Third Party Candidates: Will Any Have An Impact on the 2008 Elections?

Ross Perot did it in 1990 and 1996 with the Reform Party. John Anderson, the media-monikered “College Student’s Candidate” of the National Unity Party was a mere pebble in Ronald Reagan’s 1980 landslide. And you’d have to have been living on another planet not to know the role Independent candidate Ralph Nader played in the 2000 and 2004 elections (although he claims not to have taken any votes away from the Al Gore and John Kerry at all).

They’re the third-party candidates, and while the disenfranchised and passionate have been trying to crack through for the last century or two, none have made it to the White House.

Doesn’t mean they don’t keep on trying.

Here is just a sampling of the rainbow of citizens on a mission, thanks to Ron Gunzburger’s Politics 1 web site:

For the Constitution Party, wrapped in the American flag and waving the Bible:

*Chuck Baldwin (FL) – Baptist pastor, radio talk show host, conservative activist, and 2004 VP nominee
*Jim Clymer (PA) – Party National Chairman, frequent candidate, and attorney
*Jerome Corsi (MA) – Author, journalist and conservative activist.
*Jim Gilchrist (CA) – Minuteman Project Founder, retired accountant and ’05 congressional nominee.
*Alan Keyes (MD) – Former US Ambassador, conservative activist and frequent candidate
P. Dale Thomson (KY) – Businessman and Christian Rock musician

For the Green Party, proudly waving their recycled eco-flags high:

Elaine Brown (GA) – Ex-Black Panther Party Chair, nonprofit group executive and author
*Pat LaMarche (ME) – Businesswoman, National Party Co-Chair, talk show host, 2004 VP nominee, ex-state Rep and Democrat.
*Cynthia McKinney (GA) – Former US Congresswoman, ex-state Rep and Democrat
*Rebecca Rotzler (NY) – New Paltz Deputy Mayor, Party National Co-Chair, businesswoman and community activist.
kat “this is really how you spell my name” swift (TX) State Party Co-Chair, progressive activist and newspaper credit manager.

For the Libertarians, wishing everyone would just leave them the heck alone:

Jim Burns (NV) – Ex-State LP Chair and frequent candidate
Gene Chapman (TX) – Anti-tax activist, lay minister and truck driver
Dave Hollist (CA) – Bus driver and frequent LP Presidential hopeful
Bob Jackson (MI) – Businessman, former Congressional candidate and ex-Republican.
Mike “Jingo” (hey, his nickname, not mine) Jingozian (OR) – Software company founder and former city council candidate.
Steve Kubby (CA) – Businessman, former Governor nominee and (there had to be at least one) marijuana legalization activist.
Alden Link (NY) – Manufacturing executive and Army veteran.
Robert Milnes (NJ) – Progressive activist.
George Phillies (MA) College profressor, writer, LP “Reform” activist and former US Senate nominee.
*Wayne Allyn Root (NV) – Sports handicapper, author and TV show host.
Christine Smith (CO) – Progressive activist and writer.
Doug Stanhope (AZ) – Comedian

For the Prohibition Party, which is kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?

Gene Amondson (AK) – 2004 Nominee, Temperance lecturer, minister and artist.

For the Independents, wearing whatever the heck they want to

Stephen P. "Steve" Adams (Independent-Kentucky)
Terry "Tee" Barkdull (New American Party-Nevada)
John Taylor Bowles (NSM/American Nazi Party-South Carolina)
Orion Karl Daley (Balanced Party-New York)
Cris Ericson (Marijuana Party-Vermont)
Vinnie Ferrari (Indepenent-DC)
Alex Hammer (Independent-Maine)
Bob W. Hargis (Independent-Oklahoma)
Dan Imperato (Reform/Independent-Florida)
Frank McEnulty (Independent-California)
*Ralph Nader (Independent-Connecticut)
Arthur J. Regan (Independent-Massachusetts)
"Average Joe" Schriner (Independent-Ohio)
Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey (Vampire, Witches & Pagan Party-New Jersey)
Ben Thompson (Independent-Minnesota)
Lanakila Washington (Humanist Party-New York)
Rick Williams (Independent-Tennessee)

* = not yet declared

Here are my picks for who’s going to ultimately end up on the ballot (sadly, below the Democrats and Republicans, as always):

Constitution Party: I’m betting we’ll wind up with Alan Keyes (because of his experience and financial backers) and Chuck Baldwin (ditto.). But just for the heck of it, check out P. Dale Thompson’s web site. He’d be the first Christian Rocker in the White House. Free concerts in the Rose Garden!

Green Party: I think this party has the best chance of making it to the top of the heap. Look for Pat LaMarche and Rebecca Rotzler to wind up in a primary. While Cynthia McKinney is a big name, her clear anti-Semetic bias is going to be a problem in this party that stands for diversity. I would have liked to see Jason West (Rebecca Rotzler’s boss, the mayor of New Paltz who performed a slew of gay marriages a couple years back) get into the race, but perhaps he’s been too busy dodging lawsuits and trying to get the village to give him a raise (a perennial local brouhaha.)

Libertarians: From a scan of their web sites, and what I’m hearing around cyber-land, it looks like Jim Burns, Bob Jackson or George Phillies will get the nod. Although a comedian would certainly make the State of the Union messages less of a snoozer. And I love this quote from Gene Chapman’s web site: “Your only Non-Communist Third Party Slave Freedom Alliance candidate for President of The United States, seeking the Libertarian, Constitution, Southern, Goldwater-Reagan Conservative, Independent, Reform and Boston Tea Party nominations.”

Prohibition Party: Only one choice here! Although I’m surprised it still exists. Can you really make a living as a Temperance Lecturer anymore, outside of Utah and the Middle East?

Independents: I love the Independents. This is where you get the wackiest extremes in the spectrum, from John Taylor Bowles of the American Nazi Party to Cris Ericson of the Marijuana Party (now that would be a party) to Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey from the Vampire, Witches and Pagans Party, whose first act as President would be to blow Mecca to kingdom come.

Other than vowing to impale your enemies on a stake, this party is where politics can really get interesting. Yes, the big question on everyone’s minds is, “Will Ralph run again?” So far, he’s made no commitment. Although if he did, I’d peg him, Steve Adams and Ben Thompson as the strongest candidates.

I know the 2008 elections are a long way off (light years away, as far as America’s attention span is concerned) but if I had to make a call now, I’d say that while third party candidates will add their usual color to the bottom of the ballot, and some may even fight their way into the debates, I doubt that they will make much of a difference when it comes to who will be putting their hand on the Bible in January, 2009. After eight years of Bush, I have a hunch the populace will want to go with a known-quantity Dem.

It'll be interesting to see which.