Tom Friedman Comes Out in Support of Americans Elect

From Tom Friedman's column in the NYT:

Thanks to a quiet political start-up that is now ready to show its hand, a viable, centrist, third presidential ticket, elected by an Internet convention, is going to emerge in 2012. I know it sounds gimmicky — an Internet convention — but an impressive group of frustrated Democrats, Republicans and independents, called Americans Elect, is really serious, and they have thought out this process well. In a few days, Americans Elect will formally submit the 1.6 million signatures it has gathered to get on the presidential ballot in California as part of its unfolding national effort to get on the ballots of all 50 states for 2012. The goal of Americans Elect is to take a presidential nominating process now monopolized by the Republican and Democratic parties, which are beholden to their special interests, and blow it wide open . . .

Socialist Candidate for President Opposes Raising Debt Ceiling, Urges Credit Counciling for White House and Congress

From DC Indymedia:

Presidential Candidate Stewart Alexander says “Working people should not fear the August 2nd deadline to raise the debt ceiling; the government will not collapse. It is time for President Obama and the professional politicians to attend credit counseling.” In 2006, then Senator Barack Obama argued and voted against raising the debt ceiling saying, “Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.”

Today, during a White House press conference on raising the debt ceiling, President Obama suggested the Democrats and Republicans in Washington are the “professional politicians” most capable of managing the nation’s debt. Now that the nation is $14.3 trillion in debt, these professional politicians will once again rescue capitalism and avert an economic crisis by creating more debt.

U.S. Presidential Candidate Stewart Alexander notes, during the past decade, many of these professional politicians have doubled the size of the U.S. government. “The two corporate parties of big capital have also quadrupled the size of government within the past 20 years through increased spending and raising the debt ceiling over and over again, creating more debt for working people.”

More than 71 percent of all Americans are opposed to raising the debt ceiling. Stewart Alexander says working people understand debt better than these professional politicians and President Obama. “This is how it is done by most working people. We calculate how much has been deposited into the checking account. We calculate how much is owed in bills, and we pay our bill keeping our check book balanced.” Alexander says when the checking account is near empty, “these professional politicians want to use the U.S. credit card to go on a spending spree.” . . .

Communist Party Endorses Obama and the Democrats for 2012

From Communist Party Chair Sam Web at People's World:

Does it make any difference, from the standpoint of the class and democratic struggles, which party gains political ascendency?  Some - though not the labor movement nor other mass organizations of the American people - say no, it doesn't.  Some even go a step further and say a Democratic victory creates popular illusions, which in turn weaken the people's struggles. And the only way out of this vise is to form a third party now.  Communists don't agree with either one of these views.

In our view, the differences between the two parties of capitalism are of consequence to class and democratic struggles.   Neither party is anti-capitalist, but they aren't identical either. Differences exist at the levels of policy and social composition. And despite the many frustrations of the past two years, the election of Barack Obama was historic and gave space to struggle for a people's agenda . . .

Now that doesn't mean that we give up our advocacy of an independent people's party, but we also understand that its formation is dictated by concrete political realities and strategic necessities. . . . We don't have any illusions about the Democratic Party, but we don't have any illusions about the Republican Party either. Furthermore, we are also aware of the undeniable fact that no other party besides the Democratic Party stands a chance of beating the GOP next year.

Friedman: We Need a Third Party

From Tom Friedman at the NYT:

We need to do four things at once: spend, cut, tax and invest. And unless we do all four at once we’re not going to break out of our slow decline. But to do all four at once will require a new hybrid politics, which does not conform to the political agenda of either major party . . . 

Maybe it is just my friends, but I find more and more people completely disgusted by this situation and looking for a serious Third Party candidate who could run in 2012 and deliver the shock therapy to the corrupt, encrusted, two-party duopoly now running the show in America.

Such a Third Party would have a simple agenda: 1) Inject a short-term stimulus. 2) Enact Simpson-Bowles. 3) Shrink our presence in Afghanistan. 4) Raise automobile mileage standards. 5) Impose a gasoline tax to pay for a massive increase in government-supported scientific research and a carbon tax to pay for new infrastructure and stimulate clean-power innovation.

