2000 Presidential Election: Green Party’s Role

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The 2000 Presidential Election was the most highly contend presidential election in recent history, if not ever. Democratic candidate Al Gore and Republican candidate George W. Bush fought a tough political battle starting on the campaign trail, moving to a recount in Florida, and finally, a Supreme Court decision. George W. Bush was granted the victory, but the results are still highly contested among political junkies.

With all the ins and outs of the 2000 Political Election, there are many questions to be answered. What could the two main candidates have done differently? What role did voter fraud or vote machine failure play in the election? And finally, what role did the Green Party play in helping Republicans win?

Nader and the Election

In 2000, Ralph Nader decided to run for President under the Green Party banner. Discouraged with the state of contemporary politics, Nader based his campaign on the individual, rallying against corporate greed and corruption. After a tough campaign, Nader and his running mate, Winona LaDuke won about 2.75 percent of the public vote. Although the Green Party came in third for the 2000 Election, they failed to garner the fiver percent necessary to qualify for federal funding in the next election.

The big story, however, was that Green Party candidates won an disproportional amount of support in New Hampshire and Florida, two states that were pivotal in the 2000 election. Media attention of this phenomena grew, and ideas started to formulate. Many people suggested that since Green Party ideals more closely align with Democrats than Republicans, the support Nader received would have shifted to Al Gore. Votes for Nader took votes away from Gore. The Green Party cost Al Gore the presidency of the United States.

However, this idea was largely discredited later. Since the election was so close, votes to any other party (Libertarians) garnered votes from the main party.

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Political Parties in the U.S.

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For over 150 years, the U.S. has been primarily a two-party country, although in recent years, third parties have started to gain ground. Currently, the two main parties are the Democrats and Republicans. Political parties date back to the time of George Washington, even though he didn’t belong to a party and hoped that political parties wouldn’t develop.

Beginning in the late 1700s, political parties were becoming part of the government system. The early political parties weren’t called Republicans or Democrats; they were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Supportive of a strong national government, the Federalists wanted to focus on development of manufacturing and commercial resources. By contrast, the Anti-Federalists were concerned about too much governmental power and wanted to promote the country’s agricultural heritage. Because these early parties weren’t well organized, they evaluating dissolved or fractured into smaller groups.

By the 1820s, political parties were once again developing and this time, the system would take root. The Democrats and the Whigs, which followed the Anti-Federalists and Federalists respectively, united supporters and began to drive politics and the elections. In 1928, the Democrats elected Andrew Jackson and pushed a limited government philosophy. Those who opposed this idea and wanted to use national power to facilitate a market economy formed the Whig party. Both parties campaigned vigorously and used the media of the day to promote their platforms. As a result political parties became viewed as a necessary part of the process.

From this time to the middle of the 20th century, two main parties, evolving into the modern Democratic and Republican parties, dominated the U.S. political landscape. Third parties, which include independents and those not associated with either of the major parties, have developed over the years in response to dissatisfaction with the two-party system. Some of the third parties include Libertarian party and the Green Party. The Green party actually has state-level organization such as the Green Party of Tennessee, Green Party of Texas, and the Maine Green Independent Party.

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Major Third Parties in the U.S.

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The U.S. electoral process has involved political parties almost from the very beginning of this country. During the early years, the parties had different names, but the two-party system functioned similarly as it does today. Each side, whether Federalist, Whig, or Republican, seemed to support the opposite point of view as the other party. Because the U.S. has always been a two-party system, third parties have not had as much success. The term third party refers to any party other than the two main groups. Currently, the Republicans and Democrats represent the two main parties in America.

In the United States, numerous third parties have arisen over the years. Though third party candidates rarely win major elections, they can have a spoiler effect on the election, which ends up shifting the tide in one direction or the other. However, several third party candidates have made strong showings in the elections. For example, Ross Perot won 18.9 percent of the popular vote in 1992, but no electoral votes. These results were the second-best showing on record for a third-party presidential candidate.

Right now, the largest third parties in the U.S. are the Constitution Party, Libertarian Party, and Green Party. Other third parties have formed based on ideologies, like right-wing, centrist, state-only, and left-wing parties. Founded in 1992, the Constitution Party was originally known as the U.S. Taxpayers’ Party, and this group pushes strong biblical values as well as stricter Constitutional interpretation. The Libertarian Party promotes minimally regulated markets, less stringent border control, stronger civil liberties, and foreign policy that supports less intervention. Recognized nationally since 2001, the Green Party has many state level organizations, such as the Green Party of Tennessee and the Maryland Green Party. Issues like respect for environmentalism, diversity, peace, nonviolence, and social justice are the emphasis of the Green party.

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Green Party: You Heard of Them?

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Stepping into the polling booth or filling out a mail-in ballot can be a daunting task. Who has time to keep up with politics on a federal level, much less a local one? Even for the informed voter, it’s hard to grasp the issues of the two main political parties-Republican and Democrat. What about myriad of small, underdog parties that most people have never even heard of? How can someone be expected to know where they stand on issues? Who has the time? For most voters, their vote usually comes down to a choice of Republicans or Democrats.

But is that right? Are Americans doing themselves a favor by restricting their political spectrum? What about the communists, socialists, anarchists, and all the other individuals that run for office outside of a main political party. Don’t they have some good ideas? Shouldn’t they be heard?

Spoilers or Real Challengers?

Perhaps for some, mention of the Green Party brings a bad taste to the mouth. In the highly contested 2000 presidential election, the Green Party- under candidate Ralph Nader- took home 2.74 percent of the National vote. Certainly not a large chunk. National media speculated that the Green Party, whose supporters would typically align with Democrat ideals, cost Al Gore the pivotal state of Florida. Some say that if Nader didn’t run, Al Gore would have won Florida, thus winning the election.

But in recent years, Green party candidates have done much more than play spoiler. Green party members began running for U.S. political office in 1985. A Green Party member has never held an elected position on the Federal level. The party has held local and state positions, and can be a huge political force in small elections. Across the US, there have been Green Party mayors, State Representatives, and local city council members. The Green Party may not be well-known or understood, but they have certainly played a part in shaping the political landscape of the U.S.

Remember: there is more to your ballot than two parties.

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Tea Party Makes an Impact on Politics

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One of the latest occurrences to shake up politics is the Tea Party movement, which is a large group of people who claim to be tired of the status quo in Washington, D.C. This group has decided to take matters dealing with politics into its own hands by organizing events throughout the country aimed at protesting current political conditions and representatives in an effort to invoke change. Though many in the movement are politically conservative, there are people of all political parties, ages, races, and beliefs in the Tea Party.

Not surprisingly, the name of the group is derived from the legendary Boston Tea Party, as both movements share the common theme of being against excess taxes. Large events that hundreds of thousands attend are put on by the Tea Party in major cities across the country, riling up people that otherwise might never be interested in politics. In fact, it is believed that the movement has helped some underdogs get elected into office, coming as a complete surprise to many. In any case, the Tea Party idea sent voting Republicans out in droves during the 2010 primaries, causing them to outvote Democrats by a large margin.

Clearly, whether the Tea Party movement is a positive addition to politics is pure opinion, but there is no denying that it has pushed many would-be bystanders into the political arena. Americans worried about the effect of current policies on their lives, such as increased taxes, healthcare reform, bailouts, and earmarks, to name a few, have simply banded together to protest these changes. In general, the tenets of the Tea Party include determining whether new laws are in fact constitutional, requesting a more balanced budget, decreasing both taxes and earmarks, and considering a simpler tax system. Since many Americans agree with such principles, it is no wonder that so many have joined the Tea Party bandwagon of late.

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