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News & ArtsMonday, January 7, 2013
Political Suicide The Weiner Party
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 10:29 AM
Right-wing talk radio host Michael Weiner (who is apparently trying to hitch his wagon to Dan's star by taking the stage name "Michael Savage") thinks that Teabaggers need to separate from the Republicans and become a third, nationalist political party, BuzzFeed says.
"The Tea Party is the rudiment of the new nationalist party," he said. "Somebody has to bring them all together, unite them like King David did the ancient tribes of Israel. And there is no King David out there. Who’s the King David? Tell me who is going to do it?...There is no Republican party. It’s an appendage of the Democrat machine as we’ve all just seen. It’s two card Monte, as we all know. It’s a game being played against the American people. You’ve got the drunk Boehner on the one side, and the quasi-pseudo-crypto Marxist on the other, who is really just enjoying the ride in Hawaii right now, representing his factions," he said.
I'm all for Weiner's Party. How can Democrats make this happen?
2
It's been a looming threat that democrats would ruin their (limited) success by pursuing the same strategy. goodness-knows, i've felt that a left-wing progressive party needs forming out of the centrist- party-formerly-known-as-the-democratic-party. (shall we win in name only and to hell with issues?)
6
Right wingers, excuse me, conservatives talk a good game about seceding or separating, but in the end, they value organizational strength and will line up with the Republicans every time. Though don't call it fascism for nothing.
8
@ 2, third parties that originate in the extremes do nothing but get the opposite party elected. That's why it's a great idea for the teabaggers to form a third party and a disaster when you hear that on the left.
In the history of the United States, the only successful third parties were the ones that formed out of the ashes of hopelessly divided and dysfunctional ones. The Democrats out of the Democratic Republicans, the Whigs out of the Federalists, and the Republicans out of the Whigs. If a third party successfully rises out of the GOP's division, it will be the result of the mainstream Republicans leaving it to the teabagging vultures, not the other way around.
In the history of the United States, the only successful third parties were the ones that formed out of the ashes of hopelessly divided and dysfunctional ones. The Democrats out of the Democratic Republicans, the Whigs out of the Federalists, and the Republicans out of the Whigs. If a third party successfully rises out of the GOP's division, it will be the result of the mainstream Republicans leaving it to the teabagging vultures, not the other way around.
9
I like the whole "nationalist" thing. How about the National Front. And armbands. They should have some kind of armbands too.
10
I like how he calls breaking the rightwinger party into smaller factions "uniting" and "bringing them all together."
11
Whoops, got my history a little bit mixed up. The Federalist Party basically disappeared; for a while America just had one major party (The Democratic Republicans), and they split into the Democrats and the Whigs.
12
Can't happen with our plurality method of voting.
As long as we retain this voting method, we'll ALWAYS have just two parties to choose from (yeah, there'll always be various third parties that have zero chance of winning too, but they're irrelevant in the grand scheme of things).
As long as we retain this voting method, we'll ALWAYS have just two parties to choose from (yeah, there'll always be various third parties that have zero chance of winning too, but they're irrelevant in the grand scheme of things).
13
Just because someone is extreme right wing and a pro-terrorist anti-American scumbag like Michael "Savage" doesn't mean they can't be a real Weiner.
Right?
@12 has a point. After WW II the parties fixed our system to prevent competition of ideas.
Right?
@12 has a point. After WW II the parties fixed our system to prevent competition of ideas.
14
@12 Except when they're like Ralph Nader and the best man loses. Then we pay for that mistake for two decades and counting.
18
@ 12, that's a good point, but I'd also blame third parties that simply don't put in the work of party building. It's hard and it simply does not bring gratification to have a few people elected to a few city councils and state houses, so most of them just go right ahead and nominate someone (preferably a celebrity, no matter how Z-list they may be) for president, and get them petitioned onto ballots in a few states, sometimes many, seldom all. Even the Libertarians, the oldest alternative party around, never seem to field candidates in local races, even in solid red strangleholds, or try to lure away or find common ground with small-L libertarians within the GOP.
19
@12 hear hear! (@14... whut?) the best alternative voting scheme (and, alas, one that would *never* implemented) would be something like populist/plurality voting. so simple! (unlike ranked voting which unaccountably scares folks): in such a scheme you could vote for as many of those running as you like, and the one with the most votes in the end wins. (if you vote for everyone running you've essentially not voted) so, let i like gore and nader and vote for both.... no spoilers.
20
I thought RushBo had been leading this Nationalist Party for nearly two decades now. Maybe Weiner is so consumed with envy he can't see it.
Such movements are never short on demagogues, if not leaders.
Such movements are never short on demagogues, if not leaders.
21
Just keep saying, "we will continue to partner with willing Republicans to pass our top priorities for the country - immigration reform, gun control, and tax code reform."
The rest will happen without us, increasing the schadenfreude.
The rest will happen without us, increasing the schadenfreude.
22
@8
@12
So the plan should be to form a voting bloc instead of a whole party.
Then use that bloc to elect politicians who will vote to get the voting rules changed at your state level.
That way 3rd parties can be more easily elected at the local level.
But that will take a lot of work by a lot of people at the grassroots level.
Because having just 2 electable parties is more efficient when you personally have millions of dollars that you plan to "invest" in a campaign.
@12
So the plan should be to form a voting bloc instead of a whole party.
Then use that bloc to elect politicians who will vote to get the voting rules changed at your state level.
That way 3rd parties can be more easily elected at the local level.
But that will take a lot of work by a lot of people at the grassroots level.
Because having just 2 electable parties is more efficient when you personally have millions of dollars that you plan to "invest" in a campaign.
23
How can we encourage this? Build them a nice party house out in the desert, and promise them an unlimited supply of cocktail weiners (you know, the dinky ones)?
25
As a card carrying quasi-pseudo-crypto Marxist, I take issue with Weiner throwing that term around like it means nothing.
27
A "quasi-pseudo-crypto" Marxist.
Quasi: resembling; seeming; virtual: a quasi member.
Pseudo: not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham.
Crypto: a person who secretly supports or adheres to a group, party, or belief.
So, he's virtually pretending to secretly support Marxism? I guess that means he's not a Marxist then, and apparently, not even trying very hard to be one.
Quasi: resembling; seeming; virtual: a quasi member.
Pseudo: not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham.
Crypto: a person who secretly supports or adheres to a group, party, or belief.
So, he's virtually pretending to secretly support Marxism? I guess that means he's not a Marxist then, and apparently, not even trying very hard to be one.
28
As much fun as "Weiner party" is to say, his stage name would make for pretty good "truth in advertising" as well.
29
Nationalist Party sounds descriptive, but it's too long. If only there were some way to say the same thing in only two syllables. Something with easy name recognition
30
@29 I suggested NOTSI, but since reading that, I think they would probably read that as not-si, AND YOU SHOULD SPEAK AMERICAN, MUTHERFUCKER.
31
Michael -- don't you know someday a
Spike'll
Grow right through the woodwork
And come out through your palm...
We was listenin', yeah we was listenin'
To the Devil's Radio
-Robyn Hitchcock
Michael -- don't you know someday a
Spike'll
Grow right through the woodwork
And come out through your palm...
We was listenin', yeah we was listenin'
To the Devil's Radio
-Robyn Hitchcock
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