What do you think about the new political party formed by former Republicans and Democrats?

“The party, which is centrist, has no specific policies yet”
What I think depends 100% on what this will be.

I hate American politics because it’s driven by money, not votes. I despise politicians because they use their power to cheat voters and avoid responsibility. And I mistrust parties because they operate like corporations and have no plans that support real public interest.

I’ve been registered as an independent for years, and for years I’ve heard that I’m an idiot because “there is no independent party.” Now there is.

The only problems I see are that they want money – to form a party – run by politicians – who have no plan. That’s what happens when god answers your prayers

Dead upon arrival.

They have to something more thana just say “we exist” to have any credibility at all.

“Centrist” is just code for “right wing, but too afraid or dishonest to admit it.”

@ragingloli: I don’t think of Andrew Yang and Amy Klobuchar as right wingers.

According to some, all of the democratic party here is right wing. I don’t agree.

Vapid dogshit. Site looks like it is a Microsoft Word template for a conference on how to use words to say nothing. And when it comes to politics and policy, saying nothing or talking about “centrism” or pretending that the project is free from ideology means that it is extremely ideological and pushing the status quo. Hard. But how do they plan to sell this?

- You know how Democrats and Republicans are the same people taking the same money and promoting the same economic and foreign policy because they represent the capital class? What if we were to start a party that had the exact same people?

- You know how bipartisan agreement results in aggressive wars, support for undemocratic governments, interventions in foreign elections, arms sales to murderous states, support for apartheid states, destroying the climate, and the crushing of the working class here in the US? What if we could take these same people and interests and start a new party?

- You know how people give overwhelming bad polling numbers for previous administrations? What if we were to take people from the same administrations (including the Trump administration) and form a new party?

Look, I am not the target audience for this, so I don’t expect to be sold on it. But I really don’t understand who would buy this? Have you really ever met anyone who doesn’t have health insurance, but has been crossing their fingers the same people that kept them from having health insurance form a party that pushes the capitalist project even harder?

Those who believe the Democrats right wing, actually mean the Democractic party is now the Republican party circa any period before Reagan. Both parties are in fact the tools of corporations and the moneyed elite. This 3rd party, whatever its planned ideology will conform by necessity to the established routine for garnering money, and applying said bribes toward the will of the donors. And considering the financial state of the average voter, who would you expect those BIG donors to be?

I’ll take a wait and see approach.

@hat saying nothing or talking about “centrism” or pretending that the project is free from ideology means that it is extremely ideological and pushing the status quo. Hard.

This, 100%. Which is already what the two party system achieves. I’m all for a third party, but I want one that could upend the two-party system. This just sounds like more of the same under a different name.

I’m all for anything that will help advance changes in ballot access laws to make 3rd parties more viable alternatives. Namely, rank-choice voting laws. If it takes a vapid, corporate-funded party with no platform to make that happen, I’ll be extremely appreciative of their efforts.

The political structure that allows only 2 parties who essentially represent the interests of very few Americans (and foreigners), and is designed to shelter those politicians from having to answer real questions from ordinary people, tough questions from journalists or face debates with candidates from outside the 2 parties is completely broken. I hope this stupid party can play a useful role in making change here, but let’s be clear, the neoliberal Democratic establishment is already pretty far right-of-center, so any compromise between them and the Republicans, and you’re left with an extreme, right-of-center party.

I’m interested but not leaping.

How can Yang be perceived as a centrist when he supports a UBI? I don’t see it working.

@JLeslie “How can Yang be perceived as a centrist when he supports a UBI?”

Because he wanted to pay for it with a 10% VAT, which is a REGRESSIVE tax that disproportionately benefits the people at the very top.

@gorillapaws To be clear I’m quite open minded about a UBI, but the American population at large is not going to see it as centrist, and it will push the socialist narrative.

The NeoNazis will probably connect it in some twisted way to the periodical Forward.

It would be great if they successfully pull of a new party that’s civilized with politicians that have some integrity.

