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Third Parties
Aug. 6th, 2023 01:17 pmPeriodically, the idea of a third party is floated. Most recently, the "No Labels" party was floated. My thoughts on the (lack of) effectiveness of these parties is found here. But during a recent long drive, I got to thinking about who would be the audience for such a party.
The answer (at least for the No Labels people) is a group of people Formerly Known as Country Club Republicans. These are upper-class folks who are looking for low taxes and lighter business regulations and liberal social policies. They are also fans of law enforcement, largely because they (correctly) think law enforcement in effect protects their interests. (This last bit is what gives them the most heartburn about the current Democratic Party.)
Alas, with the exception of some suburban counties (mine, DuPage County Illinois, west of Chicago, being one) they aren't a big enough group to win elections. For a long while, they allied with evangelicals and authoritarians to win as Republicans, but now that's breaking down.
Interestingly in some places (again DuPage County) enough of them went over to Democrats to turn the county blue. When "No Labels" fails, I expect this transition to happen in other areas as well.
The answer (at least for the No Labels people) is a group of people Formerly Known as Country Club Republicans. These are upper-class folks who are looking for low taxes and lighter business regulations and liberal social policies. They are also fans of law enforcement, largely because they (correctly) think law enforcement in effect protects their interests. (This last bit is what gives them the most heartburn about the current Democratic Party.)
Alas, with the exception of some suburban counties (mine, DuPage County Illinois, west of Chicago, being one) they aren't a big enough group to win elections. For a long while, they allied with evangelicals and authoritarians to win as Republicans, but now that's breaking down.
Interestingly in some places (again DuPage County) enough of them went over to Democrats to turn the county blue. When "No Labels" fails, I expect this transition to happen in other areas as well.
