Online Third Party in 2012?

[georgephillip]

Americans Elect 2012, which may or may not be a political party, offers the following choice to all Americans:

"What if there were a better way to choose our president? Americans Elect is harnessing the power of the Internet to ask every single voter one simple question: who would you nominate in 2012?"

At the moment, the sole disclosed funder of Americans Elect is a financial heavyweight named Peter Ackerman who, allegedly, got his start with junk bond king Michael Milken at Drexel Burnham Lambert in the 1980s.

Americans Elect Funder and Chair Peter Ackerman Hires Son to run Rules Committee | Irregular Times

Peter's named his son Elliot, a former Marine officer who won the Silver Star for his actions in Fallujah, COO of Americans Elect 2012.

1st Lt. Elliot Ackerman: Heroes in the War on Terror

 

[flacaltenn]

The best part of this --- is that the money is being raised to jump the ballot access hurdle.. It's a monumental task to gather signatures and go to court in 50 states to field a national candidate.

ANYONE who has the desire and dedication to this -- should be applauded.. It demonstrates how much of a rigged game ballot access really is..

If they succeed --- EVERYONE gets another choice on their 2012 ballot for President. And a candidate selected by popular participation might actually make the race interesting..

But before you go getting "chills up your leg" George.. Any candidate selected and nominated over the Web is gonna look a LOT like Ron Paul.. Because that IS the web demographic.. And that is AWFULLY good news for folks like me..

Imagine a younger, hipper, less cranky Ron Paul.. Priceless...

 

[georgephillip]

Remember Hamilton Jordan?

"For a connected chain of private political corporations, arranging presidential elections is a family affair.

"In the 2008 election season, when Unity08 organized to run its own ticket for President of the United States, co-founder Hamilton Jordan had his daughter placed in the leadership of its youth effort, UnityPetition.

"Jordan also placed his daughter’s schoolteacher and his daughter’s camp counselor on the Unity08 Founders’ Council.

"Americans Elect is the continuation of Unity08.

"In the runup to the 2012 election season, the headquarters of Unity08 was moved into the top floor of 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, a space owned by the billionaire leveraged buyout artist Peter Ackerman.

"There Unity08 shared office space for a brief time with an entity called the Unity12 Task Force before Unity12 was renamed Americans Elect, the entity we see today at the same address of 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Americans Elect Funder and Chair Peter Ackerman Hires Son to run Rules Committee | Irregular Times

You see one web demographic that looks like Ron Paul.
I see one that looks more like Ralph Nader.
The rich see Americans Elect.

That's not to say the Internet isn't capable of changing this world in ways, political and otherwise, all of us would find hard to believe at this moment in time.

I'm not so sure a vulture capitalist and his war "hero" son will be leading the way, however.

 

[flacaltenn]

Remember Hamilton Jordan?

"For a connected chain of private political corporations, arranging presidential elections is a family affair.

"In the 2008 election season, when Unity08 organized to run its own ticket for President of the United States, co-founder Hamilton Jordan had his daughter placed in the leadership of its youth effort, UnityPetition.

"Jordan also placed his daughter’s schoolteacher and his daughter’s camp counselor on the Unity08 Founders’ Council.

"Americans Elect is the continuation of Unity08.

"In the runup to the 2012 election season, the headquarters of Unity08 was moved into the top floor of 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, a space owned by the billionaire leveraged buyout artist Peter Ackerman.

"There Unity08 shared office space for a brief time with an entity called the Unity12 Task Force before Unity12 was renamed Americans Elect, the entity we see today at the same address of 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Americans Elect Funder and Chair Peter Ackerman Hires Son to run Rules Committee | Irregular Times

You see one web demographic that looks like Ron Paul.
I see one that looks more like Ralph Nader.
The rich see Americans Elect.

That's not to say the Internet isn't capable of changing this world in ways, political and otherwise, all of us would find hard to believe at this moment in time.

I'm not so sure a vulture capitalist and his war "hero" son will be leading the way, however.

I think a VENTURE capitalist and his war "hero" son trumps a camp counselor and a schoolteacher.. But that's just me..

Can't afford to screw it up by jiggering the process from within on the 1st try.. I know how much work is involved trying to get on a 50 state ballot. But from the looks of the website, they're not gonna be ready for primetime. They need the 3Mil just to collect the signatures and that leaves a budget of around ZERO for the website development which is the big draw.

Good idea tho -- And I might toss them a few bucks to encourage the innovation... Even IF it ends up fielding a Socialist like Nader..

 

[Mr.Nick]

We already have a serious third party - we're called the classical liberal party, libertarian party or tea party.