Do I think such a Third Party can win in 2012? Not likely. But it doesn’t have to win to be effective. If such a party attracted substantial voters on such a platform, it would shape the agendas of the Republicans and Democrats. They would both have to move to attract these voters by changing their own platforms and, in so doing, might even create a mandate for the next president

Wikinews Interviews Libertarian Presidential Candidate R. Lee Wrights

From Wikinews:

R. Lee Wrights, a candidate for the U.S. Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, took some time to speak with Accredited Wikinews Reporter William Saturn about his presidential campaign and positions on political issues.

Wrights, a native of North Carolina, is an activist and lifetime member of the Libertarian Party who currently serves as the editor of several Libertarian publications. He previously worked as a medical technician inthe United States Air Force and earned degrees in History and Journalism at Willmar College.

He is currently being challenged for the nomination by National Guard officer R.J. Harris, radio host Jim Duensing, former Nevada Libertarian Party chair Jim Burns, marketing executive Roger Gary and attorney Carl Person. 2008 Vice presidential nominee Wayne Allyn Root is also expected to make a run . . .

Virgil Goode for President on Constitution Party Ticket?

From the Roanoke Times:

Virgil Goode has worn a number of labels through the years -- state senator, congressman, Democrat, independent, Republican -- but now he's considering trying on a new title: United States presidential candidate.

At its April meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., the national executive committee of the Constitution Party passed a resolution urging Goode to seek its presidential nomination next year. Goode, who's been making speeches at Constitution Party meetings for two years, said he's thinking about it.

"I will consider it as the year progresses," Goode said when reached at his Rocky Mount office Thursday.

Stewart Alexander: Obama's Record is Greatest Threat to his Re-election Bid

From Indy Bay:

President Barack Obama recently kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign; however, the sluggish economy and the president’s failure to create jobs could threaten his hopes for re-election. With all the bad news on the economy, the president still remains the favorite to win in 2012. President Obama is a formidable fundraiser and has the financial backing of Wall Street and could spend as much a $1 billion for re-election; and approaching November 2012, the Republican field of presidential hopefuls appears to be hopeless. . . . 

Presidential Candidate Stewart Alexander says “The Jobs Report is more bad news for President Obama. Today there is a lack of confidence among millions of Americans that President Obama will produce a plan that will ease America’s unemployment crisis; it is the worse unemployment crisis since the Great Depression.”

President Obama recently kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign; however, the sluggish economy and the president’s failure to create jobs could threaten his hopes for re-election. With all the bad news on the economy, the president still remains the favorite to win in 2012. President Obama is a formidable fundraiser and has the financial backing of Wall Street and could spend as much a $1 billion for re-election; and approaching November 2012, the Republican field of presidential hopefuls appears to be hopeless.

With the odds of winning being so immense, Stewart Alexander says the greatest threat to Obama’s re-election bid is his record; “his record on the economy, his failure to end the wars, a spiraling national debt that is approaching $15 trillion, and his broken promises to the American working class.”

Stewart Alexander was the Vice Presidential Nominee for the Socialist Party USA in 2008 and has announced that he will be seeking the 2012 presidential nomination for the Socialist Party USA, the Green Party USA, and the Peace and Freedom Party- California. Alexander says Obama needs a presidential candidate from the left to challenge his record; “I believe I am that candidate.” . . . .

Libertarians, Independents and Trust in Elected Leaders

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Many Independents might be libertarians: fiscally conservative and socially liberal (by W. E. Messamore, CAIVN) 'So, if many of these centrist, independent voters are indeed libertarians, why aren't libertarians better recognized? First, the word "libertarian" is still unfamiliar — even to many who hold "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" views. Pollsters rarely use it. So in polls, many libertarians call themselves "conservative," "independent" or "moderate" — making it hard for analysts to recognize them.'
• Majority of Americans Do Not Trust President Obama or His Economic Advisors to Handle Budget Deficit -Even larger majorities do not trust Speaker Boehner, Congressional Republicans or Congressional Democrats (Harris Poll Press Release) Independents, however, do not trust anyone. Just two in five trust President Obama (43%), 36% trust his economic advisors, 31% trust Speaker Boehner, 28% trust Republicans in Congress and 22% trust Democrats in Congress.

