The estimable Bernard Sanders, U. S. Senator from Vermont, is floating the idea of a run for the White House in 2016. As much as I respect Sen. Sanders, I advise against a third-party run by Mr. Sanders in 2016, under our current system. The last time a major socialist candidate ran for President was Eugene Debs in 1920. Impressively, Debs garnered nearly a million votes. This shows how desperate people were for an alternative under the profit system of the time.
As soon as I can I will research the Presidential race that year to see what kind of impact it had on the Democratic candidate. The only time in my memory a Democratic Presidential candidate did well against a third party left-of-center opponent was Pres. Harry Truman in 1948.
Now Sen. Sanders is also talking about the possibility of running as a Democrat in the primaries in 2016. That makes more sense, though it is not immediately the most natural move, since Sanders has an identifiable image as an independent. Still, I see him as able to contribute in important ways to the national discussion in the lead-up to the nomination, even if he did not get it.
But a third party effort? Think again, if you please.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment to "The Musical Patriot." Moderation is used on this blog to help prevent spam and other inappropriate messages. Please complete this form so your comment may be processed for possible inclusion on the blog. Thank you for being a reader of "The Musical Patriot!"