The USA Today/Gallup poll in July 2007 found that 58% of Americans say a third party is needed. This is because Congress receives a dismal 20% approval rating and people understand that neither the Democratic nor Republican parties are paying attention to business. When bashing the other party is the prime goal, and when each party is funded by big business (oil, insurance, banking, labor, trial lawyers), the voice of the people and solutions for people's problems get lost. I'm talking about healthcare, immigration, deficit spending, pork, ethics scandals -- you name it, they can't fix it.
An independent is not beholden to a political party. The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) has no platform other than to promote independent candidates and help them get on the ballot. Our political system has become toxic, and we can't expect either the Republicans or the Democrats to change it.
Change is America's birth right. We declared independence once, and we can do it again. The First Amendment gives us the tools -- speech, petition, press and assembly -- with which to reform our government, and the vehicle for doing that is to be independent of political parties, to vote for the person rather than the party, and to choose a person who reflects our values and will give us a fair hearing.
There are historical times when American has awakened from its torpor. Rejecting slavery in the 1860s, working through the depression in the 1930s, seeking racial justice in the 1960s. 2008 is another one of those times. We citizens can reclaim our government. It's not the government of big oil, or big labor, and we deserve to know what our candidates stand for rather than to be satisfied with candidates who are marketed, packaged, and presented like a commodity. Public office is not an auction -- it shouldn't go to the person with the most money, but the person with the best ideas.
Address LABOR (education; skill and importance) Independents will win because the independent campaign is about better lives for people, not whether the party wins or loses. As Independents we must be fearless, courageous, and self-directed. Saying: 'Yes, I'd like to be independent but I want to vote in the Democratic primary doesn't send a message to the Democratic Party. You can send a much stronger message by changing your registration to the Independent Party of Oregon.
Finally, a response to the question, 'Aren't you just a spoiler?
What's to spoil? The political system is broken, and voting for a Democrat or Republican just perpetuates its shortcomings. In the U.S. Senate, even three Independents could caucus independently and, depending on how the other seats were held, hold the balance of power -- a position of tremendous responsibility and opportunity. An Independent can weigh ideas on the basis of their merit, not of their origin on one side of the aisle or the other. An Independent can use his powers of persuasion to build alliances outside of the typical political machinery. An Independent can be an honest broker.
But perhaps most compelling when faced with the question of whether you're a spoiler, is the question, 'Can't we do better than we're doing now? Spoiler is a partisan word. It assumes that only the Republicans or Democrats have a right to govern this country -- that the one-third of us who are not Republicans or Democrats deserve no say. Time is short: we must do better now.
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