Because the candidate of the Democratic Party received 50.3% of the popular vote and the candidate of the Republican Party received 48.1% of the popular vote, I’m sure many of you have lain awake wondering who received the other 1.6% of the popular vote.
I’ll tell you who, because that’s just the way I am.
The candidate of the Libertarian Party was Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico.
The candidate of the Green Party was Jill Stein, a medical doctor from Massachusetts.
The candidate of the Constitution Party was Virgil Goode, a former U.S. congressman from Virginia.
The candidate of the Justice Party was Rocky Anderson, the former mayer of Salt Lake City.
“Never heard of them,” I hear you saying.
Well, have you ever heard of Roseanne Barr?
Roseanne Barr, running as the Peace and Freedom Party candidate with running mate Cindy Sheehan, received over 40,000 votes, and was on the ballot in California, Colorado, and Florida. She was a write-in candidate in 20 other states as well.
As they say in the infomercials, “But wait! There’s more!”
A total of 417 people filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission to run for President in 2012. Most did not appear on the ballot in any state in the general election on November 6.
My fellow Americans (and others), here is a very interesting list:
1. Parties with ballot access to 270 or more electoral votes:
Libertarian Party
Green Party
Americans Elect
Constitution Party
Justice Party
2. Parties with ballot access to fewer than 270, but more than 50 electoral votes:
Party for Socialism and Liberation
American Independent Party
Peace and Freedom Party
Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Party USA
3. Parties with ballot access to fewer than 50 electoral votes:
America’s Party
Objectivist Party
American Third Position Party
Reform Party USA
Socialist Equality Party
Grassroots Party
Prohibition Party
4. Parties with no ballot access:
Boston Tea Party
Freedom Socialist Party
Modern Whig Party
Independent
(end of list)
In conclusion, my fellow Americans (and others), I have just one more thing to say.
Is this a great country or what?
Fascinating stuff and pardon my ignorance on the alternative candidate front. Do any of these parties have representation in the senate or congress?
ReplyDeleteThe American Third Position Party is quite worrying - white supremacists wouldn't be allowed in the UK, or at least they try to hide their true motives.
The question is though what were/are the first and second American positions and are you planning a fourth?
One of these days, there will be candidates representing the Birthday Party and the Retirement Party. The way our country is now so strongly (and almost evenly) divided along major party lines, I expect to see a secessionist movement any day.
ReplyDeleteParrots, the best-known minor political party in the U.S. is the Libertarian Party. As far as I know, not a single one of the minor parties mentioned in my post has ever had representation in the senate or congress. I believe that both Ross Perot in 1992 and George Wallace in 1968 or 1972 received electoral votes. As for your final sentence, I can't figure out what you are asking.
ReplyDeletePat in Arkansas, I sincerely hope you are wrong on all counts!
Is "The American Third Position Party" aligned with "The Kama Sutra Party"? Most of us are happy with just two positions. Three positions could prove tiresome.
ReplyDeleteP.S. to Shooting Parrots, I apologize profusely; I finally did see what you were asking. I knew nothing about the America's Third Position party, so I did a little research. I discovered that the America's Third Position (A3P) party is a group that describes itself as existing "to represent the political interests of White Americans." A3P bragged in 2010: "We support all constructive endeavors by private citizens, businesses, local governments -- or in this case a sovereign state [by which they mean Arizona] -- to stem and reverse the browning of America.". You are correct; it is most definitely a racist organization, but it is not particularly hostile to African-Americans. "Browning" is a fairly recent way of referring to Hispanic/Latino people so I suppose it is the waves of "illegal aliens" (as the Republicans say) or "undocumented workers" (as the Democrats say) coming in across the Mexican border that A3P means.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what America's first and second positions are (unless they are the aforementioned Republicans and Democrats), but I doubt we need a fourth, although Yorkshire Pudding's comment certainly opens new vistas. And I do wonder just which two positions he is talking about and who he means by "most of us."