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[bacasper]

ANYTHING to give more electoral options is good, but the system is so stacked against them that prospects remain very slim.

Voters Increasingly Interested in Alternatives to Major Parties

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK � Third party candidates could upend two major races in off-year elections Tuesday, and the success of those candidacies is a warning shot fired at both major parties by voters angry at government and disillusioned by politics as usual.

In the New Jersey governor's race, independent Chris Daggett has gone from afterthought to player in a contest pitting the unpopular incumbent, Democrat Jon Corzine, against Republican Chris Christie.

In New York's 23rd Congressional district, where longtime Republican Rep. John McHugh stepped down to be Army secretary, prominent national Republicans have snubbed GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman who supports abortion rights and gay marriage, in favor of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. [Scozzafava has now dropped out of the race. - bac]

Daggett is not expected to win the New Jersey contest, and the GOP split in upstate New York could throw the race to Democrat Bill Owens.

But the impact of those candidacies on the high-profile contests points to an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment sentiment that could be a prevailing theme in the 2010 congressional elections and beyond.

"What it says is the public is looking for less self-interested parties and candidates who can reflect the needs of a very frustrated public," said Douglas Astolfi, a history professor at Florida's St. Leo University. "We have two wars and we're in a recession that neither party seems to address in any positive way. There's a deep sense that government has abandoned the common man. People are frustrated and angry."

Both parties ignore such sentiment at their peril in 2010 and perhaps into the 2012 presidential race.

In Senate contests from Florida and Kentucky to New Hampshire next year, conservatives furious at the Republican establishment are mounting primary challenges against more mainstream candidates favored by the national party.

On the other side, Democratic strategists worry that progressives, disgusted by the big money bank bailout and disillusioned with President Barack Obama's lack of fight on issues such as a government-run health insurance plan, might keep some people from voting. That could cost Democrats seats up and down the ballot.

more at link

Excellent site for independent and third party issues: Ballot Access News

[Ya-ta Boy]

Except for the quote from the prof at St. Leo's (where?) the article is fine as far as it goes, but it leaves out significant factors. One of them is the explosion of the internet where every crackpot and loon has a platform to spread their crackpot and/or luny theories; hence the spread of fringe ideas. If even 1% of people are prone to be flakes, in a country the size of ours, that means 3 million people, a not insignificant number.

Ms Fouhy neglects to mention which 3rd party is poised to offer a credible alternative. The screaming Teabaggers? The Birthers? The Death Panelistas? Fooey!

[Nowhere Man]

Unfreeze the House.

Ditch the electoral college.

[Rusty Shackleford]

[bacasper]

Anyone got a good third party analysis of the election?

[Reggie]

As much as I would like to see some third party success right here right now, I don't think it'll happen until the US Treasury Department gets its Ponzi schemes exposed like what happened to Madoff. Local and state budgets are already reaching the breaking point. Once this economy blows up (and it will), then people will be soooooooooo pissed off at Republicans and Democrats.

[bacasper]