What would it take for you to support a 3rd or Alternative Party?

[Doctor Amadeus]

What would it take for you to support a 3rd or Alternative Party, What issues are most important to you?

ST TNG Sums it up

[Fugus]

3rd parities becoming actually viable and not just a spoiler vote. Or one of the main 2 parties becoming so toxic that one of them is actually collapsing and about to be eaten by the other party and a new, rising, 3rd party which is about to become one of the big 2.

[Doctor Amadeus]

3rd parities becoming actually viable and not just a spoiler vote. Or one of the main 2 parties becoming so toxic that one of them is actually collapsing and about to be eaten by the other party and a new, rising, 3rd party which is about to become one of the big 2.

What are your core values regardless to current party what the issues most important to you as a bedrock Principle.

[Zan15]

What would it take for you to support a 3rd or Alternative Party, What issues are most important to you?

it would take a few billion dollars every 4 years, then a billion every year or so to keep up the entire structure of a third party in local, state and national elections.


an act of god to make the SCOTUS and pols get off the corporate teet.....

Till you stop dark money, corporate money and level the playing field its never going to happen

[Doctor Amadeus]

it would take a few billion dollars every 4 years, then a billion every year or so to keep up the entire structure of a third party in local, state and national elections.


an act of god to make the SCOTUS and pols get off the corporate teet.....

Till you stop dark money, corporate money and level the playing field its never going to happen

Or you get people to organize locally, Churches do it all the time, then vote, run for office, start small do the heavy lifting then in a few years move up.

[Fugus]

What are your core values regardless to current party what the issues most important to you as a bedrock Principle.

My overall stuff.


-I support Medicare For All, Single Payer, or Universal Healthcare, or some equivalent as it is cheaper and higher quality than our own in pretty much every respect.

-I support a living wage for those whom are working.

-I also support us looking into a UBI of some sort for a potential future where it is increasingly looking like it will be needed.

-I support them lowering the required hours to qualify for full time and the caps for overtime pay, if needed, to ensure that the work available is spread throughout the work force and have this tie into the living wages part as we don't have people being unemployable due to a lack of jobs while others working half hours for places to avoid benefits while those on Salary are forced into every second they could get (Worked at Walmart and saw our 48 hour salaried shift managers forced to work 52 hour weeks just to keep things going).

-I support taxing all income as income regardless of source after a certain threshold, I support the Sanders approach at $250,000 but could realistically support it as law as $120,000. Also have this threshold raised in relation to inflation while minimum wage is increased in regards to both inflation and productivity.

-I support making public college taxpayer funded where the people in it actually get to leave without debt so long as they pass. If they do not finish and quit or give up, they are forced to pay the costs back unless it is due to something major.

-I support the contents of the HR1 bill from all I have read (And makes this a lot shorter to list since that would include a lot from there).

-I support removing the electoral college or making it largely a moot point through the interstate compact and making the president elected by the actual popular vote.

-I support banning first past the post voting and forcing them into a ranked choice method that makes it where 3rd parties can actually run as something other than a spoiler vote.

-I support banning donations to politicians or parties entirely and moving to public funding of elections where they aren't even allowed to self fund. As an extension of this, I would also make it where the politician would be given 50% pay for life after serving in office but would be banned from ever working in the private sector or owning any vested interests in them again, including stocks, owning any business directly, or even coupons and gifts that a normal person could not reasonably also receive. They could still work in government though and would receive their 50% pay on top of whatever pay they would make in whatever government position they move to.

-I support capping politicians pay to a percentage of the pay of the non-administrative, non-entertainment related population they represent. They would also be required to live in their district for at least 70% of each year and to do the video from their district thing to do their votes and all these feeds would be recorded for public record. This would put them living with those who they are supposed to represent and keeps them harder to bribe since they aren't all in one central location and makes their individual actions more directly recorded during session. They would still come to the capital at least once per quarter for major stuff or to get caught up.

-I support age limits on those running for office and on the courts at about 50 years old and term limits of no more than 12 years total in office. And for stuff like judges, their resignations are staggered so that no session can nominate more than a set number.

-If I could, I support removing the Supreme Court as it is and instead have them rotated from the lower courts every 1 year at random and they can only see cases on their dockets before they were chosen so they can't fish for the ideal court for a case. If the court is finished with their docket before the 12 months, they can be rotated out early and if any case drags on past that 12 month period, they can still see those specific cases in the capacity of a Supreme Court Justice, but only those cases.

