On Sunday, Tom Friedman wrote a column that continues to ripple through the blogosphere. He called for a third party to upend the current stagnation of Washington.
But in talks here and elsewhere I continue to be astounded by the level of disgust with Washington, D.C., and our two-party system — so much so that I am ready to hazard a prediction: Barring a transformation of the Democratic and Republican Parties, there is going to be a serious third party candidate in 2012, with a serious political movement behind him or her — one definitely big enough to impact the election’s outcome.
Critics of Friedman's column have doubted whether any politician can change the dynamics in DC or questioned whether there is actually a radical center in the United States. Let me just add a very boring, Political Science professor-type of critique.
Our electoral system makes it impossible for a third party to co-exist with the current two parties. Our winner-take-all system results in two parties. That's it. It's possible for a third party to get a little traction, but then those parties typically get swallowed up by one of the other parties. That's just how it works.
I understand Friedman's frustration with DC and the incremental changes that it produces, but any prediction of the rise of a radical new third party makes him look like a dumbass.