It’s even worse:
Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor who is also a possible 2012 contender, urged Republicans not to support third-party candidates, warning that doing so was a recipe for defeat. “There is potential danger if people believe the way to get the attention of Washington is through third-party candidates,” he said. “Typically what a third-party candidate does is ensure the election of the one you like the least.”
In our two-party system, Huckabee is entirely correct. But, what if Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman had won the special election in Upstate New York? Well…he would have caucused with the Republicans. In fact, he would have run for re-election as a Republican. That’s pretty much what would happen to a successful Green Party candidate, too. Maybe they wouldn’t run again as a Democrat, but only if, as is done for Bernie Sanders, the Dems agreed not to offer their own candidate.
It’s not just the difficulty of competing with the two major parties in the election that makes it impossible for third-parties to get a foothold. Even if elected, they have to rely on one of the majors for their committee seats.
In the long-term, there is merit in campaigning to change our winner-take-all elections. But, until that happens, the only way to actually get different ideas represented in Washington is to elect Democrats and Republicans who espouse those different ideas. Everything else is no more than a form of mild pressure that is only effectual so long as it isn’t effective enough to elect the ‘one you like the least.’
