Three-Party System?

During an animated discussion over a possible meltdown occurring within the GOP, the question came up: Are we headed for a three-party system? It was suggested with the contention that 30% of voters are conservative, 30% are liberal and the remaining 40% are centrist or “moderate” - somewhere in the middle. It’s this middle group that was the main concern. Ideology has isolated Republican and Democrat parties into polar opposites, alienating those whose philosophy don’t align with either extreme.

The pragmatist of our get-together opined that McCain’s “centrist” stance actually makes him the right choice for November over someone more conservative like Romney (now gone) or Huckabee. His selection as Republican candidate positions the GOP to beat the Democrat candidate. My feeling was that McCain is “spoiling” the conservative ideals of the GOP (or at least the GOP I used to know). Given his preference to be a maverick, perhaps he would be a better fit for a third party.

Can a three-party system work? Now, that’s a question for a lively debate! Recent events makes one wonder. McCain commands a greater percentage of Republican voters, while conservative talk show types disparage him for being “too liberal”. Personally I find myself in the second camp. When I heard that McCain had retained former Vincente Fox “open border” mouthpiece Juan Hernandez to be his advisor on immigration, fitting his historical stance on illegal immigration, the appointment didn’t surprise me.

But what about the audience of talk show luminaries like Limbaugh, Hannity and Savage? These folks can’t all be part of a tiny but vocal right wing loonies. When you listen to them voice their frustration with the GOP’s direction, they don’t sound like nut cases; they sound like normal folks. Are the likes of the above-mentioned actually trying to dictate agenda for the electorate?

What’s happening within the GOP? Witness the meltdown in Washington over the summer, when both parties tried to stuff a compromised immigration bill down our throats. Voters across the country swamped Capitol switchboards. Does anyone believe that was solely the work of right wing ideologues?