It's impossible to have a moderate party in the United States - our constitution pretty much forbids one.

There is no gray here. You either believe and embrace the constitution and the right of the people or you favor the authoritarian government.

There is no gray - there is no "middle ground."

 

[georgephillip]

Remember Hamilton Jordan?

"For a connected chain of private political corporations, arranging presidential elections is a family affair.

"In the 2008 election season, when Unity08 organized to run its own ticket for President of the United States, co-founder Hamilton Jordan had his daughter placed in the leadership of its youth effort, UnityPetition.

"Jordan also placed his daughter’s schoolteacher and his daughter’s camp counselor on the Unity08 Founders’ Council.

"Americans Elect is the continuation of Unity08.

"In the runup to the 2012 election season, the headquarters of Unity08 was moved into the top floor of 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, a space owned by the billionaire leveraged buyout artist Peter Ackerman.

"There Unity08 shared office space for a brief time with an entity called the Unity12 Task Force before Unity12 was renamed Americans Elect, the entity we see today at the same address of 1775 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Americans Elect Funder and Chair Peter Ackerman Hires Son to run Rules Committee | Irregular Times

You see one web demographic that looks like Ron Paul.
I see one that looks more like Ralph Nader.
The rich see Americans Elect.

That's not to say the Internet isn't capable of changing this world in ways, political and otherwise, all of us would find hard to believe at this moment in time.

I'm not so sure a vulture capitalist and his war "hero" son will be leading the way, however.

I think a VENTURE capitalist and his war "hero" son trumps a camp counselor and a schoolteacher.. But that's just me..

Can't afford to screw it up by jiggering the process from within on the 1st try.. I know how much work is involved trying to get on a 50 state ballot. But from the looks of the website, they're not gonna be ready for primetime. They need the 3Mil just to collect the signatures and that leaves a budget of around ZERO for the website development which is the big draw.

Good idea tho -- And I might toss them a few bucks to encourage the innovation... Even IF it ends up fielding a Socialist like Nader..

"You may not have heard of Americans Elect yet, but by the end of the year you will have heard a great deal more.

"Americans Elect is a unique combination of political party and 501(c)(4) corporation with the aim of arranging the nomination and election of its very own candidates for President and Vice President of the United States in 2012.

"How will Americans Elect manage to do this, according to what rules, with what level of transparency in its conduct, and incorporating what degree of democracy in its decision-making?

"The most straightforward way to find answers to these questions is to ask Americans Elect itself. After contacting Americans Elect by phone and e-mail over a number of months and receiving no response, I sent a certified letter with a series of questions and an appeal to open dialogue.

"The letter was received at the Americans Elect corporate headquarters in Washington DC last month, but I have not yet received a reply." (1/18/2011)

To Understand Americans Elect, Understand Peter Ackerman’s Theory of Movement Organization | Irregular Times

Better a "socialist" like Nader than another Freedom House "fascist" like Leo Cherne:

"To counter Goebbels’ propaganda theatre emanating from Nazi party headquarters at Munich’s Braunes Haus (Brown House), an organization named Freedom House was founded in New York City in 1941.

"Fronted by American celebrities and public luminaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt, the brains behind the outfit was Leo Cherne, the psychological warfare specialist/co-founder of the Research Institute of America (RIA), which would much later be labeled the 'CIA for businessmen.'”

Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald: 9/11 and the American Mind

There are already numerous third parties appearing on ballots across the US.

Why not use Greens and Libertarians to FLUSH hundreds of Republicans AND Democrats from DC in a single news cycle in November 2012?

 

[georgephillip]

We already have a serious third party - we're called the classical liberal party, libertarian party or tea party.

It's impossible to have a moderate party in the United States - our constitution pretty much forbids one.

There is no gray here. You either believe and embrace the constitution and the right of the people or you favor the authoritarian government.

There is no gray - there is no "middle ground."

"The largest third party vote total went to Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, he has received 672,000 votes, according to CNN, or 0.55 percent of the national vote...

"Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party Presidential candidate, received almost 500,000 votes in his first presidential run.

"Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate, won almost 180,000 votes, while the Green Party’s Cynthia McKinney (Presidental Elections, Barack Obama, John Mccain, Elections.) garnered 145,000."

The Indypendent » 2008 Election Results: Third Party Candidates Ignored in Obama vs. McCain Frenzy

I don't think this is the time to look for a moderate political party.

Republicans AND Democrats are united in their support for radical corporate policies designed to enhance the wealth of the richest 5% of Americans at the expense of all others.

