What's up with third Parties

[MattPainter]

For the longest time the Untied States has been ruled by two parties which are the Democrats and republicans.
However why don't the third parties like the green party and Libertarian Party have a chance in the elections?
Are these parties any significant?
Well there be a point in the United States when the Democrats and Republicans won't be the "popular" Parties and an overall change in political parties?

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj122/asoriano132/USElections_zps41acd396.png

[abc983055235235231a]

The third parties don't have a chance at winning (or even doing remotely well in) elections because the election system is set up in such a way that prevents the third parties from doing well/winning. If the third parties were given the same status as the Republicans and Democrats (e.g., allowed to participate in debates), you would find a surge in their popularity. But this would be detrimental to the power of the 2 big parties, so they would never allow such things to happen.

No there will never be a point when the democrats and republicans aren't the big parties in the USA, unless there is some sort of massive political shift.

[Typhlosion]

Inertia is the law. The Democrat and Republican parties were always the big parties, so even if a third party seems to be attractive, it will not be voted upon as a percieved "waste of vote". Too many third parties and there is a fear of dispersion of votes of the "smarter" and the main parties have the upperhand again.
[...] unless there is some sort of massive political shift.

[Vlerchan]

What Flexography said.

And it's a pity, too. The US seems like it has some good alternative options. I recently took an online test that told me I agreed >90% with the American Green Party - and the Republicans all of 2%, unsurprisingly - though I doubt the American Green Party will ever attain more than 5% of the vote. For those who want to see where they stand with the Third Parties the same test can be taken here (http://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz) - if you do decide to do it posting a link to your result wouldn't be a bad idea either.

[AlexOnToast]

American politics ... Oi....

[MattPainter]

What Flexography said.

And it's a pity, too. The US seems like it has some good alternative options. I recently took an online test that told me I agreed >90% with the American Green Party - and the Republicans all of 2%, unsurprisingly - though I doubt the American Green Party will ever attain more than 5% of the vote. For those who want to see where they stand with the Third Parties the same test can be taken here (http://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz) - if you do decide to do it posting a link to your result wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I took the test and I side with 90% Green Party and 87% Democrat

[Typhlosion]

Huh. 73% Democrat and ~62% at Green Party and Libertarian.
Results from iSideWith.com (http://www.isidewith.com/)

[abc983055235235231a]

http://www.isidewith.com/results-image/401040412.jpg

I'm actually an anarchist though

[Harry Smith]

Funnily enough the best chance that any third party has had was during the 60's when you had people like George Wallace opposing segregation- I think he managed to get about 45 electoral votes which is pretty decent.

That's the only way a third party can succeed in the US

[Vlerchan]

Funnily enough the best chance that any third party has had was during the 60's when you had people like George Wallace opposing segregation- I think he managed to get about 45 electoral votes which is pretty decent.

George Wallace supported segregation. He largely built his career on it.

"In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." George Wallace, 1963.

It wasn't until the 1980s that he renounced segregation.

EDIT: Though, you're point still stands. The easiest way to get elected is to play on the fears of people; because people are stupid.

For Example: The British Conservatives are planning on releasing an anti-immigration policy idea each week (http://politics.co.uk/news/2014/01/19/tories-will-announce-new-anti-immigrant-policies-every-week) - i.e., scapegoat-ing minorities and foreigners; ignoring the bloodsucking banking oligarch which was the real cause of the economic downturn - in order to drum up their Populist credentials and support; it seems to be working, naturally. Furthermore, UKip have actually based their entire party around what the Torys are doing right now.

[Harry Smith]

George Wallace supported segregation. He largely built his career on it.

"In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." George Wallace, 1963.

It wasn't until the 1980s that he renounced segregation.

EDIT: Though, you're point still stands. The easiest way to get elected is to play on the fears of people; because people are stupid.

For Example: The British Conservatives are planning on releasing an anti-immigration policy idea each week (http://politics.co.uk/news/2014/01/19/tories-will-announce-new-anti-immigrant-policies-every-week) - i.e., scapegoat-ing minorities and foreigners; ignoring the bloodsucking banking oligarch which was the real cause of the economic downturn - in order to drum up their Populist credentials and support; it seems to be working, naturally. Furthermore, UKip have actually based their entire party around what the Torys are doing right now.

Yep, just seen my terrible typo. Though Wallace later admitted that he wasn't a die hard segreganist which is shown through his 1958 campaign.

Lynton Crosby is a fucking immigrant himself that's the whole irony of there policy. Luckily as with Wallace and many other parties such as UKIP the problem is finding their voice on other issues. Wallace's VP Curtis LeMay said some pretty scary things about nukes in '68 which turned people off the ticket. In the same way that the recent crap UKIP have been coming out with (gay marriage storms, less gun control)

[Cygnus]

The thing about US politics is that people adapt their ideologies to the two existing parties even though these two do not necessarily cover most of the stuff they believe, instead one should find a party that adapts the best to one's ideologies.

[tovaris]

Newer understood the two party sisem you have in the first place...