Third Party Candidates Good or Bad?

The answer is that third party candidates are both good and bad.

They are good because they bring different topics to the table. Just like in big party primaries when you have people who don't have a chance of winning but, they have a topic they are more versed in and push for that the rest of the candidates are forced to talk about. That is why third party candidates are good for the political process. And there are some places where they have managed to win seats in their state governments and even at the federal level. I am all for third parties in certain instances. And hopefully someday there will be a truely strong Independent party that is a threat to the Democrats and Republicans and then there might really be such a thing as bi-partisanship in government.

However, they are bad because of the people who think voting for them makes a statement and will somehow cause change. This is not true nor is it a good idea if you really want things to change in our governement. See the only real way to get change is to get rid of your incumbent and get someone new in there. If you have 3000 people voting for someone who won't win there will never be change. I get voting for the people that you think most represent the things you believe in. However, sometimes you really need to vote for someone who will win.

If you can get that incumbent out of office who has been there for 4 or 5 terms then the next time around you have a better chance of maybe seeing that 3rd party candidate get elected. It may be a small chance but, it's a better chance than while there is still a multi-term incumbent in office. Now you might think that doesn't make since. But, think about it. If someone has only been in office one term their hold isn't as strong. The next election is rather open. This gives the 3rd party candidate a bigger appeal. It gives them more room to have their voices heard. Even if they don't win that time around they may pull more votes which gets more attention and eventually they will win a seat. And if you really really believe in 3rd party candidates the best thing to do is work to get them into your state government and then move up to the federal level.

The other problem with 3rd party candidates is that a lot of times they are big party losers. What I mean by that is they are a former Democrat or Republican who couldn't win the primary or even get the support of their party. So instead of staying in the party and trying again later they throw a fit like a little kid and go play by themselves. They take their views that are mostly like one of the big parties and then make a platform of the things that differ from their old party. They aren't truly independent because if elected they would side with which ever party they came from. They of course end up not getting elected and often hurt the person who has the best chance at offering change by winning. And so just like the little kid on the playground they are left by themselves with no one to play with and everyone is worse off.

Eventually Independents will have a big impact on our government it's just a matter of if the country can survive until then not getting enough new voices in from certain areas. And I know what I'm talking about because it has happened the last two elections in my district. Especially the last time. If people hadn't voted for the 3rd party candidate we would have gotten rid of our evil incumbent representative. I'd seriously consider voting for a 3rd party candidate but, right now I know they wouldn't beat her and my focus is on getting her out of office.