Political discussion involving past and present political events, candidates and elections. Please read Msg #1 before posting.
Why an Independent will never be President
Posted by Luckydog of FL on 3/25/21 3:45pm
Msg #78152
From 2016 but good info here. For those thinking they vote "Independent", this is why it will never come to pass, and pretty much throwing away a vote...
The Democratic and Republican parties, with full malice and intent, have acted to create a rigged duopoly. Neither wants a third challenger, and both have actively colluded to prevent one from ever having a chance. The parties instinctively understand that their key to political power lies in making sure that the choice is between the lesser of two evils. One way is by making it nearly impossible for third-party candidates to compete for donations on a level playing field. Right after the 2014 midterms, the leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties in Congress met in secret and then changed the law so that individual donors giving to the two major party candidates could donate $834,000 per year in total contributions through their parties while those giving to independents were limited to just $2,700. Then, there are the obstacles placed by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which was established in the wake of Watergate to oversee the conduct of federal campaigns. That FEC has become the most notorious, ineffective, inefficient and corrupt of all federal agencies. It is composed of three super-partisan members – often undisputable political hacks – from each of the two major parties. Because every vote is potentially a tie, each side is able to stymie any meaningful enforcement or regulation of the electoral system and to protect its side from any tough political sanctions. In most cases, the two parties collude to protect the duopoly.
But the worst blight on our democracy is the conduct by the unelected, unaccountable, secretive private organization called the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD was founded in 1987 to ensure that the final fall debates – three for the presidential candidates, beginning this year on Sept. 26, and one for the vice presidential contenders, on Oct. 9 – “provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners.” In truth, the CPD’s real agenda is to make that mission the great lie of American politics.
The true mission of the CPD is to deny independents and third-party candidates a national platform for their views and to their candidacies to be put before the American electorate. To make sure that the only two sanctioned choices are the nominees of the duopoly, the CPD is co-chaired by the former head of the Republican National Committee, Frank Fahrenkopf, and the former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, the Democratic activist Mike McCurry. Other board members are also party regulars and deep-pocketed donors. Some have been outspoken in their views that the CPD’s role is to perpetuate the hold the two parties have on our electoral system.
