Is creating a party for the middle 80% a good idea, as Elon suggested?

[JoeyJoystick]

My problem with this is that Elon Musk is in no way part of "the middle." He has not only supported extremism in the US, but also European extremists and parties with roots in Nazism. The further to the right they are, the more likely they are to receive funding from Musk. I think this is just jealousy on Musk’s part. He wants to be Trump so in his world, "the middle 80%" means a party with himself as the leader and 80% of the voters behind him.

Hi Juks,

True, but what about the concept, but without Elon Musk behind it?

Joey

 

[HonestJoe]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

Creating the party isn't the issue. There are already several political parties in the US, including more centralist ones. The issue that would need to be addressed is the fundamental political system in the US that is intentionally designed to prevent any third parties from making any significant impact on the power of the big two.

 

[Parker_Chess]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

Both the Democratic and Republican Parties serve the rich at the expense of everybody else. The Dems are better at hiding it is the main difference. I don't think Elon would appreciate a Party who is mainly anti-rich.

 

[Juks]

Hi Juks,

True, but what about the concept, but without Elon Musk behind it?

Joey

Elon Musk and others who propose this kind of solution tend to view politics as an optimization problem rather than a democratic process. But democracy is not about maximizing consensus. It’s about creating space for disagreement and representation.

A party that claims to represent the “middle 80%” of the population may, at first glance, seem like a unifying and reasonable idea, especially in a politically polarized climate, like in the US. But it is both unrealistic and undemocratic. Democracies need a functioning opposition, not consensus on every issue. People hold different positions on different topics (one person might be socially liberal but economically conservative). Trying to package all of that into a single party either leads to watered-down policies or internal contradictions. is also no way for the voters to know what policies that will be presude ones this party takes power.

A “super-party” that claims to represent the broad majority also tends to marginalize opposition and make accountability harder. Creating a party for the “80%” implies that the remaining 20% , whether radical, ideological, marginalized, or simply critical, should be excluded from political discourse. This is fundamentally an anti-pluralist mindset.

Society contains inherent conflicts of interest; between workers and employers, between urban and rural populations, between different views of freedom, justice, and tradition. The role of politics is to manage these tensions, not erase them in an “everyone-agrees” party.

 

[Geoist]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

Ooo, a new political party. We haven't tried that one before! /s

How about ranked choice voting. There is ZERO reason we shouldn't have ranked choice voting.

 

[Mycroft]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

Well, I can neither support nor dismiss such a party because I have zero idea what the goal of this party would be.

However, IF the sole purpose of this party would be to reject and remove all politicians who take money from well-heeled donors, I would be inclined to support them. But, I don't see that happening. I suspect this new party would be about supporting politicians who take money from Musk and his Tech Bros.

 

[multivita-man]

What accommodates the middle 80%?

Tax cuts for billionaires.

 

[Dans La Lune]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

I'd love nothing more than for Dems to attach their useless Shit Lib baggage to Elon Musk, like an anchor, and be thrown overboard into political irrelevancy. That would take care of both MAGA and the Slotkin types.


Also, 80% of the population are 'in the middle', but that middle is somewhere between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, not Slotkin and Steve Miller.

 

[Dans La Lune]

I’m been suggesting what I would want to call, “The Common Sense Party”, since Bush opened the second front in Iraq on lies and put it, and Afghanistan, on the credit card.

They've been pitching Dems as the Third Way since the 1990s.The notion that Dems don't already occupy the Moderate Center shows that the Moderate Center is an illusion that "Libs" chase to the to the right.

 

[Helix]

edolf's involvement makes it a nonstarter.

 

[BirdinHand]

Who here actually believes Elon is posting about this for totally honest and sincere reasons?
He is proposing THE ELON MUSK PARTY, please bear that in mind, PLEASE.

It amazes me that Americans can watch this guy torch the entire government and then when he smiles and says "third party anyone" they immediately assume he's being altruistic.
Are you ****ing kidding me?

Agree.

Elon Musk has run around the globe backing far right wing authoritarian types in multiple elections.

The man is a drug addled ego maniac.

He has his own twisted agenda - and it doesn’t benefit anyone other than him.

 

[j brown's body]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

The guy who has just brought death and misery to millions of people around the world feels there needs to be a party for the 80%?

 

[MAGAnificent]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

There is no law against creating third parties, however the reality is that there will always be two dominant parties. One will be perceiving as representing the right of center and one the left of center. There is no 80% middle The so-called middle in reality does not give a shit and largely does not vote. If one dominant party goes off the deep end, that party good go the way of the Whig party and an alternative could step end, however I don't that will occur any time soon.

