Clara Listensprechen @ClaraListensprechen4@social.cleverlibre.org

@mathew @continuation
Bingo. Despite all the stated fears of the Dems about No Labels, No Labels said they weren't going to field a presidential candidate necessarily just yet. Both they and Forward are in the team-building stage.

What's different now that wasn't true in previous 3rd party efforts is the large public appetite for people who are neither Rep or Dem but not as radically bonkers as the traditional 3rd party parties out there.

@mathew @continuation
The question puts the cart before the horse. You don't know yet whether or not they can break the duopoly at state level.

What we DO know is that they've learned from past situations of previous 3rd party efforts to do that, and they've got new strategies in place--so the jury is still out yet on whether or not they can break the duopoly.

@CJPaloma
Tho I'm a None myself I don't short-change the value of faith when it gets people through the most gruelling of circumstances, and that's certainly true of Black folks dealing with slave owners, but that's exactly why it was Black folks that were calling Thomas an "Uncle Tom" and Harry Belafonte hauled off and called him a "house n___." During his hearing he affirmed belief in "Natural Law", the very concept that kept slaves "in their place" because that was the natural order of things.

It's helpful and toxic at the same time.

@mathew @continuation
See my separate reply regarding The Forward Party and No Labels. They are national organizations which have an all-states strategy, and that's why you hear hand-wringing pearls-clutching Dems ringing alarm bells about 'em as "spoilers".

@mathew @continuation
Now let's examine the rise of recent big 3rd parties: The Forward Party and No Labels. It takes a national movement to go to each of all 50 states and work from the state level by that method.

@mathew @continuation
Bottom line is that there are only 2 parties with automatic ballot access to ALL states.

You're gonna need to do work in mor than just Mass + TX + MN. You need ALL of them.

@tyil
Because that's how guys are, that's why.

@CJPaloma
This territory was covered during the confirmation hearing of Clarence Thomas, as it happens. It's called "God's Order of Nature", which is the basis of laws criminalizing "crimes against nature".

It's a religion thing, and I suspect you'll find that the same millions that don't believe in it are the same millions who have answered a poll which concluded a rise in the number of "Nones" --members of no denomination. It's a recent poll that reported a big rise in that demographic.

@mathew @continuation
First, regard the electoral system as distinctly separate from the party system.
Second, recognize that sovereign states are in charge of their own electoral systems.
Third, recognize that the "two party system" is enforced by each sovereign state.

So--aye, that's the rub. Breaking up the duopoly begins with the states, then target BALLOT ACCESS. It's the dominant parties which control access, and the first step to 3rd party success is gaining ballot access in all 50 states, equal to the access of the duopoly.

@david_megginson
I understand perfectly, and that's why "3rd parties" are feeling that their odds of success have vastly improved...but among the "3rd parties" are those that are more extreme than the two dominant party candidates even though the obvious problem is that the Israel lobby is intertwined with the two majors and none of the "3rd parties". There's nothing political that goes on in the U.S. that the Israel lobby doesn't influence.