Green, Constitution and Prohibition are just a few of the third parties appearing behind candidates’ names in the Nov. 4 general election.
Although largely overlooked by mainstream media outlets, the seven third-party candidates on the Louisiana ballot have some interesting policy positions. Ralph Nader, perhaps the most recognizable of third party candidates, is the Independent candidate. This Election Day will mark Nader’s fourth attempt at the presidency. Kathleen Bratton, political science professor, said there are several reasons a third-party candidate has not recently been considered a real possibility for president. “The system has always reset back to a two-party system,” Bratton said. “Part of it is just structural — the campaign finance system is set up so that in order to get certain campaign finance benefits, you have to have run already and polled a certain amount.”Bratton said it is hard to get on the ballot in different states.Nader is on the ballot in 45 states. Nader wants to end the war in Iraq within six months and establish fair taxes — by taxing “wealth more than work.” Gene Amondson, running under the Prohibition Party, has based both his 2004 presidential campaign and his current campaign around one policy position: to bring back prohibition. Amondson regards prohibition as America’s best 13 years because it decreased crime, emptied mental institutions and decreased the number of cases of sirosis of the liver. A minister, painter and experienced wood carver, Amondson filmed a documentary on prohibition in March in New Orleans. “Vote tradition! Vote prohibition!” Amondson exclaims in a video on his Web site. Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate, vows to “leave the oil in the soil” by utilizing renewable resources rather than fossil fuels and creating jobs producing green technologies. McKinney also wants to eliminate genetically-modified foods and review land and water use policies. If president, McKinney would enforce a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries and believes “tax relief must flow to those who need it the most: the working class and people with limited income.”Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate, wants to end America’s involvement in international politics by terminating U.S. membership in the United Nations. He says U.S. troops in Iraq are now not fighting a war but are an occupation force, and he will immediately begin taking troops out of Iraq if elected. Baldwin regards national defense as his top priority. “As commander-in-chief, I will always give our troops my full support and will make it the highest priority of my administration to make sure that our soldiers are well-trained, well-equipped and well-led,” Baldwin says on his Web site.Gloria La Riva, Socialism and Liberation Party candidate, vows to transform America’s capitalist economy to one of socialism. La Riva also vows to remove all troops from Iraq and even calls for members of the Bush administration to stand trial for the “unprovoked war of aggression.”She has extensive policies outlining women’s, immigrant’s and civil rights. Other-third party candidates on the ballot include Ron Paul, running under the banner of the Louisiana Taxpayers Party, and Socialist Workers Party candidate James Harris. Bratton said in addition to structural obstacles, most voters don’t support a third-party candidate because they are socialized in a two-party system. The media also only focus on the Democrats and Republicans, she said. “If you’ve been raised in a two-party system, that’s what you’re used to,” Bratton said.- – – -Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]