The best percentage of the vote for any minor party gubernatorial candidate in 2014 was Bob Healey’s showing for Governor of Rhode Island, on the Moderate Party ticket. Healey claimed he only spent $36 on the entire campaign. PolitiFact investigated that claim and found it to be true. See this analysis here, published last month. Healey was included in the televised debates, and he attributes his high vote total to being in the debates.
Healey polled 21.43% of the vote. Because the vote exceeded 5%, the Moderate Party will be ballot-qualified in both 2016 and 2018.
What does the Moderate Party stand for? And what is a Moderate? Is it a facade for a liberal party, using the line that it supports only candidates who are not connected to criminal activity and attempt to project clean faces, with no controversial baggage?
Usually if and when these types of parties get into office, their masks come off and then we know them for what we are. Liberalism under a new tactic.
Will be interested to see if they attempt to spread their “sheeps clothing” politics into other states.
It lives up to it’s name. It takes bold stands on the issues if that’s all right with everyone else.
What is a so-called “right wing” nationalist, anti-socialist candidate sought an office under the Moderate Party label, would they allow him/her to be the candidate?
Would be interesting to see how they would respond to such a candidate.
For a party which won so many votes for its gubernatorial candidate, I have been unable to find a web-site for the party. But then again, if they only spend $36 on the campaign, then they might not have funds for an active website.
But Richard does make a good point. The gubernatorial candidate’s ability to appear in several televised debates know doubt helped with voters remembering his name on election day. Which somewhat continues to sustains my premise that voters vote for candidates – not for the party.
Correction! I did find a website for this party. A little surprised that Politics1.com did not list it. Website is rimoderateparty.com
Rock on!
The Moderate Party was one of the first affiliated with the USA Parliament in 1995 and it’s a party name that doesn’t exactly spur excitement as they quickly faded away into obscurity.
The focus shouldn’t be so much on how much money we spend on campaigns nor the word a person chooses to have listed by their name.
The focus should be on how well we can work together as a team to get equal treatment for all people who want to be a part of the government, while allowing anyone to proclaim whatever party/independent they wish and by electing in multi-winner teams.
By highlighting random wins and by putting individual people or election laws in the spotlight, we’re missing the big picture and unable to make any coordinated progress for the whole.
The 9th USA Parliament has been developing and working on a dynamic plan as a team. We’re able to coach others on how to increase the unity in Rhode Island and worldwide.
Jeffrey Drobman, PHD (Democrat) Former Candidate for CA Secretary of State (6/3/2014): “That to preserve the unity, the team should always mention the names of all ten candidates who are working together for the good of the ALL and to mention only the top ranked names for the five State offices, would not be in the interest of unity”.
* * *
Won’t you join the team?
http://www.usparliament.org
I dunno about his party, but Healy himself takes a pretty down-the-line moderate libertarian stance on things. Shame he didn’t run with the LP, maybe he will in the future. He seems to have been turned off by some “only anarchists are libertarians!” nonsense.
Still, I think it’s a safe assumption that the two things that were crucial for him were 1) debate access and 2) a ballot label with very wide popular appeal. I think it’s a safe bet that a lot more of his voters were more moderate-as-in-mushy-awful-centrist than Healy himself was.
Well this party needs to attract candidates that can win elections in the house and senate if it has any can he of staying afloat. It could end up in the same boat as the IP of Minnesota if they don’t organize.
Greens, Moderate Party, and a host of other “leftist” parties need to work toward uniting if they plan to have any influence in American politics over the next 25 years. It’s sad that they and the Libertarian Party have this great divide, or they could unite and make the strongest 3rd party in the United States.
The problem with the Libertarians, is they can’t bring themselves to wealth distribution – which is desperately needed in America – or else they could easily nominate Bernie Sanders and along with the Greens, the Moderate Party and the other “leftist” parties could make the major parties “shake in their boots.”
But it ain’t gonna happen, because all of them have been brainwashed that if you don’t cross their “t’s” or dot your “i’s” the way some party god says they must, then you are a phony, and out the door you go.
Remember, we became “temporary” partners with the Soviet Union in WWII to defeat the Nazis. Had we not, the Nazis might have won WWII, and this email I am writing now would have been intercepted and I would be arrested before the end of the day.
Libertarians, Greens, Moderates, other leftists, come to your senses and become the strongest 3rd party in the United States!