There is a post on Gary North's site today regarding viable presidential candidates in the year 2000. While I often disagree with Dr. North, I respect his dedication and check his site daily for the vast amount of information. He makes a good point that Gov. Bush and V.P. Gore will have their hands full and/or be tainted by issues in Texas and by Gore's previous technology czar comments. North suggests that Senators McCain and Kerry (D-NE) may well end up as the viable candidates due to a national focus, status as war heros, etc.

So far my choice leans toward Bill Bradley, but I am not aware of any comments he may have made about Y2K. Granted its a minefield for a candidate to discuss Y2K, but I hope he has an opinion and is just staying below the radar screen.

-- Nancy Wells (wellsnl@hotmail.com), October 04, 1999

Answers

Y2K will benefit Pat Buchannon tremendously, if Y2K stays a mostly economic issue and not an election cancelling, government collapsing event.

Y2K economic problems will give Pat's "America First" platform the spotlight is really needs to be effective.

Think of what kind of support Pat could see if the US is in a depression and Klintoon annonces that while there's serious suffering at home, he's going to forgive a few hundred billion in debt to the "suffering poor" overseas. Especially if there is no debt forgiveness for Americans.

And don't forget that Pat can play the "They knew and didn't tell you" campaign slogan, too. Lots of people who get blind-sided by Y2K will certainly declare "A pox upon both parties!" and likely vote third party.

The elections of 2000 may well be the one which sees the arisal of a viable third party or the complete collapse of the one party most held to be at fault over Y2K and its replacement by a new party. Just like how the Whigs disappeared during the time slavery arguments and the rise of the Republican Party just before the Civil War.

If such a political party birth happens this time around, I do hope it can be done without all the shooting, but I'm afraid the dying will happen regardless, due to other reasons.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), October 04, 1999.

I am surprised the subject of Ms. Dole as, at least, V-P has not come up on the forum. Particularly as relates to domestic disaster coordination and planning, wouldn't she have an edge over other candidates if you REALLY believe that the outfall from y2k will be serious? Doesn't she have experience heads and shoulders over everyone else in this department?

Is she like the elephant in the living room everyone ignores or what?

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), October 04, 1999.

Lots of people who get blind-sided by Y2K will certainly declare "A pox upon both parties!" and likely vote third party.

You got that right WW. That very sentiment is manifesting itself in increasing numbers. On the boobtoob today I saw a poll which indicated that 54+or-% of the American public is sick of the two parties, and would be willing to vote for a third party candidate.

When one looks at the abismal percentage of Americans who bother to turn out at the polls, it seems to bear that percentage out. If one would consider the overall dissatisfaction with the government that is expressed on various forums around the net, it is only a matter of time until the right third party candidate comes along and throws a monkey wrench into the two party system.

Please let it be so. And let it be a man (or woman) who loves Constitutional Government, nothing more or nothing less.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), October 04, 1999.

Nope.

IMHO, 2000 will not be the year of the third party. Joe and Jane Average, rightly or wrongly, will view ideology as a luxury for prosperous times. If times get hard, their vote will go to whoever they see as being the one who can get food on the table and heat in the house, the fastest.

The only viable third party alternative, currently, is the Libertarian Party. Their proposed platform of MASSIVE restructuring of the American system of government, will be seen as so much fiddling, while Rome burns. People tend to get rather conservative, when frightened, and that's "conservative" in the traditional "Republican" sense, and not in the new-fangled Libertarian sense.

Any third party hopefuls, should focus their energies on 2004. By then, if the "quick-fixes" aren't working, Joe and Jane Average might (that's MIGHT) be ready for the bold move of getting away from the two party system.

If Y2K turns out to be bad, the democrats will take the heat, alternative parties will be ignored, and the country will go overwhelmingly Republican.

Hey, I don't like it either. The idea of having to say "President Bush" again, makes me choke, but that's the way I'm sure it will go.

Just a suggestion, but some people on this forum and over at TB2000 should spend a little more time mingling with the "sheeple". As a rule, they'll bluster and bark about all manner of radical behavior, but when push comes to shove, they'll fall back into "going along, to get along". They will, however, occasionally "be naughty", if they think there's nothing at stake, and vote for a Pat Paulsen or a Jesse Ventura. Ironically, the Libertarian Party's best chance for a win in 2000, will be if the economy doesn't tank, and there's no significant computer glitches.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), October 04, 1999.

"Propaganda needs to be very simple, and adhere to one or two simple points and repeat them endlessly." joseph Goebbels

Ok, so what lie will Americans believe in 2000? "We're American's, we don't deserve this! We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this!We're American's, we don't deserve this......... So give us the power we need to make things the way they were...."

Have a nice day.

-- Jeremiah (braponspdetroit@hotmail.com), October 04, 1999.

(1) The discussion presupposes that there will be a national election in 2000.

(2) For my choice, I'd like to see a Yourdon-Yardeni ticket. But that would be too rational!

(3) I tend to agree that a third party effort might be a spoiler, but would not take the election. Not a comment on the views of the third parties, but an assessment of their chances.

(4) The individual who will win (if an election is held) will be the Republican that promises to fix the economy...the Dems will have blown their chance. (Assumes a 7-9 scenario).

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), October 04, 1999.