-I support ethics codes for all officials as well as turning over their taxes (And those of their significant other while in office).

That is just off the top of my head.

Edit: Also with the one about reducing hours, I also mean for that to apply to the hours for Salaried employment. I would make it where if you are salaried, they can not force you to work more hours than a full time employee and if they do, you still qualify for the overtime.

[Egomaniac]

The only way there could be an actually viable 3rd part in the USA would require a major overhaul of the Entire electoral system.

[Santti]

The only way there could be an actually viable 3rd part in the USA would require a major overhaul of the Entire electoral system.

This.

Even if 3rd party happens, and the votes would be evenly split between the 3 parties, it would not last very long. People vote strategically, and the moment one of the 3 start dipping in popularity, it's basically done for. Because people remember how previous elections went, and vote accordingly. Not for the party that they like, but against the party they hate the most. You then end up back into a 2-party system.

[Milchshake]

Destroy fascism first.

Splitting opposition votes while fascists are trying to undermine Democracy itself, is just being stupid with extra steps.

[Theodarzna]

Ranked-Choice Voting would probably solve a lot of the problems Americas political process has. Right now even among third parties there is either basket cases that represent nobody, or parties that are likely just crawling with spooks.

Otherwise, any political party I'd back would have an interesting platform. Let's call it the Theo plan:

1. UK style National Health Service, free at point of service.
2. Cap personal fortunes at $60 million each.
3. Limit annual income to one million dollars each.
4. Limit inheritances to five million dollars each.
5. Guarantee every person an annual income of one-third the national average. Bumping up to half for families with children.
6. Free vocational training and tuitionless education for college credentialed jobs like teachers and STEM courses.
7. Keep Social Security but ditch the cap, and raise the floor so the first 20k isn't taxed at all.
8. A 30 hour work week is full-time.
9. At-will employment is dead.
10. All employees are entitled to a labor union.
11. A four week paid vacation for every employed person. If fired they are entitled to that four weeks of pay. An extra two weeks tacked on if full time.
12. Thanksgiving, 4th of July, New Years Eve and Day, Election Day (Pres/Mid) and Three "Religious" holidays of ones choosing are paid days off as well. Finally ones own birthday.
13. Dismantle most of the oversea's garrisons and focus on the home front, slashing the Pentagon budget by 60 percent.
14. Dismantle the NSA and make FISA courts public record and available.
15. Increase the size of the police force, most would not be carry guns, so like 80% of the force are mostly just on foot street patrol keeping an eye on the neighborhoods.
16. H1B Visa's require the employer to pay for their health care needs, give them a stipend for housing and to fire these employees requires them to give them six months pay to help relocate.
17. Companies caught using Illegal Immigrant labor pay the laborers the equivalent of a full time wage for the next five years to compensate them for the trouble and helping them repatriate, including a health care plan if their home country doesn't provide it.

[PC2]

Left verse right(2-party) is the best, imo. Libertarians can just vote against whichever side is more authoritarian in the current year. People shouldn't need "the perfect party" we just need the option to change political directions. Which all you need is more than 1 party to guarantee the system can work correctly.

[Egomaniac]

Left verse right(2-party) is the best, imo. Libertarians can just vote against whichever side is more authoritarian in the current year. People shouldn't need "the perfect party" we just need the option to change political directions. Which all you need is more than 1 party to guarantee the system can work correctly.

The US doesn't have a left vs right system

The US has a Center to Center-Right vs a Center-Right to Far-Right system.

[Kellhound]

I have voted 3rd party for years already.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Ranked-Choice Voting would probably solve a lot of the problems Americas political process has. Right now even among third parties there is either basket cases that represent nobody, or parties that are likely just crawling with spooks.

