On “The Simpsons” a few years ago, voters had two identical, slobbering aliens as presidential candidates. One character said he would vote for a third party rather than support an alien taking over the Earth.
“Go ahead,” the alien said menacingly, “throw your vote away.”
The idea that a third-party vote is wasted has been forced on voters for so long that it was lampooned by a primetime cartoon. Why, then, are third-, fourth- and fifth-party candidates still campaigning, and why is more of the electorate disenfranchised?
The answer is simple: representation. Despite the rhetoric of the major parties, American voters increasingly feel that they’re not properly represented by Democrats or Republicans. Compromise is one reason why. Let’s take a look at that very democratic idea.
Running a large country with a vast population holding many different ideals takes compromise. Ideally, no one party, nor any one set of ideals, gets to set the agenda. Unless, of course, your interests are capitalism, in which case you need only buy off the two major parties and own the media, and pretty soon everyone will believe they have only two corporate-approved choices.
Is that democracy? Not entirely. People are still voting, but for what? Voting for the Democrats or Republicans is voting for compromise that has already happened.
In European countries with many parties and proportional representation in their legislative bodies, compromise happens when everyone sits down and decides what they can all agree on and what they’re willing to trade for support of their ideas. This is real compromise and real democracy.
In America, compromise happens before voters even have a voice. The major parties water down the issues that matter to voters, trying to find a palatable middle-ground that, like Muzak, tries so hard to offend no one that it ends up offending a lot of people.
American third parties still need improvement. They still need top-notch candidates and money to get their message out. But voters must realize that they’re NOT throwing their vote away, so that third parties get enough votes to be considered worthy of a seat at the table.
Read about all the presidential candidates before you vote. No matter your ideology, you may find that another party represents your views a whole lot better than do Texas Gov. George w. Bush or Vice President Al Gore. With enough support, those opinions can be heard. Otherwise, we may get taken over by slobbering aliens.