Tuesday Newsday response

This weeks Tuesday Newsday is about the division in the republican party. It asks the following:
The Republicans seem to be searching for an identity after their recent electoral defeat. The "Colin Powell Republicans" and the "Rush Limbaugh/Dick Cheney Republicans" seem to be having a very public war. Do you think the Republicans should split into their ideological factions, creating a viable third party, or should they work out their problems internal to the party?

And if that isn't enough meat for you to write about, what about those other “third-parties”, the Libertarians, the Green Party, and so on? Although “third-party” candidates have existed for as long as we have had elections, they are called “third-party” no matter how many parties there are. Do they have a place in American society and will any of them ever become equal with the major parties?

For that matter, even the Democrats have majorities in both houses and yet can’t guarantee the White House success in all of his votes since the views of Democrats differ from the conservative Blue Dog Democrats to the liberal Yellow Dog Democrats. Maybe they should split too. What do you think?

First I think the division in the party is a good thing. But, it isn't just the republican party that is in trouble. With the election of Obama I see a lot of inner struggle with the democratic party, also. He wants to dictate, they want to vote on issues and at times neither the twain does meet. But, in my humble opinion, both parties were getting too corrupted to work anymore. They needed a good shake up and hopefully the last election gave it to them. They need to stop believing they are infallible and that the only opinions that matters are theirs.

As for the third party category that has always irked me. It's insulting. Like a third world country has no power, they keep the other parties down by not giving them full recognition or status. All candidates should be invited to ALL debates! It isn't just the democrats and republicans running, so each group should get equal recognition and equal time. These are viable parties with viable candidates and I think the republicans and democrats do themselves and the country a disservice by not allowing the other voices to be heard.

My last word is the republicans need to stop licking their wounds and find a common ground to rework their party. The same advice for the democrats. I see them still running scared thinking ahead to the 2012 election because they aren't as thrilled with their chosen one as they thought they would be and know he may not stand a chance in the next election. And they need to stop denigrating other parties by designating them as third world... I mean third parties and give them fair and equal treatment. I wonder why they are afraid to give merit to other parties?