Third Time

Something's happening. I have a feeling we're at some new beginning, that a big breakup's coming, and that though it isn't and will not be immediately apparent, we'll someday look back on this era as the time when a shift began.

All my adult life, people have been saying that the two-party system is ending, that the Democrats' and Republicans' control of political power in America is winding down. According to the traditional critique, the two parties no longer offer the people the choice they want and deserve. Sometimes it's said they are too much alike--Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Sometimes it's said they're too polarizing--too red and too blue for a nation in which many see things through purple glasses.

In 1992 Ross Perot looked like the breakthrough, the man who would make third parties a reality. He destabilized the Republicans and then destabilized himself. By the end of his campaign he seemed to be the crazy old aunt in the attic.

The Perot experience seemed to put an end to third-party fever. But I think it's coming back, I think it's going to grow, and I think the force behind it is unique in our history.

Peggy Noonan

And here's the view from the conservative side. If partisan pundits like Noonan and Williams are beginning to admit that the body political has become a Siamese twin, I can only wonder how long until rank-and-file partisans like Andy and Strother realize that our one party, two faction system no longer represents their views. When the avalanche begins, it will certainly bode ill for the likes of Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

That can only be a good thing.