An American Third Party

The Republican party seems to be wandering into a sea of hurt where their ancestors have gone before. According to a Gallup poll released on Monday, a majority of  Republicans for the first time, said we need a third party in American politics. At 52%  Republican support for a third party is at an all time high in Gallup polling; still, a whopping 60% of self styled Tea Party supporters said a third party was necessary.

The problem seems to be that Republicans don't like their own kind. That is to say certain Republican don't like other types of Republicans and the differences between the two groups is causing a tremendous amount of friction.

Mainstream or Wall Street Republicans and the more radical Tea Party affiliated Republicans have very different approaches to achieving, what at first, seemed like a unified agenda. The Tea Party people, who were supported and financed at first by main stream Republicans and their big business allies are now appearing like out of control Frankenstein's monsters attacking their own creators and the very institutions which empowered them in the first place. Dick Armey and David Koch bite your tongue.

Tea Partiers have been issuing veiled threats to challenge Republican Party nominees since just after the November election, but now they are getting serious about it.  In a special election to fill New York's 26th Congressional District, a traditionally Republican seat,  Democratic candidate, Kathy Hochul has recently taken a lead over Republican, Jane Corwin and Tea Party candidate, Jack Davis. Splitting some 55% of the vote between them the Republican and Tea Party candidates are very likely going to elect the Democrat.

We have seen this unfolding scenario before in U.S. History and whether the issue was anti Catholicism of the 1850s  'Know Nothing' American Party,  the pro agrarian, anti Gold standard of the late 19th Century Populist movement,  the anti Corporation progressive movement of Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party, or  Ross Perot's Reform Party, the outcome of these attempts to gain national power with third parties has been the same. While third parties have had some success at state levels, as soon as they gained national prominence they only succeeded in achieving defeat for themselves, their agendas and the major party most aligned with them. 

After their defeat in the national election of 1856 and following the racist 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court decision that exacerbating the slavery issue, what was left of the  'Know Nothings' in the north became Republicans. Strange now the Republicans are becoming know nothings again.