Columnist Peggy Noonan, although not my favorite because she too often hops the fence to the liberal side, has written an interesting piece appearing in today’s Wall Street Journal. I say interesting because she speculates that the time may be ripe for American politics to finally break out of the two-party mold.
While reading it, I was forced to admit that my perspectives on political issues are often too narrow. Millions of us participated in Memorial Day festivities this past weekend – waving our American flags, firing up the gas grills and taking a moment to reflect on the sacrifices that have made this abundance possible. Yet, if you ask a sample of Americans what the American flag symbolizes, you will invariably get answers that are in sharp conflict.
However, regardless of where along the political spectrum you happen to have planted your own American flag, the odds are that your satisfaction level with our elected representatives has been heading south. Noonan counts off a number of hot button issues that matter only to segments of our increasingly fragmented electorate but the one common thread that binds us all is the sense that the political class has crossed a line.
Where your friendly neighborhood Senator or Representative or Governor at one time would at least feign a principled stand now and then, they mostly now seem to be unashamed to use power and influence to buy votes without concern for the consequences.
Meanwhile, political parties that once were regarded as fringe are now gaining steam and will soon be on the ballots of every state. The Green Party, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party are all attracting a lot more attention of late. The Mexican vote that both Republican and Democrat Senators hope to garner through their participation in an amnesty program may end up not delivering the goods as expected if disgruntled voters abandon ship.
Even as a consevative Republican I readily admit that our country needs a third party or maybe a fourth.