A multi-party Presidential election

[Sims2789]

A United States President could get elected in a coalition by giving minority party candidates positions in the Cabinet.

This might take a fundamental shift in the way voters view Presidential elections. For example, centrists would have to not freak out if, say, Alan Keyes is made McCain's Secretary of the Department of Education, and if Ralph Nader is made the head of the EPA.

Or it could be under the table, so that the electorate only finds out about Nader only after the election. This is probably a better way to implement this idea, since I know I'd freak out if Alan Keyes was appointed to anything.

The main problem is that most third parties are too extreme to have members associated with them elected to nationwide office.

 

[The Yankee]

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Yeah, it's way over my head. I'm not exactly sure what you're saying. A bunch of third parties would support a candidate for President in exchange for Cabinet positions?

 

[amadeus]

So we'd have required prayer in schools and no cars. Sounds an awful lot like the Dark Ages.

 

[Miles Teg]

First off, policy: Giving high level posts to crazies (Who constitute most the current 3rd parties) is a horrible idea
Now, Politics: The crazies don't have many supporters, and most of them will get upset if their candidate 'sells out'.
Third: Most of these, especially Nader, aren't going to 'sell out'

 

[JerichoHill]

Not in a first past the post winner take all system would coalition governing occur. If no one gets 50% + 1, then there is a runoff with the top 2.

Again, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way to understanding how our election system works

 

[plarq]

Just put enough 3rd parties in the Congress and let them whine (after they get their congressmen/women status).

 

[JohnRM]

The two-party dictatorship would find some way to prevent such things.

 

[mitsho]

But he's raising an interesting point. How would an American multi-party system look like?
- Would there be an "evangelical" and a "liberal-radical" party out of the Republicans?
- Would there be a strong "Green", "Social Democrat" and perhaps another more centrist sd party?
-Would there be "Green Radicals", something that is on an upward trend in Europe (liberal in economic terms, but green)
- Would there be a "California" Party, or a "Latino PArty" or a "Black Party" or (you get the idea)

m

 

[GeorgeOP]

They tried it once and it failed. When Lincoln was looking for reelection he was in trouble because he was a war mongerer and he was committing troops to a war that could not be won. And he was arresting people without giving them trials and was trying to suppress the will of the people. So he turned to the Democrats and offered their guy, Andrew Johnson, the VP spot if they promised not to run a significant campaign. Two months after he took office he was killed and the people that wanted a Republican president ended up having to endure 4 years of a Democrat.

 

[JerichoHill]

you cannot have a multiparty system in a winner take all election scheme. Sorry. Can't happen. ITS MATH

 

[downtown]

For example, centrists would have to not freak out if, say, Alan Keyes is made McCain's Secretary of the Department of Education, and if Ralph Nader is made the head of the EPA.
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No, Centrists would have super terrified of something like that...it would be the end of the world.

you cannot have a multiparty system in a winner take all election scheme. Sorry. Can't happen. ITS MATH

Aaand, we have a winner.

Honestly, there is no point in pandering to 3rd parties in our system, since they're all so daggumn small.

 

[uppi]

Unless the position of the President is radically changed, the election will always be a vote for a person instead for a party.

Of course, if there were significant smaller parties in the US they could always recommend candidate X of party Y and if they were significant enough they might even get something for it. But for that to happen there has to be a multi-party system in the first place. And that would have to start with the voting system vor Congress.

 

[mitsho]

you cannot have a multiparty system in a winner take all election scheme. Sorry. Can't happen. ITS MATH

You got me wrong. WHAT IF America had different political institutions. It is just a fictious mind experiment. Forget the institutional rules, I got that, I am a student of political science at the moment. I ask how the political ideas that did form parties in other countries are in the US. How are the ideologies spread over the US party system?

m

 

[Bestbank Tiger]

There are a couple of ways for a third party to make noise. You could win a few states in the presidential election and make sure nobody gets an electoral vote majority. That puts the election into the House of Representatives, which would probably follow party lines, but the third party could endorse that outcome in exchange for other considerations and thereby confer legitimacy on the outcome.

You could also pick up 15-20 House seats and 4-5 Senate seats, and hold the balance of power. Then you can bargain with the major parties--we'll caucus with you and make you the majority if you pass our agenda.

It would have to be a third party whose policy preferences are divided between the D's and R's, such as the Libertarians.

 

[Godwynn]

I want the Liberal Democrats to come over from the U.K.

 

[emzie]

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Yeah, it's way over my head. I'm not exactly sure what you're saying. A bunch of third parties would support a candidate for President in exchange for Cabinet positions?

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[emzie]

For what it's worth, the only way a third party can form is for it to be a regional party that caucuses with one of the two major parties.