Increased Partisanship = Ploy To Keep 3rd Parties Out?

[TripleB]

Someone will accuse me of hearing this on Alex Jones or something, but this is an independent thought I just had while listening to an old HB political show.

Is it possible that the Republicans and Democrats have intentionally bumped up partisanship over the last decade in a conscious effort to keep 3rd parties from coming into power? Many Libertarians or Green Partiers will argue that they are throwing their vote away if they don't vote D or R (typically I believe Libertarians would vote R and Green Partiers would vote D, but that's a generalization).

For example, with Gun Control, I feel compelled to vote R in 2014/2016 even though I want to vote L, but if the Ds maintain control, then my guns are at risk.

I'm purporting that this increased partisanship is real, and it's very much keeping the 3rd parties down. There's no doubt behind this in my mind.

My doubt is whether this is just a lucky bonus for the Ds and Rs or if they are actively orchestrating it? Perhaps because the Internet is giving 3rd parties more of a voice and thus would make them more of a threat to the two-party system.

[RuralEngineer]

What bi-partisanship?  The fools can't agree which way is up, let alone on anything political.

They have plenty of mechanisms baked into the political process that exclude 3rd parties.  Elaborate schemes are unnecessary.

[TripleB]

Nice catch Rural Engineer - I meant "Partisanship" - not Bipartisanship. I edited the thread to make it correct so as not to confuse someone reading it for the first time.

[notsheigetz]

Nice catch Rural Engineer - I meant "Partisanship" - not Bipartisanship. I edited the thread to make it correct so as not to confuse someone reading it for the first time.

So your theory is that you think there is a bipartisan conspiracy to increase partisanship for the purpose of avoiding tripartisanship?

[TripleB]

Nope.  And the reason is simple: Those with power change the rules for the purpose of preserving/increasing that power.

Ask yourself this question, Alex:

The converse of your "theory" is that bi-partisanship would be helpful to third parties.  How exactly would that work?

If both sides bi-partisanly agreed on the wrong thing (such as unilateral international wars, bigger government, destruction of the 2nd amendment), then it makes room for a 3rd party to step in to disagree with the R/D combo-force.

[Storm]

I don't think the two parties are capable of doing anything together, much less conspiring to keep 3rd parties out by becoming more partisan...

The system is already rigged to keep 3rd parties out because of the 5% popular vote margin required for a 3rd party to receive federal financing.  It's also gerrymandered in ways that would keep any independents from being elected in primaries.

[Pointedstick]

The biggest problem is the first-past-the-post system, which causes tactical voting. Even popular 3rd parties get ignored at the ballot box for fear of "wasting one's vote."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_voting

There's no conspiracy here but no entrenched party has any incentive to change the rules to weaken their position.

[KevinW]

Yes, both of the major parties push for major-party-partisanship. You can see this whenever open primaries, debate eligibility, redistricting, or campaign finance comes up. Both major parties do whatever they can to make major parties more powerful. They agree on that.

It makes sense. Car companies push for more driving even at the expense of other forms of transportation. Individual milk producers push for more milk consumption even at the expense of other beverages.

[moda0306]

A successful third party could reasonably develop in our government about as easily as a freight train could take a gravel road. The two simply don't mix. The very nature of how people are elected is so perpetuating of a two-party system, I see no chance of a third party developing.  I'd be interested to see what environment brought about the founding and success of the Republican Party in the 1850's or whatever.

[Pointedstick]

Moda's right. And even if a 3rd party did become powerful, it would simply become one of the two major parties, just like the Republican party did.

[dualstow]

Did you hear this on Alex Jones or something?

3rd parties are not even on the radar of the Rs or the Ds.

[Pointedstick]

Did you hear this on Alex Jones or something?