2012

• Pawlenty campaigns in northwest Iowa (by Radio Iowa) “Independents, people who are, you know, going to decide the election in large measure, have really figured out that he has not turned the country around like he promised.The economy continues to do very poorly and they don’t favor his reelection,” Pawlenty says.
• Doug Schoen: Democrats Fear Christie Entering Presidential Race (By: Jim Meyers and Ashley Martella, Newsmax.com) “The American people are looking for fresh faces and if somebody like Chris Christie got into the race, I think there is a real chance that there could be a boomlet of excitement that could catapult him pretty quickly to the top of the polls.”

Are Ron Paul and Gary Johnson in the Wrong Party?

From the Washington Examiner:

Earth to Rep. Ron Paul and former Gov. Gary Johnson – you are running for the Republican nomination for president, not the Libertarian or Democrat nomination.  At various times throughout the Republican primary debate last evening, I had to remind myself I was actually watching a Republican debate. . . . Why do Republicans let people like Ron Paul and Gary Johnson participate in Republican presidential debates?  They are obviously trying to win the “Who’s more Libertarian?” or “Who’s the least Republican” debate as opposed to the actual Republican debate taking place. 

Indeed, you really have to wonder why anyone who says they believe in freedom and liberty would support the Republican party. 

Poll: 80% Say They Would Consider Voting for a Third Party or Independent Presidential Candidate in 2012

Findings from a new Reason-Rupe poll, as described by Reason:

With the 2012 election season ramping up, frustrated voters appear ready to look beyond Democratic and Republican candidates. Eighty percent say they will or may consider voting for a third-party or independent presidential candidate in 2012. And an even higher number of independents (89 percent) and GOP voters (86 percent) say they will or may consider candidates outside of the two major political parties.

The willingness to look beyond Democrats and Republicans stems, in part, from voters’ lack of trust in them. When asked which political party they trust to govern responsibly, the leading answer was “neither,” at 35 percent, followed by Democrats at 31 percent and Republicans at 23 percent. The survey also found 58 percent of voters believe they’d either see “no difference” or be “better off” if Congress were only in session every other year.

Nader Organizing Primary Opposition to Obama

From Politico:

Ralph Nader is convinced that Barack Obama will win reelection in 2012, but that won’t stop him from trying to organize a slate of Democrats in the coming months to challenge the president in party primaries next year.

Nader told POLITICO on Wednesday that he is working on bringing together about half a dozen presidential candidates who could “dramatically expand a robust discussion within the Democratic Party and among progressive voters across the country.” Each would focus on a specific issue where the far left says Obama hasn’t done enough, including the environment, labor and health care.

Ventura Open to Running with Ron Paul on Independent Presidential Ticket

From Syracuse news:

In interviews on CNN's American Morning and ABC's Good Morning America this week to promote his new book, “63 Documents the Government Doesn’t Want You to Read,” former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura said if Paul decides to run as an independent, he would strongly consider being his running mate.

Ventura describes Paul, who vied for the Republican nomination in 2008 and ran on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1988, as "the only federal elected official who will stand up for America on the congressional floor.”

But Ventura added that he would never run as a Republican or Democrat. "They are the problem, not the solution. We need to abolish political parties in this country," he said on GMA . . .

Poll: Independents Support Charlie Sheen over Sarah Palin for President

From Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning outfit:

We've found a lot of brutal poll numbers for Sarah Palin so far in 2011: down in South Dakota, down in South Carolina, down in Arizona, only up by 1 point in Texas, only up by 1 point in Nebraska to name a few. But this has to be the worst- independent voters say they would support Charlie Sheen over Palin for President by a 41/36 margin. Seriously. . . . 

Sheen's unpopularity is pretty universal across party lines so it says something about the level of polarization in the country right now that Democrats would support him by a 44-24 margin for President over Palin and that Republicans would support him 37-28 over Obama. People may not have any respect for Sheen but they still think he'd be a better alternative than their opposing party's leading figure.

CORRECTION: Report: Ron Paul Rules Out Third Party Presidential Bid in 2012

[Correction: the below post mistakenly took a 2008 post from the Daily Paul for newly published material.  Paul has not ruled out a third party presidential bid in 2012, so far as TPID is aware.]

