Democratic and Liberal political analysis and commentary

In this final installment, let's also take a look at the possibility that a third-party candidate could win the presidency.  In fact, there is no possibility of a third-party candidate winning the presidency with actual presidential election residing in the Electoral College.  "[t]he two-party plan is produced by the operation of the American voting systems, especially the electoral college and the single-member district plan of electing legislative representatives.  The electoral-college method of electing the President would be undemocratic should a strong third party emerge."  ("The American Federal Government," Ferguson and McHenry, Ninth Edition; McGraw Hill 1953)  I posit that what Ferguson and McHenry are talking about here is the fact that the current two-party system is what selects electors to vote for the presidency and eliminates the possibility that a third-party candidate would ever win electoral votes to win the presidency.  Since the election of the presidency lies with the Electoral College, and selection of electors resides in the two-party system, working people -- the working class -- should not believe in the "game" that is the "race for the presidency."

Even those who advocate the building of a third party to challenge the "two-party system" should recognize that "the importance of the Presidency is such that a third party secures adherents only with great difficulty, for band-wagon sentiment argues against 'throwing away your vote' by supporting a minor party.  *****  If no majority is won in the electoral college, the election of the Chief Executive is thrown to the House of Representatives [already dominated by the representatives of one or other of the Democratic or Republican parties--CRW], which must select from the highest three, each state casting one vote." 

("The American Federal Government," Ferguson and McHenry, Ninth Edition; McGraw Hill 1953)  The focus for working people -- the working class -- should be to capture state power, and that power currently lies in the U.S. Congress. 

In understanding that even a strong third party could never win the presidency, we must be critical of the third parties who have "wasted" what could be called working class monies in running candidates for the presidency, since the majority of these third parties have championed working class politics.  For example, the SWP, Socialist Party, Peace and Freedom Party, Green Party, etc., have purported to be for "working people" in their presidential campaigns.  Too much is at stake to waste working class monies, union energies, and working class votes for the presidency.  There are too many unemployed, too many working poor, too many killed by ruthless state employees (police and prison employees), and too many killed through state-sanctioned murder (capital punishment) to waste our energies on "symbolic" campaigns for a presidency that we will never win in this two-party system of selecting presidential electors.

If we look solely at the current presidential elections in this year 2000, we see millions of dollars put into the candidacy of Ralph Nader, with no possibility that Nader could win a single electoral vote or that his winning five percent of the electorate (required to afford the Green Party federal funding for future presidential candidacies) would even have the possibility of the Green Party candidate winning the presidency in the future.  It is just not possible.  For example, Ralph Nader won in excess of two and one-half million popular votes, and he did not win a single electoral vote -- nor could he have won an electoral vote with the current process of selecting electors.

What would be possible is the working class winning seats in Congress and, specifically the House of Representatives.  The monies put into a third party's "symbolic" presidential campaign could be better spent by supporting labor party working class candidates in a bid for actual power in the House of Representatives.  (Note. . .even the override of a presidential veto resides in Congress.)  Let's put working class monies -- based in the trade unions -- and trade union members in the streets to support a real, not symbolic, bid for power.

But, do not misunderstand this strategy -- the strategy is part and parcel of the building of an independent working class labor party to represent the political interests of the working class.  Parties govern, and classes rule.  A political bid for power in the U.S. is not just in first winning seats -- and a majority at that!! -- in the House of Representatives, but in having political representatives from the labor party win the majority in the House of Representatives.

Let's build a labor party and build a real movement for working class power in this country.

[I would like to acknowledge the contributions of my comrade, Lil Joe, in "hounding" me to do this article on the Electoral College, and his contributions herein by way of his comments to various drafts.]