SO, IF WE GO WAAAAAAY BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS SEASON, IN SEPTEMBER, YOU’LL REMEMBER, THE BIG STORY WAS THE RACE FOR PRESIDENT.
(B-ROLL, CUTAWAY)
IT SEEMS LIKE AGES AGO NOW, BUT, BACK THEN, IT WAS ALL ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP.
(CUT BACK, NICK ON CAMERA WITH RICK)
AND, TO HELP US MAKE SENSE OF THE ELECTION, WE CREATED THE POLITICS ON POINT SEGMENT WITH THIS GUY – HOST
NICK CASTELE.
* BUT HOSTING POLITICS ON POINT ISN’T YOUR MAIN GIG – TELL US WHAT YOU DO HERE AT IDEASTREAM.
* WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT WORKING WITH US HERE ON NEWSDEPTH?
* DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE POLITICS ON POINT SEGMENT?
WELL, THE MOST POPULAR POLITICS SEGMENT WAS WHEN YOU COVERED THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES BACK IN OCTOBER. LET’S TAKE A LOOK!
Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Voters have two choices this election…right? WRONG!
As of right now, there are actually 1,964 candidates for president, registered with the Federal Election Commission – including The Batman, Foot Cheese, and, my personal favorite, Captain Crunch, running as an Independent. Officially running for president is really just a matter of filling out a few forms, but you’re not likely to see Mr. Crunch, or, even Mr. Batman, at any debates or on any ballots.
That’s because the United States is primarily a two-party system. That means most voters choose from the two major parties -- either the democratic candidate, like Hillary Clinton, or the republican candidate, like Donald Trump. The other candidates are called 3rd Party Candidates. That means they belong to a party opposing the two major political parties.
Third Party Candidates rarely win elections, and there has never been a 3rd Party President. In fact, the only president without major party affiliation is our very first president, George Washington. Historically, some third party candidates -- like Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as a Progressive in 1912 -- have come close to the presidency, but, over time, the third party is getting less and less of the vote.
This is partly because third party candidates have been blamed for “spoiling” elections – like Ralph Nader, the Green Party Candidate in 2000, who was blamed for taking votes away from Democrat Al Gore, causing him to lose to Republican George W. Bush.
Because Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most disliked presidential candidates in recent history, third party candidates are getting a lot of attention in the 2016 election. Together, the top third party candidates – Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein – are expected to get about 10% of the vote – but they each have enough support to be on the ballot in almost every state. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Independent Candidate Captain Crunch. But, stay Crunchy, Captain!
Instructional Links
Website Article: Encyclopedia.Kids, List of Political Parties in the United States | Has current & historical parties.
Website Article: Scholastic, Junior Scholastic, What Do Parties Stand For