"It's no wonder President Trump last summer laughed off entrepreneur Elon Musk's attempt to start a new third political party as revenge for Trump persisting in pushing his big, beautiful bill, which promises to increase the national debt by at least $3 trillion. Since the Progressive (Bull Moose) party was founded by ex-President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 after William Howard Taft snatched that year's Republican presidential nomination away from him, six other third parties have started up, none enjoying much success."
"There were the Dixiecrats in 1948, founded by South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond, managing to carry four states and 39 electoral votes before disappearing. The American Independence Party of George Wallace did a little better in 1968, carrying five states and 46 electoral votes before disbanding nationally, even though a California affiliate remains as a minor party. Businessman Ross Perot's Reform Party won 19 percent of the popular vote in 1992, but took no electoral votes and gradually died out over the next few years."
President Trump's recent spending bill would increase the national debt by at least $3 trillion and eliminated most federal tax credits for new and used electric vehicles. Elon Musk publicly threatened to form a new third party in retaliation for losing EV subsidies and his diminished relationship with Trump, claiming strong online support from a poll of 5.6 million respondents. Historical third-party efforts—the Progressive (Bull Moose) party, Dixiecrats, George Wallace's American Independence Party, Ross Perot's Reform Party, the Green, Constitution, and Forward parties—have generally failed to sustain national success. Parties formed out of revenge have historically struggled to endure.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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