Now, we really need a separate Third Party in the U.S.

Why do I say that? I say it because this election proved that the uneasy alliance between the perennial losers (i.e. Democrats) and factions further left on the one hand, and some of the minorities on the other, is not working to anyone's benefit. It is not working for Democrats because it contributed, I believe, to the perception of the Democrats as a coterie of ethno-religious minorities and marginal political groups. According to a statistic I didnot read but just heard, no Democrat since Harry Truman won the majority of the White vote (in 1948? meaning 55 years ago!). What does this mean? It means Democrats, to the extent that they can retain parity with the Republicans, and God forbid, when they win presidency, did so only because of their solid hold over African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, and though declining, Latinos. In fact, Democrats are really kept in shape because of minority support today, not just African-Americans, Latinos, and Jewish Americans, but also less prominent groups such as the Muslim- and Arab-Americans, Greek Americans, Armenian Americans, etc. One has to add to this coterie the "more Left wing" factions, such as Greens and Socialists who vote Democrat just because they do not want Republicans and/or they actually expect Democrats to deliver on some environmentalist and social policies. One could easily add gays to this line of 'marginal' support. But all this support did not get Democrats anywhere because they are such horrible losers when it comes to politics. More importantly, for me, is the fact that this "deal" is not working for the ethnic minorities and more marginal Leftist groups, who have been more and more pushed aside without seeing any tangible benefits or solid protection of their rights from the Democrats. Why did Arab- and Muslim-Americans voted Democrat? Did the Democratic Party advocate any protection for the Arab- and Muslim-Americans even though they were the ones who won the election for Democrats in Michigan? Even if Ohio was won, if the Arab- and Muslim-Americans of Michigan did not vote for Kerry, he would still lose the election. So in a way, they were as critical as they can ever imagine to be in this eleciton, and were yet ignored. A good reason to reconsider (and withdraw) their support for the Democrats. How about African-Americans? Why did they vote overwhelmingly for the Democrats? (almost 90%) Even though Democratic cabinets never had prominent African Americans among their ranks, and Republicans do (Colin Powell AND Condoleeza Rice), African Americans still vote Democrat. Well, they shouldn't. With the exception of senator Barrack Obama in Illinois, whose election as the third African American senator in history is the only good thing that came out of this election, they were ignored by the Democratic leadership, again. How about socialists and greens? Was it worth not supporting Ralph Nader? Well, Kerry lost even with the votes that Nader and the greens and the socialists lended to him. It is time that that ideological voting bloc also shift away from Democrats and serve as the foundation of a Third Party. Republicans are extremely smart. They have two prominent African-Americans, an Asian American, a Hispanic American, all in the cabinet. This is something that Democrats would never dare to do. And this is what a progressive Third Party should do. It should be headed by people from the Progressive Caucasus, people like Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and Ralph Nader, and other socialist or social democratic leaders from the House of Representatives as well as from grassroots, and rally behind the progressive forces of the ethnic minorities and Leftists who are "left out" in the Democratic strategy. A progressive Third Party should be more courageous in nominating African- and Hispanic- Americans in its presidential ticket, as well as endorsing truly progressive tax codes, health and education policies, a different, more isolationist, foreign policy. Speaking of which, let it be known that a Third Party that runs for a more isolationist foreign policy will also capture at least a few percentage points from among the traditionally Republican voters who are extremely alienated by the Bush administration's interventionist foreign policy. I can assure you that, if the right steps are taken, I see no reason why a Third Party cannot garner a solid 15-20% of the vote, and considering the extremly low turnout in the U.S., by mobilizing all or nearly-all socialists, social democrats, greens, African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Arab- and Muslim-Americans, at least some of the labor unions, a Third Party can get as much as 30-35% of the vote, hence definitely breaking and transforming the bipartisan mold of the American system into a tripolar, multi-party electoral system. A progressive Third Party may even win elections in major big states such as Illinois and California. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New Mexico, Washington, Washington D.C. can be some of the other immediate targets. This is easier said than done, isn't it. I know. It is "just" an idea, and we all know that ideas don't matter in politics!? "It's all economy, stupid!" Let's see how the adherents of this 'stupid' dictum interpret Democrat's stunning defeat despite the state of the economy... and then they say, "ideas don't matter."