Starting with this election, I have become very interested in the various third parties in the United States. I became an Independent because I was disgusted with the state of the two party system and the two parties that were propping up and maintaining that system. Still, that doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to hear what parties have to say. So, I’ve spent a great deal of time following them, as well as Indpendent candidates.

In this entry, I give a pretty thorough roundup of who’s running for these third parties, as well as explaining what the parties are all about, and my take on the candidates’ chances.

Libertarian Party

Everybody’s been talking about the Libertarians these days for one reason. Their candidate is former Georgia Republican Congressman Bob Barr. The hoopla in the media, anyway, is that even if he won’t win, he could cause an upset to John McCain’s chances for winning the presidency. Barr’s candidacy caused a minor controversy earlier this year, because Barr has traditionally been known as one of the most socially conservative Republicans; he’s been a leader in the War on Drugs, and was the author of the Defense of Marriage Act, both things which the Libertarians tend to oppose.

The Libertarians definitely would like to make an electoral impact, and my thinking is that nominating Barr might be opportunity to do it. He’s definitely not going to win, but consider the choice. Barr announces his nomination with about a week to go to the convention, and he nearly instantly becomes the front-runner. He had been a regional representative to the Libertarian National Committee for a while by that time, but I don’t think he’d have been that big of a leader. So why the nomination?

For some time, there has been an effort by some Libertarians to open up the party to a more widespread audience. Those who want less government overall, but may not be as isolationist in foreign policy, or as opposed to corporate regulation. These efforts have been represented by groups such as the Libertarian Reform Caucus, and I think the end results of such reforms may be a Bob Barr candidacy. Certainly Barr’s own reform has been rapid. I’d say he just about ties the record with Mitt Romney on speed of position changes.

So, I think that Barr is the Libertarian’s candidate because they think that with him, they may not win, but will get their name out their and be able to build on that. Barr’s running mate is Wayne Allyn Root, a TV host and producer. Like Barr, I think Root is less radical than some other Libertarians, which could explain why he was chosen.

Overall, I think the Libertarians may end up making a slight dent in the popular vote of John McCain, which may or may not lose him the election. According to the latest Zogby poll, Barr is clocking in at 6% nationwide. The election is 4 months away, but I think McCain and the Republicans need to be keeping an eye on this number in the run up to the convention.

Green Party

Former Georgia Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney garnered 304.5 votes in Green Party primaries, and was officially nominated at the party’s convention on July 12th with a grand total of 313.  Also ranking in the votes was Ralph Nader, with 139, even though Nader isn’t officially campaigning as a Green this year.  Nader eventually came out with 86.5 votes.  The Vice Presidential candidate is journalist and community organizer Rosa Clemente.

I think the large vote for McKinney has some of the same reasoning as Barr: Name recognition. McKinney may not be a huge name, but she was a very vocal anti-Iraq war activist during her time in Congress. Then she got into a minor scandal when she struck a police officer at the Capitol after he tried to stop her because he wasn’t able to identify her. Yet, McKinney has been quite well known for her unabashed liberal political views and anti-Bush rhetoric. So, views that match many Green platforms plus name recognition and experience as a Congresswoman equal a winner in my book.

I haven’t been able to find any polls that include the Green Party, and probably won’t be able to until after the nomination is over. So, I’ll reserve judgment on McKinney’s chances until I do.

The rest of these parties are, I believe, unlikely to have a large impact in this election, but I’ll include a brief summary of their candidates for completion purposes.

Constitution Party

The Constitution Party has nominated activist and pastor Chuck Baldwin for the presidency. His running mate is attorney Darrell Castle. Castle is definitely both an economically and socially conservative candidate, but has also had some praise for both Ron Paul and Bob Barr, which is a little strange, given their more socially liberal leanings, except Paul’s pro-life stance (Barr appears to be mum on this these days). Constitution party candidates are socially conservative as well as fiscally conservative. To that extent, Baldwin also praised Alan Keyes, the former Assistant Secretary of State under Reagan and former opponent to Barack Obama for the Illinois Senate seat Obama now holds.

Prohibition Party

Weak in politics today, but a forced to be reckoned with in the late 19th century and was part of the reason for the Prohibition era in American life from 1919-1931. In 2008, the Prohibition Party has nominated landscape painter, woodcarver, and minister Gene Amondson as their nominee. Amondson is also the party chair. The VP running mate is Leroy Pletten.

Socialist Party USA

On the socialist front, that party has nominated community developer Brian Moore and automobile sales consultant Stewart Alexander for VP. The Socialist Party broke away of the Socialist Part of America (of Eugene Debs fame) in 1972. They oppose both capitalism and authoritarian-style communism, but still call for public and worker control of business, a classless society, and abolition of the death penalty, among other platforms. On how these things should be achieved, the party isn’t unified. Some call for evolutionary style changes, while other favor a more revolutionary approach.

Party of Socialism and Liberation

The Party of Socialism and Liberation seems to advocate a platform more radical than that of the Socialist Part USA. It is a Marxist-Leninist party that advocates revolutionary change. Among other things, it supports the government of Cuba, the Chinese revolution, and the Bolivarian revolution of Venezuala. It also calls for the release of the “Cuban Five,” who were convicted of espionage in 2001. The PSL considers them political prisoners. In 2008, PSL has nominated activist Gloria LaRiva for president and activist Eugene Puryear for VP.

Socialist Workers Party

The SWP is a Trotskyist communist party that once was the largest promoter of the ideology in the USA, but now is very small. I can’t find any specific platform for the issue, but I assume it’s not too different than the PSL above. This year, the SWP is running journalist Róger Calero. Apart from every other candidate profiled here, Calero is the only one who cannot constitutionally become president. Calero was born in Nicaragua in 1965, and fled to the U.S. with his family in 1985 and is now a permanent resident. His VP running mate is garment worker Alyson Kennedy.

Boston Tea Party

Yes, that is seriously its name. Formed in 2006 as a breakaway from the Libertarian Party, the BTP seems to have been formed in response to the LP’s reformation from the radical party of old to the more mainstream party it currently is (mainstream as in not as radical). Its main platforms are basically the same as the Libertarians, but is more rigid in its pursuit of them. This year, the party is running boxing manager and spokeman Charles Jay and the VP candidate is party founder Thomas Knapp.

Reform Party

Once a party on the rise with one of the most successful third party candidates in recent history, Ross Perot, the Reform Party had a lot of trouble getting back on its feet after Perot left the party following the 1996 elections.  They ran Pat Buchanan in 2000, but he failed to garner a significant amount of the vote.  The Reform Party has been more successful on a state and local level, with its highest profile politician coming in the form of former wrestler Jesse Ventura as Governor of Minnesota.  After endorsing Nader in 2004 (he was an Independent), the Reform Party is back with its own candidates.  Two businessmen are running for the top office this time: Ted Weill for President and Frank McEnulty for Vice President (McEnulty is also running as President for the New American Independent Party).
That’s it for now, unless more parties get ballot status somewhere. Still, most of these parties have not made ballot status in many states. I only profiled ones that have made ballot status in at least one state. Let me know if I’m missing any. Finally, I didn’t include parties that have crossed endorsed a candidate profiled here or are not actively pursuing ballot access in other states.

Originally posted: 7/11/08; Updates: 7/30/08