U Not Gonna Like This

In the next couple of post I'll be highlighing some third political parties here in the USA. I think it's just interesting to look over some of the ideologies of some of these parties.

However, before I do that I should let you know why they are called third parties.

I got this definition some time ago from the Nation Master's Encyclopedia web site before it started copying content from Wikipedia. Here's their definiation of what a third political party is.


Orginally posted at:



http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-political-parties-in-the-United-States




Political parties of the United States traditionally divide the available spectrum of choices into two camps. The first is known the "major parties" and the second as the "third parties" camp. This is due to the fact that in the United States has a two-party system, with the two largest centrist parties dividing the vote between themselves in the national elections. This is partly a consequence of the first-past-the-post election system but also due to restrictive ballot access laws imposed on third parties.




Many third parties throughout U.S. history have achieved regional success and some (notably the Prohibition party and the Socialist Party of America) have had major portions of their platforms incorporated into the "major parties" platforms. While the parties in question did not go on to become one dominant players in American political life, their overall political platforms took root in the American political landscape.