Four groups that could fund viable third party efforts and one fantastical Green Party way.

(This was something that I also posted over at Firedoglake. I originally wrote it as a comment to a post by Jane Hamsher. I've come to the conclusion that you can't really change the country without a viable third party movement. I've been repeating that, like, eight thousand times now....)

Not having a third party means Nancy Pelosi can say “Who gives a frak what you think Jane? You gets two choices: poke in the eye or kick in the groin. Die slow or die fast. We love those choices…did I tell you that me getting closer to the Catholic church means betraying women on choice? I’m going to heaven with Santa and all his friends…”

Not an actual quote. I made it up would you believe…

Four ways you could get to a viable third party by 2012. (Viable candidates means you raise Bill Halter like 2.5 million for senate races, at least 200000 for house races as I keep stressing to our pie in the sky Green party friends….you have to ask for it, too….):

1. Labor gets some sense, namely the teachers unions over the Arne Duncan charter school sellout, and they start their own party. But doubtful considering the limited vision of labor’s leadership and the terrifyingly bad performance of North Carolina first…But if they talked about it today, they could have five house candidates and one senate candidate up by 2010. If only they had a brain…

2. Rich people like George Soros recreate America Coming Together as per the Nader book. The problem: rich people aren’t in a crisis mode and why did he stop ACT anyway? Confession: I worked for ACT in 04 and loved doing it. The other problem is that they’re rich. Very seldom, if ever, do rich and successful people change the fundamental rules that allow them to be rich and successful. That’s just the way it is. But there is a left that has more empathy, incredible talent and they’re good looking in front of a camera:

3. The Hollywood Left. My personal favorite and the most likely of the four. You need 100 Hollywood millionaires to give a million dollars each. You and Ariana have the initial discussion and you’re both pissed off about choice among other things. You have that big party. You find 100 Hollywood liberals who have figured out that the Democrats don’t represent liberal or progressive values. I still have the 5/25 plan. You need 5 senators–

(actually only one senator…and if a progressive senator used those procedures like Jim Bunning then those procedures would be gotten rid of quite quickly, if we had a progressive senator who wanted to get rid of those procedures…)

–and 25 house reps. They need to act as a block and they all need to sign contracts that they won’t take lobbying positios after serving in office.

No I have no idea if you have contacts like that…but it’s not unlike raising money for a movie…except you would be making every life in the United States better…

4. Small contributions from an angry public turn my 5/25 plan into a national party. I think 3 has a better chance…

Philip Shropshire

The 5/25 Plan

PS: There is the Green Party plan, from what I can tell from reading the Green Party members here, people will just realize that we’re right without ads on tv or internet, without an articulated national plan, and we’re certainly not going to ask for enough money to actually win…