As usual, Peggy Noonan hits the nail on head. As usual, she’s writing about something potentially historic, and, ths time, its the possibility of a major shift in American politics.
Something’s happening. I have a feeling we’re at some new beginning, that a big breakup’s coming, and that though it isn’t and will not be immediately apparent, we’ll someday look back on this era as the time when a shift began.
In 1992 Ross Perot looked like the breakthrough, the man who would make third parties a reality. He destabilized the Republicans and then destabilized himself. By the end of his campaign he seemed to be the crazy old aunt in the attic.
The Perot experience seemed to put an end to third-party fever. But I think it’s coming back, I think it’s going to grow, and I think the force behind it is unique in our history.
The Perot campaign, of course, was not a true third-party movement. When Ross Perot dropped out of the campaign — not once, but twice — and then failed to support the party when the Presidential election ended, the party died. And his despicable treatment of his running mate — Medal of Honor winner Admiral James Stockdale —- only served to sink his campaign, and the Reform Party, even further.
But the public yearning for an alternative continues.
If you’re addicted to politics enough to spend your Sunday mornings watching Meet The Press, Face The Nation and, whatever program George Stephanpoulous hosts, you probably think that the problem is that we live in a polarlized nation. Republicans vs. Democrats. Christians vs. Secularists. Men vs. Women. Young vs. Old. Well, maybe that’s not where the real conflct exists:
The problem is not that the two parties are polarized. In many ways they’re closer than ever. The problem is that the parties in Washington, and the people on the ground in America, are polarized. There is an increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people–between the elites and the grunts, between those in power and those who put them there.
On the ground in America, people worry terribly–really, there are people who actually worry about it every day–about endless, weird, gushing government spending. But in Washington, those in power–Republicans and Democrats–stand arm in arm as they spend and spend. (Part of the reason is that they think they can buy off your unhappiness one way or another. After all, it’s worked in the past. A hunch: It’s not going to work forever or much longer. They’ve really run that trick into the ground.)
In other words, this isn’t a disconnect between Boston and Birmingham, its a disconnect between America and those-who-govern-America. Noonan goes on to point out that Americans have real fears — about immigration, terrorism, and even natural disasters — that political leaders not only aren’t addressing, but appear incapable of dealing with. The more apparent that becomes, the easier it becomes for a real alternative to emerge.
I don’t see any potential party, or potential candidate, on the scene right now who can harness the disaffection of growing portions of the electorate. But a new group or entity that could define the problem correctly–that sees the big divide not as something between the parties but between America’s ruling elite and its people–would be making long strides in putting third party ideas in play in America again.
I agree that there is no viable alternative on the horizon. The Libertarian Party has most of the right ideas, but none of the right people and insists on hanging on to public policy positions that make its political viability non-existant. Most other alternatives are far too right-wing for my taste. But, yet, I agree, the landscape is changing……….opportunities are arising, and change will come.
More thoughts from Dale Franks at The QandO Blog
