As far back as our nation’s birth, American politics has been monopolized by two parties, thus giving us the identity of a two-party system. Since the 19th century, the Democrats and Republicans have entrenched themselves in the elite establishment. Neither is the opposition and there is little difference between them. Third parties, alternative parties, and other derogatory terms will no longer be used. Together, the remaining dozen political parties of the left, right and center will now be referred to as what they truly are – opposition parties.
The ‘Establishment Parties’ and the ‘Establishment Media’
While the Republicans and Democrats produce gridlock and chaos in the halls of government, the rest of the political field is showing some leadership by working together on at least one issue – the way they are referred to in the news media. For decades, terms like ‘third parties’ have sent the subliminal message to generations of voters that all other parties besides the Democrats and Republicans are on a secondary level, and thus not worthy of the audience’s attention and respect.
The tone, sentiment and words the media chooses implies that the remaining political parties aren’t even in the game or on the field. They are more of a hobby than a political party and as such, aren’t in the position to make an impact of any kind – a wasted vote. Hundreds of articles and essays have been written over the years condemning the media’s labeling and reporting of ‘alternative parties’.
Opposition Parties
The term ‘opposition parties’ is not only more accurate, but it creates a sense of equality and credibility. It also sums up the true political battle – the establishment versus the opposition. If the question is put to Americans in that manner, they may be more likely to proudly declare their affiliation, or more likely, resistant to the idea that they themselves are actually part of the establishment.
Little difference between Democrats and Republicans
More than a decade ago, the term ‘Republicrats’ was coined. It symbolized what many Americans were noticing – that the Republicans and Democrats were almost one and the same. They protect each other from investigations and prosecutions. They contribute to each other’s campaigns. They sell influence and votes for campaign contributions many equate with bribes. They both support an American Empire over an American Republic. Together, they’ve robbed the US Treasury of trillions of dollars, much of which ended up in their own pockets and the bank accounts of their friends, families and contributors.
For those reasons and dozens more, the two parties have together become ‘the establishment’. And together, they’ve created laws that shut-out the other legitimate political parties.
Ballot access
Activists from the 1980’s will recall a joke that circulated through the independent and third party movement. At the time, there was a statistic showing that Republican and Democratic Congressmen in the US had a higher re-election rate than the Communist Party members in the Soviet Politburo. And in the Soviet Union, it was against the law to run against them. That’s how rigged the American election system is in favor of the two parties.
Organizations like Ballot Access News have been fighting for fair and equal elections for decades. For years, they would expose unfair laws such as those that require independents and third parties to submit tens of thousands of petition signatures to appear on the ballot, while Republican and Democratic candidates need only collect a couple hundred.
Romney versus Obama
The slowly smoldering ember of political opposition may have found the spark it needed to become a true player in American government. Many polls, surveys, independent observers, opposition candidates and independent voters have voiced their concern that the two establishment candidates – Barack Obama and Mitt Romney – are much too similar.
According to one opposition Presidential candidate – Libertarian Gary Johnson, “On issue after issue, when you look past the rhetoric, there really isn’t a great deal of daylight between the Democrat Obama and the Republican Romney.” Johnson also provides the following similarities between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
From the National Independent Examiner article, ‘Libertarian Johnson using Indy Media to level the Field’:
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney support the Patriot Act.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will keep waging war in Afghanistan.
Neither Obama nor Romney has proposed actually cutting government spending.
Mitt Romney, in a speech at Liberty University last week, repeated that he is against marriage equality. Barack Obama now says he supports gay marriage, but says he will leave it up to the States.
Both Obama and Romney have pledged to continue the failed War on Drugs – even if it means sending federal marshals to shut down medical marijuana businesses operating legally under state law.
Other indications
In just a brief sampling of news over the past week, we see the American political landscape changing before our eyes. One need go no further than Whiteout Press’ own columns and those of its author. For starters, read the above referenced article, ‘Libertarian Gary Johnson using Indy Media to level the Field’. Or consider this morning’s article, ‘Opposition Party Leader wins Book Award‘.
Independent media
It’s long over-due that independent media should finally catch up with independent politics. It’s never been a secret that the mainstream news media is owned by multinational corporations and are biased in favor of the status quo – and the status quo is rule by the Republicans and Democrats and their endorsed pay-to-play system of government.
Finally, standing in opposition to the landscape of biased media outlets, we now have legitimate and widely distributed independent media powerhouses such as Examiner.com, Huffington Post and tens of thousands of lesser known start-ups. Even former establishment papers like the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Sun Times have drifted onto the fringes of independent media. Times are a changing.
Jesse Ventura
Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has taken the lead and been representing all opposition parties as a universal spokesman. His latest book calls the two parties, ‘DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans’ and compares them to the two notorious gangs that share the exact same gang colors and continuously war with each other, doing little more than destroying themselves and their surroundings.
In another article published four days ago titled, ‘CNN caught censoring Jesse Ventura Interview to Black-Out Johnson’, we see where Ventura, Johnson and the biased media collided. When Ventura endorsed Gary Johnson during the interview, CNN conveniently cut it out prior to posting the segment on the cable network’s website.
Gary Johnson and Ron Paul
In another example of opposition parties and opposition candidates moving closer together, regardless of their party affiliation, read this weekend’s article, ‘Gary Johnson to co-headline Paul Festival in Tampa’. Yes, it’s true. A Ron Paul thank-you event that will be composed mainly of independent-leaning Republicans, will also include the Libertarian Party’s Presidential candidate in the form of Gary Johnson.
The opposition
While it’s probably true that hell will freeze over before members of the Socialist Workers Party and the Constitution Party will join hands or the Libertarian Party and Green Party will nominate one unity candidate, those of us who make up the rank and file of all the ‘other’ political parties can at least agree that we should stop tolerating and using terms like ‘third party’, ‘alternative party’, ‘secondary party’, etc. Collectively, we all demand fair and equal treatment by the media and government. We should take our own advice and choose better terms to describe ourselves.
Maybe ‘opposition party’ isn’t the right term. It’s just a suggestion. Those who read Whiteout Press and the National Independent Examiner may have noticed this author using the term lately. It seems to work, from a writer and reporter’s point of view. It also seems to be accurate. Last and possibly most important, the term ‘opposition party’ or ‘opposition candidate’ conjures up the impression that they are thee alternative. For decades, voters have swung like a pendulum between Republicans and Democrats believing that one or the other is ‘the opposition’. It’s time to unite behind this cause and let American voters see who the real opposition is.
If voters like their corrupt system and corrupt politicians, they can stick with the two Establishment Parties of the Republicans and Democrats. For voters who are fed-up, frustrated and angry, they will now have the Opposition Candidates and Opposition Parties. And regardless of each voter’s political beliefs, there are plenty of respectable, sincere and dedicated opposition parties to choose from.
Opposition Parties
Libertarian Party
Constitution Party
Green Party
Peace & Freedom Party
Boston Tea Party
Socialist Party
Independence Party
Socialist Workers Party
American Independent Party
Socialist Equality Party
Reform Party
America First Party
