Libertarian and Green Party : which has the bigger potential?

[Duderonomy]

Libertarians can appeal to people disillusioned with government in general but libertarian principles haven't been successfully tried anywhere in recent history.

The Green Party appeals about 20% of the far left Democratics who want a clean sustainable future Utopia. Some European counties have Green canidates as a major party representatives.

[west_tip]

I would guess the libs.

Environmental issues are too abstract for the average voter, there is a complacent attitude that they can deferred and dealt with at a later date because the impact of climate change will not felt immediately but rather over the medium to long term.

[UK2K]

I actually like Johnson this year. I may vote for him if he makes it that far. According to the 'I side with' quiz, I got 94% for Trump, 92% for Gary Johnson.

The truth is, practically nobody cares about the environment. About 8-10% actually think its an important issue according to the last few polls conducted. It's only used by some to argue against the other guy.

[FillJackson]

this year, the libertarians have proven politicians: two former governors as their candidates.

I'm sure a large group of Republicans would like to have Bill Weld at the top of the GOP ticket.

[DukeDelonte13]

libertarianism is more popular and will be as long as the GOP still wants to campaign to the religious right and still supports copious amounts of military and border spending.

[Thorpesaurous]

libertarianism is more popular and will be as long as the GOP still wants to campaign to the religious right and still supports copious amounts of military and border spending.


This exactly. I'm actually surprised a more significant Libertarian candidate hasn't emerged over the last twenty years or so. Although you could make the case Trump is a bit of a Libertarian, which is why such a large swath of his party doesn't like him. He doesn't, or at least hasn't, pandered to the religious right to any real extreme, and really couldn't convincingly considering his known background.

[falc39]

Libertarians can appeal to people disillusioned with government in general but libertarian principles haven't been successfully tried anywhere in recent history.

Don't really see how this can be remotely true. The US was founded on a lot of libertarian ideas and principles.

[Real Men Wear Green]

The Green Party will have a shot if Clinton wins and acts like the Wall Street Neo-Con some suspect her of secretly being but it's the Libertarians I expect to see emerge as the stronger third party in the immediate future. Both major party Presidential candidates have detractors in their own Party but the Republican candidate looks more likely to lose and with a number of prominent figures in the Republican party including Senators and members of the House repudiating Trump statements on a regular basis when Trump loses there is going to be a serious opportunity for the Libertarians to grab Republican supporters.

And we really need to start seriously supporting third party candidates. Enough of picking the lesser of two evils, that kind of thinking is the reason we are currently faced with the two least-popular nominees in American history.

[Nanners]

the libertarian party definitely has bigger potential right now. that said, i think that many of the core policies of the green party will become quite popular in the not so distant future, as we start to face the consequences of climate change and the side effects of decades of massive inequality.

[west_tip]

Both major party Presidential candidates have detractors in their own Party but the Republican candidate looks more likely to lose and with a number of prominent figures in the Republican party including Senators and members of the House repudiating Trump statements on a regular basis when Trump loses there is going to be a serious opportunity for the Libertarians to grab Republican supporters.
If Trump loses he becomes a non factor in GOP circles though so those never Trump folks have no reason to leave the Republican party. All the same I'm curious if the GOP folk who support and vote for Clinton return to the Republican party after the election or do they put down roots in the Democratic party.


And we really need to start seriously supporting third party candidates. Enough of picking the lesser of two evils, that kind of thinking is the reason we are currently faced with the two least-popular nominees in American history
Agreed.

[Akrazotile]

the libertarian party definitely has bigger potential right now. that said, i think that many of the core policies of the green party will become quite popular in the not so distant future, as we start to face the consequences of climate change and the side effects of decades of massive inequality.


Such as?

[Akrazotile]

If Trump loses he becomes a non factor in GOP circles though so those never Trump folks have no reason to leave the Republican party. All the same I'm curious if the GOP folk who support and vote for Clinton return to the Republican party after the election or do they put down roots in the Democratic party.


Agreed.


These people dont exist, to my knowledge.

Never Trumper's will either end up voting Trump just to block Hillary, or simply sit out.

Theyre not gonna vote for Hillary Clinton just to spite Trump.

