As the circus known as the Republican presidential primary continues to amaze and astound onlookers everywhere, there does not seem to be any kind of closure in the foreseeable future. We are basically right where we were before it all began, and Republicans are getting frustrated. Perhaps it's time for a little outside the box thinking.
What if the GOP decided that it would be better for the party and for conservatives if instead of subjecting themselves (and us!) to any more of this ludicrous spectacle, they simply passed the buck, encouraging third-party candidates to come forward to represent the anti-Obama position?
There are technical problems, to be sure, due to restrictions in various states about who can be on the ballot and where their names will appear, and so on. That could be a deal-breaker, I suppose. But let's set that aside just for the sake of being able to continue on with this idea.
At least two of the current list of candidates have at least not completely rejected the suggestion that they might make a 3rd party run if they do not receive the Republican nomination: Ron Paul (probably the least likely, based on what he says) and Jon Huntsman, plus former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, already running as a Libertarian. In addition, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg keeps bringing up a possible 3rd-party run, and of course there is the Americans Elect party, with its over 2 million signatures.
Obviously, if there were a blank Republican slot on the ballot, not only would it be much more likely that some of those possibilities would materialize, but in that case, it is difficult to imagine that one or more of Romney, Gingrich, Cain, Perry, or Christy wouldn't also make a serious 3rd party run. Maybe it would even jolt Sarita Palin enough to get her to join in.
This is something that the Republicans should consider very seriously, I believe. For one thing, it would shake things up tremendously, including all of the strategies and plans of the Democrats. It would suddenly make the entire election much more interesting, and it would be Obama who would represent the “old way” (two-party) of doing things. It would also give a tremendous boost to multi-party democracy and a shock to the two-party system. It is likely that the effect would reverberate all the way down the ballot, increasing third-party candidates even in state-level elections (where they are already much more common). There would probably also be some people on the left running against Democrats here and there.
It would also give the new, non-Republican conservatives a huge boost in the media. The press would just love this. There would always be something novel to write about! It would Hoover media attention away from the Democrats in a way not imaginable since Herbert's day.
Well, that's the idea. Talk it up. After all, who doesn't want to live in interesting times?