Herman Cain: Time For A Third Party
Herman Cain has an idea:
Herman Cain, the former presidential candidate who still has a robust following via his popular talk radio program and speaking tours, today suggested the most clear step to open civil war: Secession. Appearing on Bryan Fischer’s radio program this afternoon, Cain called for a large faction of Republican Party leaders to desert the party and form a third, more conservative party.
“I never thought that I would say this, and this is the first time publicly that I’ve said it: We need a third party to save this country. Not Ron Paul and the Ron Paulites. No. We need a legitimate third party to challenge the current system that we have, because I don’t believe that the Republican Party…has the ability to rebrand itself,” Cain said.
Fischer, a social conservative leader, noted that he predicted this summer that if Mitt Romney loses, evangelical conservatives would start a third party. “If Barack Obama wins this election the Republican Party as we know it is finished, it is dead, it is toast,” Fischer said in September at the Values Voter Summit in Washington.
Rush Limabugh, two months ago, echoed the sentiment. ”If Obama wins, let me tell you what it’s the end of: The Republican Party.There’s gonna be a third party that’s gonna be oriented toward conservatism,” he said.
“It is more viable today than it has ever been,” Cain told Fischer today of a third party.
Let’s be honest, the only party Herman Cain is going to be a part of any time soon is a pizza party.
I thought that the centrists and moderates should split off but this is better. Let Fischer play the Pied Piper and lead the nutty off to fantasy land.
Yes … this … please put all of the nuts in one jar so they can be ignored …
Of course these dolts can’t even grasp the numbingly obvious political point that if the “true conservatives” ever did form a 3rd party it would guarantee a liberal Democrat government basically in perpetuity.
That aside, there’s also a demographic component to the inevitable “third party!” cries from the likes of Cain and others of that ilk. It’s a function of Protestantism. When Protestants have conflicts with each other — even over minor doctrinal issues — they split apart. Every time. It’s how they roll. Check out how many different Protestant denominations there are. Then within even the same denomination check out how many different sub-factions. Shit, you can drive through a single town in places around the country and observe 3-4 different Protestant churches within the same overall denomination. They’re always splitting up and going off into smaller sub-groups.
Folks like Cain can’t separate their religion from their politics. Underneath the surface that’s actually what’s going on here.
any 3rd party will have to offer more freebies than the democrats, and that’s bad so no thx!
Southern right-wingers lose an election, propose seceding. I feel this has happened before.
I’ve never understood, aside from having additional choice, what those who advocate for a third party are hoping to accomplish. Third parties with more extreme ideological bents will appeal to a very small segment (see: Green Party). They will never garner enough support to win outright. Even a moderate, centrist third party would have problems–the party regulars will continue to vote their straight tickets, ranging from 27% to 37% on either side. In other words, with 3+ parties no party would win an outright majority. What do they propose? Extending the election cycle for runoffs? (Ugh.) Coalition governments (how would *that* work, given the current “compromise is a dirty word” climate)?
Someone please explain the logic to me, because from where I sit, the likelihood of a majority voting for a third party is somewhere up there with unicorns.
As an openly progressive liberal, all I can say is:
BEST ! IDEA ! EVER !
You go, Herman!
(Nobody tell him we are not a parliamentary / coalition govt, m’kay?)
@Tsar Nicholas:
Interesting perspective re: cultural effects of protestantism. I’m not entirely sure I buy it, but its an interesting direction.
@bill:
I for one welcome the new Conservative Inc. talking point. Long may it reign.
(I expect that we will be hearing about “freebies” for at least the next six months.)
Insightful comments as always Bill!
I thought they already split off to form the Tea Party?
Yeah – Go! And don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
This could be the best thing that could happen to the Republicans. Send all the crazy to a third party so the GOP can form something that actually makes sense again.
@Tsar Nicholas:
Whoa, TN gets maybe the best comment of the thread.
@Franklin:
Form the Tea Party, yes.
Split off? No.
They could call it the Taliban.
How do I help make this happen?
Siphoning off the crazies into their own party is a good idea, but who’s this Herman Cain person, and why is he on my intertubes machine?
Oh yes, please. I would dearly love to see the Tea Party split off. Even though I’ve mostly voted Democratic in recent years, I think we really need a sane Republican party again if we’re ever going to solve our country’s problems.
I think the most viable way to get there is primary reform (open, or even better Louisiana style primaries). But hey, if the right wants to form their own “pure” party instead, it would have virtually the same effect, and almost be the equivalent of “self deportation”. 🙂
Hell, why stop there? Make a fourth party, consisting of all the Paulbots! Completely fracture the GOP!
Shucky Ducky!
Man, Cain is full of good ideas. He should run for president of Carazy Town!
What are the Constitution Party or the Reform Party? More conservative parties already exist, people just dont vote for them because third parties are mostly fringe.
Oh i get it, they’re gonna capture a majority or the vote running a fringe platform. well sighn me up i’m getting some of that, we were talking about pizza right. Mmmmm pizza party for life.
Herman Cain, Pizza Party 2016
I’d rather for pizza than Republicans.
There is no logic. it’s a temper tantrum.
@Tsar Nicholas: AND usually end up ex-communicating each other….
(You’d think that the Catholics would be the only ones who deal with ex-communication. Nah, quite a few of the Protestant sects use it as well.)
@Todd:
Primary reform wouldn’t be enough by itself. To have any real chance at a third party, there would first need to be a complete reform of how district lines are drawn. Anything that allows Gerrymandering prevents a competitive third party from getting off the ground.
After that, primary reform could be really helpful, followed by campaign finance reform.
Unfortunately, reforming any of those things is not in the best interest of either the Democratic or Republican party.
@swearyanthony:
This time, let’s avoid the carnage of another Civil War, let them go.
@mattb:
Actually Matt, I couldn’t care less about a 3rd party. I’d just like to see a sane Republican party again. Whether it be by the radicals going elsewhere, or by figuring out a way to blunt their primary weapon (pun intended).