The conventional wisdom is that there are presently two parties and thus the American people have but two choices. While for many here at Kos might take the view that voting for the worst Democrat is better than voting for the Thug alternative, a sizable plurality of Americans don’t agree. When neither candidate appears to address issues of concern to them, they choose the third alternative. That alternative is to not vote. Non-voters outnumber those who vote for either Democrats or Republicans and thus represent the real "third party" problem.
Over the past several weeks there has been a palatable sense of disillusionment here. One only has to look at the diaries and comments to see many folks are disgusted with the Democratic leadership. Some are even openly considering Bloomberg or floating the idea of a Bloomberg/Gore or Gore/Bloomberg ticket. I have no use for a Bloomberg candidacy ... he is no friend of the working people, from what I can discern ... but I digress. If folks at a liberal blog are disgusted, one can only imagine what the ordinary citizen thinks. Actually one doesn’t have to imagine. Recent polls indicate that Congress’s approval rating is at 14% - an all time low.
The Democrats should win easily in 2008, but they are throwing away their chances. They believe erroneously that by doing nothing, they are risking nothing. That is simply foolish thinking.
People have that third choice – to stay home. And statistically which group is most likely to stay home? The lower the income, the less likely a person is to vote. Why should that be a concern to Democrats? Again the statistics show that lower income people are more likely to vote Democratic...if they vote. But these folks don’t see the Democrats addressing their interests.
Working people see Democrats as being in bed with corporate America. Democrats appear to be intimidated by the Bush criminal cartel. They helped enable the war. They won’t take a principled stand against the war. They voted for NAFTA, DOMA, NCLB, MCA, and the Patriot Act. They voted for the tax reduction for the wealthy.
Democrats are so busy trying to placate and win that rather marginal "swing" vote that they ignore and alienate the very sizable group of people who could deliver them victory.
And then there is the issue of another actual third party. Bloomberg shouldn't even be a blip on the radar, but if the perception is that neither party is addressing the issues, then he may run and will siphon off enough disgusted voters, while the majority of disillusioned voters stay home, that we will have to endure another 8 years of neo-fascist rule.
Of course then Bloomberg (and those who vote for him) will get the Nader treatment, be reviled, labeled as the spawn of Satan, and blamed for the Democratic loss.
The reality of course is that the Democrats can control the dialog. They can stand up for working class Americans and unite working people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. They can take a real stand against the war. They can promote universal health care. They can call the American Taliban on its hate-mongering. They can give people a reason to actually vote. They can stop equivocating. In short, they can grow a spine.
Or ....... they can lose.