The Petraeus Hearings, Code Pink, and Musings on a Third Party

A September 10 posting on Politico.com illustrates why a recent poll showed 58% of American Voters wish there were a viable third party to vote for.

Inspired by the behavior of Code Pink members at the Petraeus Hearings and entitled “Heckuva Job, Code Pink”, the first line reads as follows. “Is Code Pink to the left what Westboro Baptist Church is to the right?”

What its author, Jonathan Martin, is doing (knowingly or unknowingly) is illustrating the dilemma so many voters face today and why so many voters call themselves Independents in polls.

These voters are reluctant to identify themselves with Democrats because they are put off by its association with seemingly peace-at-any-price groups like Code Pink. Life experience has taught voters that bullies will not go away on their own. Bullies must be confronted, not appeased. Code Pink groups annoy people who (although they may not like the situation as it is or how we arrived here) know they must be wary of making decisions that are popular today. Responsible people know popular decisions today without regard to consequences can lead to being vilified by history in the long term.

Those same voters are equally reluctant to identify themselves with Republicans because they are put off by its association with rabidly anti-gay radicals like those from the Westboro Baptist Church. Too many people today have friends and family members who are gay. This means these voters know these people personally as decent people who happen to have a different sexual orientation. As a result, these voters have extreme difficulty supporting a political party that tolerates those like the members and supporters of the Westboro Baptist Church. These feelings are compounded by recalling the behavior of these types of groups in other areas, as well. The events surrounding Terri Schiavo offer a clear illustration in this regard.

Perhaps the question for both Republican and Democratic strategists to ask is this. What other groups are causing Independent voters to identify themselves as such instead of identifying themselves as Democrats or Republicans? Could the public and actual repudiation of these groups actually gain their Party more voters than they would lose? After all, if the Democrats reject Code Pink, then what is Code Pink’s alternative? They have no home in the Republican Party. Nor do the Westboro supporters have a home in the Democratic Party. Indeed, is there an opportunity to forge a 60-70% majority Party by the realignment of the policies and membership of one of the two Parties?

This is definitely food for thought.

Here is a link to the Politico.com article.