[DeuceWallaces]

For now the Libertarians. Although, if people actually read their policies they have a fair amount of non-starters for Rep/Dems.

[UK2K]

These people dont exist.

Never Trumper's will either end up voting Trump just to block Hillary, or simply sit out.

Nobody in the GOP is going to vote for Hillary Clinton just to spite Trump.

The rest of the GOP has already lost their voters though. When it came time to put up or shut up, many Republicans more or less said they'd rather see Clinton win than Trump.

The message has been sent. Many of these guys won't win their next elections.

[Akrazotile]

The rest of the GOP has already lost their voters though. When it came time to put up or shut up, many Republicans more or less said they'd rather see Clinton win than Trump.

The message has been sent. Many of these guys won't win their next elections.


Well yeah, many Republican polticians would rather see Hillary, simply bc they dont want the Republican party to move in a new direction and leave them behind. Theyll happily put themselves and their careers ahead of the country.

But I think for the avg Republican voter, Hillary Clinton is basically public enemy #1. I know some people threatened to vote for her in protest of Trump, but I just cant see them going thru with it. I think most will just take a pass.

[west_tip]

These people dont exist, to my knowledge.

Never Trumper's will either end up voting Trump just to block Hillary, or simply sit out.

Theyre not gonna vote for Hillary Clinton just to spite Trump.

It's probably an overstated phenomenon but every other day I read an editorial or some piece of anecdotal evidence of a lifelong GOP voter who says they will vote Clinton because Never Trump.

[TheMan]

With the upcoming Drumpf disaster, somewhere in Canada Ted Cruz be like
http://67.media.tumblr.com/519fdaf68871e6f51c36424aedafe8b4/tumblr_np1rw8gRQR1qh3ik9o1_400.jpg

[FillJackson]

All the same I'm curious if the GOP folk who support and vote for Clinton return to the Republican party after the election or do they put down roots in the Democratic party.

These people dont exist, to my knowledge.

Never Trumper's will either end up voting Trump just to block Hillary, or simply sit out.

Theyre not gonna vote for Hillary Clinton just to spite Trump.

It's not to spite Trump. It's because Trump is a genuine threat to America.

Meg Whitman, former head of Ebay, former Republican Candidate for governor of California is one
[QUOTE]Meg Whitman, a Hewlett Packard executive and Republican fund-raiser, said Tuesday that she would support Hillary Clinton for president and give a

[Akrazotile]

It's not to spite Trump. It's because Trump is a genuine threat to America.

Meg Whitman, former head of Ebay, former Republican Candidate for governor of California is one


Another GOP strategist who help write the GOP Autopsy, left the party and said if the race is close in Florida she will vote for Clinton, if it isn't she will vote for Johnson. She will not become a Democrat, however:


Others who have said they will vote for Clinton are Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state, Brent Scrowcroft. The first current GOP congressman that said he will vote for Clinton came out the other day. There will be others. The attack on the Gold Star family is making this easier.

Anecdotally, I know my Republican family members aren't voting for Trump. One said he would vote for Obama if he could.

This happens from time to time, in 2004 a ex-Democratic congressman spoke at GOP convention, but this feels like a bigger phenomenon that usual.

It will be interesting to see how many GOP voters in place like Texas, Utah and Wisconsin vote for local Republicans, but not in the presidential race.



You are listing people with a stake in the Republican establishment.

You could fill up an ISH page with those names but it's still an insignificant number of overall Republican voters.

People who want the old, exploitative GOP to remain in place are a small segment, which is why Trump broke records for voter turnout.

Sorry.

[Derka]

I'd like to see both parties make headway in the Congress and in state houses, personally. Gary Johnson and William Weld are running now as Libertarians, but they ran their states as Republicans. You're not going to elect a 3rd-party president and suddenly everyone's going to wake up to their presence...the two major parties that control the legislature will spend four years blocking everything that president tries to do, beat that person four years later and then we're back to business as usual.

Get in on the ground level, especially in state legislatures where the overwhelming majority of the power both major parties hold is most strongly flexed and most obviously corrupt. Toss a wrench in how the two parties strangle the f*ck out of our republic at that level and now you've got the makings of real 3rd party candidacies that can make a lasting impact.