Gingrich suggests third party rebellion in 2012

Can the American political system handle third party? It’s pretty clear voters have been split between Republicans and Democrats during the past 10 years. Obama won by 7 percent, and Bush won by 3 percent in 2004, but we are defined as a split nation when it comes to national politics. Close races are, well, really close.

So, what would a third party – a conservative third party – do to the political dynamics of the country? I’ve aways been in the camp to help move the Republican party towards conservatism instead of away. Yes, I guess you could say move the group to – or back to – the right.

To many, a third party is one of those kooky ideas that serve only to gather less than one million votes, or do a bang-up job and get almost 19 percent and leave Bush 41 with only 37 percent as occurred in 1992.

If Bush 41 got half the votes that Ross Perot received in 1992, he would have beat Bill Clinton by 2 million votes. (Perot carried no states and received no electoral votes.)

Newt Gingrich was at the College of the Ozarks yesterday and mentioned the possibility of a third party in 2012. From the CNN Political Ticker…

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is warning of a third party mutiny in 2012 if Republicans don’t figure out a way to shape up.

“If the Republicans can’t break out of being the right wing party of big government, then I think you would see a third party movement in 2012,” Gingrich said Tuesday. The speech, to a group of students at the College of the Ozarks in Missouri, was recorded by Springfield TV station KY3.

My thought is that a third party could be tied in with the Tea Party movement.

This brings us back to the Battleground Polls taken last fall that showed 57 percent considered themselves very conservative or somewhat conservative. Click on the image to enlarge.

So, can the 59 percent ban together in a third party, or are we better off working within the established Republican party?