@JLeslie “To be clear I’m quite open minded about a UBI, but the American population at large is not going to see it as centrist, and it will push the socialist narrative.”

Ironically, a big part of Sarah Palin’s popularity came from Alaska’s Oil UBI and her bonus $1200 rebate on top of the normal UBI that Alaskans get. Republican voters aren’t immune from enjoying the fruits of a socialist policy, even if they’re trading the future habitability of the planet for it: “I get $1,200 now, and my great-great grandkids get to live in a post-apocalyptic hellscape surviving on cockroach paste cubes and reprocessed urine? Deal!”

I’m not really a fan of UBI’s myself. I prefer robust investments in the social safety net progressive income, capital gains and wealth taxes.

@gorillapaws I’m aware of the Alaska refund, or whatever they call it in that state. Palin also talked about global warming and the idiots in Washington being ignorant about how Alaska already sees the effects. This was before she was McCain’s running mate.

The Alaska $1,200 comes from oil I think, not a tax on the rich.

@JLeslie “The Alaska $1,200 comes from oil I think, not a tax on the rich.”

The amount varies. Palin got an additional $1,200 on top of the normal payout one year. You’re right it’s from oil. It’s the reason I mentioned the future habitability of the planet thing.

@gorillapaws Mitt Romney put universal health care in MA, close to it anyway. That didn’t matter.

You’re not centrist anyway, I don’t see the new party helping you. Do you think they will be aligned with you politically?

@JLeslie “You’re not centrist anyway, I don’t see the new party helping you.”

I consider myself a few ticks left of center and lean slightly libertarian. That’s where I fall on the political compass at least.

The only way I see this being beneficial is if it can expand the ballot. Having 3rd parties is healthy. Having rank-choice voting is even healthier. If the “Forward party” can advance those objectives and break the duopoly, I will be sincerely appreciative of those accomplishments.

I doubt I share many political positions with them (maybe immigration? anti-war?). It’s hard to know without a single element of their platform published. That’s peak absurdity right there, when you think about it—you create and launch a political party and THEN decide what your values are after the fact? That’s like throwing a first birthday party for a kid before you’re pregnant (or even have a crush on someone). Madness.

@gorillapaws Yeah, a couple of friends of mine in real life heard about this new party and were all excited, saying they have been waiting for the right time for a new party, and maybe Trump and Biden have created the perfect storm to allow it to happen. All of this enthusiasm, and we don’t even know what the party platform is going to be. I think they assume it will be socially liberal and fiscally moderate, which is basically what all of my friends are, and myself included. One of them was a Republican for years, but now a Democrat, and I don’t think she will ever go back to the Republican party she is so disgusted.

@Jleslie “I think they assume it will be socially liberal and fiscally moderate, which is basically what all of my friends are, and myself included.”

I guess I’m having a hard time seeing where the fiscally ‘moderate’ position is between the Republicans and Democrats? Maybe we’re talking past each other with how we define things. Just going off of the political compass, it seems like both parties are already pretty far to the right as it is.

I think there definitely is an opening for a new brand of politics. But these jokers? No. Both the big parties are teetering, trying to maintain power after years of hollowing out their own ideology, and one could fall to a new movement, but it would have to be offering something new, with a strong moral justification people could get behind. I don’t see these losers, (let’s be honest), as having anything to offer, but their money, entrenched power and vague understanding of the American population . It’s a two party system by design. One party, at least, would have to be actively killed by the new party for it to become in a real one.

@gorillapaws I think we are agreeing that a lot of Democrats are to the right on fiscal policy. My opinion is the Republicans say they are, but they really don’t give a shit about balancing the budget or paying for their expenditures. They seem to live in fantasy land that money will trickle down and that lower taxes on the rich will lower the national debt, and going to war while cutting taxes and telling people to go shopping will lower the debt. That’s what they continue to tell themselves. I could go on and on.

I think the Democrats generally are more fiscally responsible, but I have plenty of complaints.

I have no interest in the ideas and goals of anyone who proudly identified as a Republican in the Gingrich years, the Bush Jr. years, and the Trump years.