of Representatives and five seats in the Senate, drastically altering the landscape of Congress. Democrats won these seats under the premise that
So, that brings about an important question: What the hell is Congress doing? In the midst of economic struggles, a floundering real estate market and skyrocketing gas prices, why do they continue to fund the war? And this was not just any war: It was a war of choice, not of necessity. It was an unprovoked war. A war we entered under falsified intelligence. A war with covert and mysterious goals. And a war that was completely unrelated to the 9/11 attacks and those who perpetrated them.
All this brings me back to my original point: We have been swindled into believing there are only two political parties. And, as has been seen throughout the past eight years, these two political parties have failed us repeatedly. Rather than representing their constituencies responsibly, Congress has catered to special interests and lobbyists. Rather than doing what is right, they do what is politically convenient.
Therefore, it’s time to start thinking about alternative options. It’s time to stop electing officials who offer nothing more than broken promises and it’s time to start paying attention to what third party candidates have to say. As Nader said on Friday night, “Democracy should not be about picking the lesser of two evils.”
When a man like Ron Paul fearlessly promises to work towards cutting exponentially-increasing federal spending and says he will do everything in his power to protect people from a “Big Brother” government, maybe we should listen to him and take him seriously. When a man like Ralph Nader suggests the
People would rather distract themselves with the upcoming elections and forget that the campaigns will be nothing more than an exchange of empty rhetoric.
Aldous Huxley’s nightmare is coming true. His “Brave New World” has become reality. People have medicated themselves into bliss and voluntarily sacrificed their rights. They have become transfixed by the media, refusing even to acknowledge the existence of major policy problems, let alone a failure to mend these problems on both sides of the aisle.
We can continue to be deceived by the rhetoric, or at last, as responsible and educated young citizens, we can start challenging the status quo two-party system and stop brainlessly consuming the empty dictates of the media.
If we don’t, the American Empire may just come crashing down, just like its historical counterpart — the
Steve Horn ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and legal studies.
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That’s why I’m voting for Bob Barr this time. He’s not perfect, but look at his opponents! YIKES!!!!
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In “Brave New World,” the government doled out drugs. In the real world, the government (in the U.S. anyway) does precisely the opposite. It actually hassles, pursues, and imprisons drug users. “War on Drugs”, urine tests, etc. Crucial distinction.
So, when people “medicate themselves,” it’s not at the insistence of the government. And “bliss” is hardly the right word for the kind of emotional numbness that so many meds produce in their users.
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As a UW Alum who studied History (and post graduate US Military History), I think your parallel between the U.S. and Roman manifest is ahistorical. As Henry Kissinger once wrote, we must to be concious of the fact that every civilization that has ever existed has ultimately collapsed. I do not see how this parallel(U.S / Roman) has anything to do with politics. In fact, the Romans had a very efficient political system as well as a history of inclusion that indeed enhanced the very lives of those indoctrinated. No, I would argue that a multitude of uncontrolled external forces drive societal change that have very little to do with Politics. Secondly, as someone a few years removed from the UW culture, living a different life than that of a (dare i say naively optimistic and narrow-sighted) college student - I’d bet my house that your views will change as you get older and gain some real world experience. College, contrary to popular belief, is a cultural jar that has very little to do with how the real world operates and generally is comprised of those that have lived a priveleged life and see that world with the same spoiled optimism. I’d defend your right to this opinion here to the end my freind, but I think it is the common ground of the immature and niave what have liberal views because they don’t understand very much about this world yet. I was there myself once. You know…a college kid with a lot to say comprised of a very narrow substance.
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Steve - One of the basic elements of American politics is the fact that our political system is a winner-take-all system. Only two parties can successfully compete and third parties are inefficient and obsolete. Had we a system of proportional representation, like Germany or Israel, then the third party would play a more important role.
The only thing that I do agree with you is that your “spineless” democratic party has indeed failed the American people. Only in that aspect you are completely right.
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I would disagree with the overall premis of this piece. There are 3rd parties?
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Right on, Mr. Horn. Third parties have been critical historically in pushing forward the struggle for so many rights and freedoms we take for granted today - freedom from slavery and women’s right to vote among them.
Today the participation of third parties/independents in our elections is critical to pushing for campaign finance reform, instant runoff voting and limiting corporate influence in our government - the people’s government. There are many more issues our third party candidates are championing, but these three are critical to saving and strengthening our democracy. So Mr. Horn, is absolutely right.
The major parties have decided, over and over again, that its in their best interest to serve the corporate interests and keep voters’ influence as minimal as possible. They’ll keep going on that track until they lose enough votes to remember that ultimately we decide. We, the people, decide.
Tell the TV networks you want debates with Nader, Barr and McKinney included. The CPD is run by Democrats and Republicans, so that nut won’t crack unless the Democrats and Repulicans decide its in their best interests to open those debates. We need to demand more of them and more of our media.
In 2008, we will decide! Not the media, not the major parties, not the corporations!!
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I fully agree with Steve. The political climate in our country is completely ridiculous. With 80+% of our country saying that feel that both major political parties are headed in the wrong direction and similar numbers saying they do not trust their government, there has to be a change. A huge portion of our population doesn’t even vote in the presidential election because they feel that neither the Dem and Rep candidates don’t fall inline with their ideals.
Enough with the least worst. Strongly consider voting for the candidate, no matter how much support they have in the polls, who most closely stands for what you believe. This is an excellent way for us to apply some sort of feedback on the political candidates. McCain and Obama have to earn our votes. Not receive them out of fear that the really bad guy is going to win. To let hem know how you feel, you have to go out there on election day and show those numbers popping up for Barr, McKinney, and Nader- hell write in Ron Paul.
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Third parties don’t win because people don’t vote for them. People don’t vote third party because they don’t win. Why start now?
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We don’t have the luxury of a third party in America right now. The solution to global corporatism is not to throw your vote away on someone who can’t do anything with it. The very fact that Nader is not in the pocket of corporate lobbyists is exactly why he will never be elected. It’s not pretty, but this is the world we live in and these are the compromises that we have to make. Anyone at liberty to speak truth to power does so in a voice so small it won’t matter anyway.
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Also, ignore the pretentious post-grad who has now become so important that he gets his kicks out of making undergraduate sophomores feel small. He’ll get paid to bring you your coffee someday.
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Yes, I am a pretentious post-grad. I have a right to be, considering I have accomplished more than you at this point, would you not agree? Enjoy your career at Home Depot as your Degree will equate to an associates degree by the time you finish your 7 under-graduate pursuit. The basic problem with this piece is still relevant. As for Undergrads, well, blame the school for accepting 27 thousand of them, or - your average apple on the tree which in turn propogates the notion of general ignorance. Happy trails.