Otherwise, any political party I'd back would have an interesting platform. Let's call it the Theo plan:

1. UK style National Health Service, free at point of service.
2. Cap personal fortunes at $60 million each.
3. Limit annual income to one million dollars each.
4. Limit inheritances to five million dollars each.
5. Guarantee every person an annual income of one-third the national average. Bumping up to half for families with children.
6. Free vocational training and tuitionless education for college credentialed jobs like teachers and STEM courses.
7. Keep Social Security but ditch the cap, and raise the floor so the first 20k isn't taxed at all.
8. A 30 hour work week is full-time.
9. At-will employment is dead.
10. All employees are entitled to a labor union.
11. A four week paid vacation for every employed person. If fired they are entitled to that four weeks of pay. An extra two weeks tacked on if full time.
12. Thanksgiving, 4th of July, New Years Eve and Day, Election Day (Pres/Mid) and Three "Religious" holidays of ones choosing are paid days off as well. Finally ones own birthday.
13. Dismantle most of the oversea's garrisons and focus on the home front, slashing the Pentagon budget by 60 percent.
14. Dismantle the NSA and make FISA courts public record and available.
15. Increase the size of the police force, most would not be carry guns, so like 80% of the force are mostly just on foot street patrol keeping an eye on the neighborhoods.
16. H1B Visa's require the employer to pay for their health care needs, give them a stipend for housing and to fire these employees requires them to give them six months pay to help relocate.
17. Companies caught using Illegal Immigrant labor pay the laborers the equivalent of a full time wage for the next five years to compensate them for the trouble and helping them repatriate, including a health care plan if their home country doesn't provide it.

Wow I’m surprised I agree with all but two of your points.

I’m against rank choice voting, and #14.

I think #17 honestly would end illegal immigration over night. Just about every educated nation does this. We on the other hand like to keep it political.

[Mayhem]

Theo has a couple of good points I'd get behind, like all of them actually.

[pathora44]

What would it take for me to vote for a third party? Hmm, that one sure is a toughie. Now what would make me vote for a third party? Oh I know, abolish the Electoral College and remove winner take all elections in the U.S. and I would gladly vote third party. The archaic 2 party system in this country is propped up by the equally archaic Electoral College and until that is removed everyone is basically forced to vote only for these 2 parties.

[SMCOut]

One that acknowledges the left / right divide as petty squabbles, quashes it with all its might and bring people back together.

Then promote the private sector working class back to middle class again and watch the public sector have increased tax revenues.

Less focus on "everybody must have a university education and become an office worker" and more focus on "quality tradesmen and engineers are treasured members of society".

[zealo]

Without proportional representation or at least ranked choice voting as an electoral system, any splitting of votes is pointless, but that option seems to be missing from your poll.

[downnola]

Ranked-Choice Voting would probably solve a lot of the problems Americas political process has. Right now even among third parties there is either basket cases that represent nobody, or parties that are likely just crawling with spooks.

Otherwise, any political party I'd back would have an interesting platform. Let's call it the Theo plan:

1. UK style National Health Service, free at point of service.
2. Cap personal fortunes at $60 million each.
3. Limit annual income to one million dollars each.
4. Limit inheritances to five million dollars each.
5. Guarantee every person an annual income of one-third the national average. Bumping up to half for families with children.
6. Free vocational training and tuitionless education for college credentialed jobs like teachers and STEM courses.
7. Keep Social Security but ditch the cap, and raise the floor so the first 20k isn't taxed at all.
8. A 30 hour work week is full-time.
9. At-will employment is dead.
10. All employees are entitled to a labor union.
11. A four week paid vacation for every employed person. If fired they are entitled to that four weeks of pay. An extra two weeks tacked on if full time.
12. Thanksgiving, 4th of July, New Years Eve and Day, Election Day (Pres/Mid) and Three "Religious" holidays of ones choosing are paid days off as well. Finally ones own birthday.
13. Dismantle most of the oversea's garrisons and focus on the home front, slashing the Pentagon budget by 60 percent.
14. Dismantle the NSA and make FISA courts public record and available.
15. Increase the size of the police force, most would not be carry guns, so like 80% of the force are mostly just on foot street patrol keeping an eye on the neighborhoods.
16. H1B Visa's require the employer to pay for their health care needs, give them a stipend for housing and to fire these employees requires them to give them six months pay to help relocate.
17. Companies caught using Illegal Immigrant labor pay the laborers the equivalent of a full time wage for the next five years to compensate them for the trouble and helping them repatriate, including a health care plan if their home country doesn't provide it.

Add some strong environmental protections and dismantling the CIA to that list and you have a deal.

[JohnBrown1917]

By living in a country that already has 25+ choices every election.