Will a viable centrist third party ever emerge?

[Suburbia]

Based on the vile political polarization since the 1990s and worsening in the 2010s, moderate to conservative Democrats like Phil Bredesen (D-TN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) are attacked by the far left, and moderate to liberal Republicans like Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are attacked by the far right, why has there not been a centrist third party?

People like me have no party.....

[Koharu]

Not as long as our voting remains first past the post.

I'd like an approval or star/rating type of voting myself.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

We need proportional representation to make third-parties much more viable.

[Lincoln Republican]

Given the history of third party performance in the U.S., third parties can play a prominent role in politics and government for a short time. They will then slowly, and in some cases quickly, peter out and fade into oblivion.

Sometimes they may enjoy a resurgence, but they too will fall by the wayside.

The two main line parties are too entrenched and well financed to fall into third place.

So no, a viable centrist third party does not stand much of a chance of taking root.

I won't say never, but chances are dim.

The electorate is too split between right and left. 

[Hammy]

Not as long as our voting remains first past the post.

I'd like an approval or star/rating type of voting myself.

That's similar to something I envision: end primaries, end parties, and have every candidate receive a yes/no vote on the ballot (while retaining the ballot access laws so we don't have 50 people running for every post) and whoever has the highest approval votes wins.


But to the original question of a viable centrist party, it's called the Democratic Party. I await a valid left party (but I'm not holding my breath)

[Thank you for being a friend...]

I think what you really just need is a big star - a celebrity, whether it be a sports star or a movie star or someone from TV - to run an independent campaign for President.  It has to be someone that has almost universal name recognition, enormous wealth or the ability to raise enormous amounts of cash, and it has to be someone with an issue that's truly theirs - there has to be a reason to take a chance and vote for this person, and the voters have to be convinced that its a serious three-way race otherwise they're not going to waste their votes on a spoiler.

If The Rock ran in 2020, as crazy as it sounds, he might actually do really well.  I don't know if he'd win but if he could get to 30% it would scare the two parties.

[Wisconsin SC Race 2019]

Why are people still bringing up this nonsense? Do they not know how FPTP works?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

There's one now. They're a little less-together than I'd really prefer, but they've certainly 'emerged'. You may have heard of them - they're called "Democrats".

[ON Progressive]

Based on the vile political polarization since the 1990s and worsening in the 2010s, moderate to conservative Democrats like Phil Bredesen (D-TN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) are attacked by the far left, and moderate to liberal Republicans like Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are attacked by the far right, why has there not been a centrist third party?

People like me have no party.....

Good joke.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

There's one now. They're a little less-together than I'd really prefer, but they've certainly 'emerged'. You may have heard of them - they're called "Democrats".

True, when they're not center-right, they're pretty centrist.

[junior chįmp]

We already have a centrist third party...they're known as the Democratic Party

[dead0man]

hey guys, have you heard the one about the Democratic Party?  It's centrist! 

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

We already have a centrist third party...they're known as the Democratic Party

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

hey guys, have you heard the one about the Democratic Party?  It's centrist! 

By any objective standard, yes, it is. But comprehending that includes acknowledging that the Republicans are a seething mass of ultra-right theocrats, autocrats, and vampire capitalist sock puppets united by their opposition to human rights and representative government.

[Very Legal & Very Cool]

I think what you really just need is a big star - a celebrity, whether it be a sports star or a movie star or someone from TV - to run an independent campaign for President.  It has to be someone that has almost universal name recognition, enormous wealth or the ability to raise enormous amounts of cash, and it has to be someone with an issue that's truly theirs - there has to be a reason to take a chance and vote for this person, and the voters have to be convinced that its a serious three-way race otherwise they're not going to waste their votes on a spoiler.

If The Rock ran in 2020, as crazy as it sounds, he might actually do really well.  I don't know if he'd win but if he could get to 30% it would scare the two parties.

The Rock? Lol. In 2020 it's Trump vs a Democrat, period. Maybe a third party could get some votes in an open seat like Perot or Nader or Anderson, but not with a polarizing incumbent who didn't win the popular vote against an energized opposition. There's no room for a third party. You either support or oppose Trump.

[dead0man]

hey guys, have you heard the one about the Democratic Party?  It's centrist! 

By any objective standard, yes, it is.

I was more making fun of the multiple people saying the exact same thing and each one thinking they were more clever than the last than I actually was making fun of the idea that Dems are "center".  Perhaps old school, traditional Dems (the Clintons, Tip O'Neil) are "center" from the perspective of the world, but certainly not modern progressives or the majority of Dem supporters, say, HERE for example that I actually deal with on a day to day basis.  You people aren't center, but it would be pretty funny to watch you guys claim you are, so ya know, feel free to make that case.  I like a good laugh.

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that's a good start!

[pbrower2a]

Third Parties have been successful only when one of the two main Parties disappears.

[SteveRogers]

The current mess wasn’t caused by the lack of some moderate hero third party, but rather by a lack of politicians with basic morals and human decency.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

There are many, many structural reasons third parties don't arise in the US. FPTP is one reason, although that is far from the only thing (after all, the UK, Canada, India, Pakistan, Malaysia etc all have FPTP and third parties to a certain extent. There is also the majority-minority caucusing system in legislatures that means all lawmakers have to go one way or the other, and most of all the fact that political parties are incredibly weak organisations in the United States, meaning there is less need to be in a third party.

[DINGO Joe]

No

[RINO Tom]

It’s called the Democratic Party

LMFAO

*Prepares self for barely coherent non-sequitur about Republican primary voters with the word "retarded" tastefully sprinkled about containing absolutely zero arguments for the why the Democratic Party is a "centrist" party itself*

[IceSpear]

It’s called the Democratic Party

LMFAO

*Prepares self for barely coherent non-sequitur about Republican primary voters with the word "retarded" tastefully sprinkled about containing absolutely zero arguments for the why the Democratic Party is a "centrist" party itself*

Oh, sounds fun. I'll play.

Let's start with the Democratic healthcare plan being the Republican healthcare plan from the 90s.

[RINO Tom]

It’s called the Democratic Party

LMFAO

*Prepares self for barely coherent non-sequitur about Republican primary voters with the word "retarded" tastefully sprinkled about containing absolutely zero arguments for the why the Democratic Party is a "centrist" party itself*

Oh, sounds fun. I'll play.

Let's start with the Democratic healthcare plan being the Republican healthcare plan from the 90s.

For sake of argument, when the Overton Window shifts, shouldn't it shift everything?

[RaphaelDLG]

Why are people still bringing up this nonsense? Do they not know how FPTP works?

It’s called the Democratic Party

[Mister Mets]

After Trump and Sanders, I'm increasingly skeptical. Candidates have a much better chance winning a major party nomination. This requires fewer voters than winning pluralities in states worth 270+ electoral votes.