 

[Visbek]

What do you think about this?

I think Musk needs to stop doing drugs.

On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is.

Yeah?

So tell us all, what are the no-brainer policies of this "80% Party"?

Do 80% of Americans agree on making abortion legal or illegal?
Spending on the military?
Civil rights?
How to handle Russia's invasion of Ukraine?
What to do about climate change?

 

[stealthycat]

I've love a strong 3rd party

I can never vote Democrat
I'm about done voting Republican

 

[JoeyJoystick]

I think Musk needs to stop doing drugs.


Yeah?

So tell us all, what are the no-brainer policies of this "80% Party"?

Do 80% of Americans agree on making abortion legal or illegal?
Spending on the military?
Civil rights?
How to handle Russia's invasion of Ukraine?
What to do about climate change?

Hi Visbek,

All I asked if a 3rd party is a good idea? I never asked if a 3rd party by Elon Musk is something you would vote for even though we do not have an idea what it would stand for. Small difference.


Joey

 

[donhughesmusic]

I’m been suggesting what I would want to call, “The Common Sense Party”, since Bush opened the second front in Iraq on lies and put it, and Afghanistan, on the credit card.

The problem is common sense to some people is not common sense to others. Everyones' common sense principles are different.

 

[Noodlegawd]

Question as is. Elon Musk has suggested to create a new party that accommodates the middle 80% of the population.

What do you think about this? On the surface it sounds like a no-brainer for a nation that is politically divided as much as it is. But things are probably a little more complicated than that.

Joey

I've been saying this for years. Might not be the middle 80%, though, more like the middle 60%.

 

[ModernDiogenes]

They've been pitching Dems as the Third Way since the 1990s.The notion that Dems don't already occupy the Moderate Center shows that the Moderate Center is an illusion that "Libs" chase to the to the right.

The notion that either of the existing two major parties could be “the third way” in a two party system alludes me.

 

[ModernDiogenes]

The problem is common sense to some people is not common sense to others. Everyones' common sense principles are different.

In fact common sense is more about what the metrics support as both best likely outcome productive and feasible in its execution. It’s more quantifiable than you suggest.

What you’ve defined is opinion.

 

[Dans La Lune]

The notion that either of the existing two major parties could be “the third way” in a two party system alludes me.

It shouldn't elude you, since that's been the foundation of the Democratic party for over three decades.

Third Way - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ModernDiogenes]

It shouldn't elude you, since that's been the foundation of the Democratic party for over three decades.

Third Way - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Yeah, but I’d make the case calling a combined Centrist economic/social services path supported by moderates of both parties precisely that: policy.

It doesn’t represent a “third party” unless one presents itself, documents its creation, and adopts this policy as the basis of its platform.

 

[Dans La Lune]

Yeah, but I’d make the case calling a combined Centrist economic/social services path supported by moderates of both parties precisely that: policy.

It doesn’t represent a “third party” unless one presents itself, documents its creation, and adopts this policy as the basis of its platform.

There's like five progressives in the Democratic party serving in political office. The rest are moderates. What more do you want? Stone tablets?

Moderates took over the party and utterly decimated it.

 

[ModernDiogenes]

There's like five progressives in the Democratic party serving in political office. The rest are moderates. What more do you want? Stone tablets?

Moderates took over the party and utterly decimated it.

???

I’d disagree. I’d make the case that the Democratic Party is a corporatist political entity supporting corporate special interests. Which makes it quite similar to the Republican Party. Just some of the corporate special interests vary.

I’d state we actually are much closer to one political party than three. The Demopublican Corporatist Party (Repubdemocratic Corporatist Party, if you prefer).

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Hi Visbek,

All I asked if a 3rd party is a good idea? I never asked if a 3rd party by Elon Musk is something you would vote for even though we do not have an idea what it would stand for. Small difference.


Joey

Well I will agree you were not stumping FOR "Elon's Third Party" but by attaching "as Elon suggested" to your opener it's not hard to imagine people assuming you might be.
The cray cray thing about it is, Elon could stump for a cancer cure and there's no doubt he would do it only if he could require that cure come with an added "requirement" nobody wants.
If he was guaranteeing world peace it would turn out to be the "Whirled Peas" joke only the joke is on us. Pax Elonus would turn out to be slavery.
Everything is peaceful now that we're all in chains, everyone except Elon, of course.

But I get it, I believe you when you say it was just running with his suggestion and not an endorsement of Elon.
It's become quite radioactive...that whole Prince Elon thing.