Today's Star Tribune printed a column by David Brooks that they titled "Moderates, this is your call to action". The original was published in the New York Times on March 3 as "A Moderate Manifesto".
I hope all non-Limbaugh Republicans, all Democrats who think President Obama and Congress are overreaching, and those who have no party affiliation but think seriously about governance will start to come together to form a real third party - a party that both marginalizes those with a narrow agenda and reigns in those who think the federal government should be concerned with everything. It has been 155 years since there was a viable third party; we are long overdue for a new major party.
I have had some hopes that the Independence Party of Minnesota would be one of the catalysts, but they have or had two problems.
First is the problem of "throwing votes away" by voting for a third party. This is a serious problem in the U.S. We keep getting the "lesser of two evils". I wonder who threw their votes away in the latest Minnesota vote for U.S. Senator - those who voted for Al Franken or those who voted for Norm Coleman?
Second, the Independence Party had too many gimmicks in its platform or principles. Two that come to mind are calling for a unicameral legislature and instant-runoff voting. I mentioned this to Dean Barkley, the unsuccessful Independence Senatorial candidate when he sent me a solicitation email. I kept telling myself to send my own thoughts to the party, but I never got around to it. I think others may have had some of my concerns; I couldn't find unicameral and IRV on the current pages of the Independence Party.
David Brooks, I hope this blog is a contribution to your call to action.
See also "The Moderate Manifesto", Reader Weekly, 2004-11-18
