By JIMMY THE SAINT
Gary Johnson has reached double digits in the presidential polls. Some woman named “Jill” who claims she can beat “Hill” is hovering around four percent. What the hell is going on here? Johnson, a former two-term Republican governor from New Mexico, and Jill Stein, the Reform party’s presidential candidate from some U.S. state, would be garnering almost 15% of the ballots cast if the election were held today. Likely, this number will increase.
Is this a bad thing?
Hell no – it’s a damn good thing!
It’s about time that America’s aristocratic two-party system may be in line for a dent. It’s extremely doubtful, of course, that this year’s dent will result in a victory for either of these fringe party candidates, but this is a sizable leap from recent elections where 2% of the vote was about the limit of their reach. More so, the trend is poised to keep growing. Three people are the heroes – or culprits, depending on how you evaluate this – who are elevating the United States out of a longstanding two party system.
The Libertarian party (the party who nominated Johnson) and Johnson himself deserve some credit, of course. The other parties, who have generated some weight – the Green Party, the Conservative Party, the Reform Party, the Independence Party (not to be confused with independents) – also have helped lay the groundwork for the realization of the dream of a multi-political party America. But it’s these three men who have been the lightning rod catalysts for this growing phenomena:
Donald Trump.
Bernie Sanders.
Ron Paul.
Ron Paul, a Libertarian in a Republican suit, has been electrifying those who seek a very limited federal government and the benefits of a truly free society since the early 2000s. In remaining a Republican, Paul helped bring the Libertarian philosophy to much wider audience than if he had actually switched parties. This, in turn, has allowed for the Libertarian Party to become a bit more mainstream.
Bernie Sanders, who is actually an Independent elected to the U.S. Senate by the voters of the State of Vermont, has acted in similar vein to Paul. Sanders chose to run in the Democrat primary, nearly succeeding in that race with his socialist platform. Using the Democrat Party as cover, he blasted his zany views throughout America, energizing more nuts in the Green Party to come out.
The Man With the Ultimate Plan, Donald Trump, has done the most in this arena, however. While frightening the hell out of Republican insiders, Trump sent a nuclear bomb-like charge throughout a large portion of the Republican base and several other types of voters (including Independents and Democrats). His straight talk, punch-in-the-face attitude, coupled with an unconventional conservative, yet freedom-driven philosophies, has opened the door to voters recognizing that both the Republican and Democrat establishments basically suck. And more options abound.
Trump, no doubt, is best presidential candidate for 2016 America. And he will ascend to that office through a Republican door. But, through his efforts, as well of those of Paul, Sanders, and countless others, America may have been enlightened just enough that the system is indeed rigged – and that we definitively need more than two parties to have true freedom.
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