From the Daily Paul:

Ron Paul will not run as a third party candidate. I was on his national conference call last night and he said himself, "we don't want to lose my congressional seat". He said he would continue in the Republican Presidential primary as long as the money and support are there, just like he's been saying. But he very specifically mentioned his congressional seat and he was taking care of various votes and other business in congress the last couple days to ensure he would be ready for the primary vote for his seat in Texas next month . . .

10 Potential Green Party Candidates for President 2012

From Green Party Watch:

This is the first of a series of polls we will be putting up throughout 2011 in order to gauge interest in potential presidential candidates for the Green Party ticket in 2012. To date, none of these candidates have publicly declared interest in the nomination, their inclusion in this poll was at our discretion . . .

The piece goes on to profile Jared Ball, Rosa Clemente, Tom Clements, Howie Hawkins, Jesse Johnson, Cynthia McKinney, Jill Stein, Kat Swift, Laura Wells, Richt Whitney, 

Majority of Independents Open to Third Party Candidate for President

From Poli-Tea and CAIVN:

A new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling has found that 37% of Americans and 51% of Independents are open to supporting a third party candidate for President in 2012.  And there is good reason to believe these numbers significantly underestimate the level of support for an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. . . .

A look at the poll’s crosstabs shows that Independents are, unsurprisingly, most open to a third party candidate for President in 2012.  51% of Independents expressed openness to the idea, compared to 44% of Republicans and only 24% of Democrats . . . 

A recent Rasmussen poll found that 46% of GOP primary voters would likely support a third party candidate if Sarah Palin did not win the Republican party’s nomination for President.  But a Rasmussen poll from late last year found that 31% of GOP primary voters would likely support a third party candidate if Sarah Palin did indeed win the Republican party’s nomination for President.  

Palin Supporters Lean Toward Third Party Option

From Rasmussen:

Nearly half of the Republican Primary voters who support Sarah Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for a third-party candidate if she does not win the GOP presidential nomination. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely Republican Primary Voters who favor Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote third-party if she isn’t nominated.

Poll: 37% Willing to Support Third Party Candidate for President

From Public Policy Polling:

Americans think both major political parties are ideologically extreme. And 37% of them say they'd be open to supporting a third party candidate for President next year . . .  37% of voters may be open to supporting a third party candidate but there's considerable division within those ranks about what kind of third party candidate they'd want to support. . . . 14% of them want someone who's to the left of the Democrats. 29% want someone who's to the right of the Republicans. The largest group at 48% does want a centrist- someone more conservative than the Democrats but more liberal than the Republicans- but that only accounts for 18% of the overall electorate . . .

Virgil Goode and Tom Tancredo Seen as Potential Constitution Party Candidates for President in 2012

From Sunshine News:

The conservative Constitution Party has had a history of trying to lure prominent figures to run as its party’s presidential nominee over the years. There was speculation that Pat Buchanan, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and former U.S. Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire would run as the Constitution Party candidate, but they never did . . .  There are two former congressmen currently active with the Constitution Party -- former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo who just ran for governor of Colorado and former U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode of Virginia. Look for the buzz to start building that either Tancredo, who made a brief run for the Republican nomination in the last cycle, or Goode will be interested in taking aim at the White House in 2012.

Progressives Preparing Primary and Third Party Challenges to Obama?

From FireDogLake:

Rather than a two-track approach, I favor a comprehensive one, whereby our challenger – in order to become our challenger in the first place – must not only agree to run against Obama in the primaries, but to run as the new party’s candidate in the general as well. . . .

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on seating a steering committee of prominent, respected Lefties for this effort. So far I’m batting 1.000 – the first two people I’ve approached have agreed. They are names you will immediately recognize, and while I am not ready to disclose them just yet, here’s the key point: One is willing to participate only if the goal is the establishment of a new party which seeks to bring together the disparate factions of the Left, toward the greater objective of giving the Left a real voice again. This person is even averse to a primary challenge, but would be willing, I think, to support it as a strategic first step – provided the ultimate goal is to give Lefties a unified voice which is not tied to the Democratic Party.