Replace a hundred Republicans AND Democrats with Greens and Libertarians in 2012 (including the one currently in the White House), and Americans will have much better idea of who the authoritarians really are and what they actually want.

 

[flacaltenn]

George:
I have no idea why you leap to the conclusion that this AmericansElect is predisposed towards a moderate candidate or a radical candidate. And frankly George -- you're all over the map here with Nazis and "no space for moderates".

The concept COULD produce a candidate running on a unique NON-PARTISIAN laundry list of populist items. Not a bad way of selecting someone with a known priority list.

MrNick:

Appreciate the recognition of the Libertarians/Greens or whatever other choices are out there. It's those "radical" wings that FORCE the DEM/REP to pander to any kind of consistent idealogy at all. Without the T.Partiers, a GOP candidate could just camoflauge themselves as a moderate. Same with the Dems having to cater to their "wingnuts". Without those nuts, it's all nonsensical fraternity pranks.

That's why we should reform the ballot access process so that experiments like this can be tried. And if the result is less "uncontested" seats in Congress because of the 2 party monopoly -- or less gerrymandering clowning around --- we all win...

Right now the parties can just say STFU.. "Whatchagonnado? Vote for the other party? " We need coalitions and party reform at the basic level. Even if it requires forming coalition style govts to acheive a majority decision..

 

[Steelplate]

We already have a serious third party - we're called the classical liberal party, libertarian party or tea party.

It's impossible to have a moderate party in the United States - our constitution pretty much forbids one.

There is no gray here. You either believe and embrace the constitution and the right of the people or you favor the authoritarian government.

There is no gray - there is no "middle ground."

Says the right wing radical Fascist

 

[georgephillip]

George:
I have no idea why you leap to the conclusion that this AmericansElect is predisposed towards a moderate candidate or a radical candidate. And frankly George -- you're all over the map here with Nazis and "no space for moderates".

The concept COULD produce a candidate running on a unique NON-PARTISIAN laundry list of populist items. Not a bad way of selecting someone with a known priority list.

MrNick:

Appreciate the recognition of the Libertarians/Greens or whatever other choices are out there. It's those "radical" wings that FORCE the DEM/REP to pander to any kind of consistent idealogy at all. Without the T.Partiers, a GOP candidate could just camoflauge themselves as a moderate. Same with the Dems having to cater to their "wingnuts". Without those nuts, it's all nonsensical fraternity pranks.

That's why we should reform the ballot access process so that experiments like this can be tried. And if the result is less "uncontested" seats in Congress because of the 2 party monopoly -- or less gerrymandering clowning around --- we all win...

Right now the parties can just say STFU.. "Whatchagonnado? Vote for the other party? " We need coalitions and party reform at the basic level. Even if it requires forming coalition style govts to acheive a majority decision..

My bad.

I didn't establish Peter Ackerman's ties to Freedom House or Drexel Burnham, Lambert.

"Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights.[2] It publishes an annual report assessing the degree of perceived democratic freedoms in each country, which is used in political science research.[3]"

Freedom House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Critics on the left like Noam Chomsky, for example, see Freedom House as a useful adjunct to US Empire:

"Chomsky and Herman further write that the group's (Freedom House) history has been characterized as excessively criticizing states opposed to US interests and unduly sympathetic to those regimes supportive of US interests.[37]

"The authors suggest this can be most notably seen by the way it perceived the US ally El Salvador in the early 1980s, a regime that used the army for mass slaughter of the populace to intimidate them in the run up to an 'election', but Freedom House found these elections to be 'admirable'.[37]"

Freedom House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ackerman's fortune comes from his service to junk bond king Michael Milken:

"Ackerman’s wealth derives mainly from his time at Drexel Burnham Lambert, the Wall Street investment bank that was forced into bankruptcy in February 1990 due to its involvement in illegal activities in the junk bond market.

"As special projects aide to junk bond king Michael Milken, Ackerman cleaned up.

"In 1988 alone, he took home a salary of $165 million for his critical role in financing Kohlberg Kravis Roberts’s $26 billion leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco.

"But four months before Drexel collapsed into bankruptcy, Ackerman 'beat a fortuitously timed retreat' to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

"While the 'king' was sentenced to 10 years for securities fraud, 'the highest-paid of all of Michael R. Milken’s minions' emerged as 'the big winner' with a fortune of approximately $500 million—prompting one of his former colleagues to complain: 'Peter Ackerman is a real Teflon guy.'”

The Junk Bond

I agree the Internet COULD produce candidates worth voting for.
I don't think Junk bonds and war crimes are where the change will come from.