3rd Party
Think Tank

How It Can Work

A Summary

The Problem &
The Solution

The Principle of Minority Power

The Last
Successful
Third Party

Coalitions of Constituencies

Good Governance

Collaboration
and Consensus

Resources

Do You Have
a Representative?

News & Topics

Are You Interested?

We Need a Third Party Think Tank…

A Summary of Minority Power Principles
The Kinds of Concepts a Third Party Think Tank Will Explore

Third Party Presidential Campaigns Have Never Worked
A successful new party won't begin by electing a President, but by electing a few U. S. Representatives and Senators—enough to prevent either the Republicans or the Democrats from holding congressional majorities. These legislators don't have to be from one party; they can be a loose collection of independents and minor party members.

The Problem & The Solution
Any majority party has too much power, and a single minority party has little choice but to employ damaging tactics to protect its agenda. The solution is to have three or more viable political parties—with no one of them holding majority power.

Minority Power
Minority power can work by denying majority power to all the parties. Suppose, for example that the Senate had forty-nine Democrats, forty-nine Republicans, and two Senators from a third party. No committee could be formed, no rule changed, and no bill passed without cooperation of at least two of the parties.

The Last Successful Third Party
The Republican Party began by electing members to Congress in 1854; it worked then; we can do it again.

Coalitions of Constituencies
A viable new party will identify groups that aren't well served by existing parties, and will build coalitions between them.

Good Governance
A viable third party will assume principal leadership, and step out in front of both major parties. It will identify vital issues, take positions, then recruit support from principled, thoughtful members of both major parties.

Collaboration and Consensus
When we make decisions with 51% majorities, half of us lose. True democracy requires engaging in genuine debate until solutions are found that serve most of us and are destructive to none.

Are You Interested?
The third party think tank doesn't exist yet. You can help build it.

Do You Want to Read More?
Click here, or use the navigation panel at the left for a more detailed presentation of these principles.

Please Speak Up…

• If you have a response or an additional thought regarding something on this page,
• If you'd like to write an article for possible publication on these pages,
• If you have an idea or suggestion about developing the think tank…

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The political saga of the past two years has brought many changes, across the polical spectrum.

It has not, however, changed the fundamental principles expressed on these pages.

A major revision of these pages is needed, to add content, and to update specific references to parties, events, etc.

While that revision proceeds, please read the information posted here for its fundamental ideas and principles.

As always, your comments are welcome: partyiii@greatreality.com