Many American voters are disgruntled with the two-party system, often complaining, “They’re both the same,” and the cry comes up, “Let’s have a third party,” heard from both ends of the spectrum.

There is a real need for change in our political system-such as antiquated bodies as the electoral college deciding Presidents, gerrymandering of legislative districts, and billion-dollar corporations making million-dollar donations to candidates, for example. Those problems need to be addressed.

However, the track record for third-party candidates is abysmal, serving no purpose but to take votes from candidates that would have gone to one or the other major-party candidate. This is especially dangerous due to the Republican candidacy of Donald whatshisface, who wants a second term of the Presidency, and this time, he would do even more damage to our country. He would be a dictator “on day one’” (and every day after that), destroy civil liberties, and set his minions loose to terrorize any HE declares his enemies.

The best-known third-party candidacy is that of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy is a well-known environmental attorney, but lately he has been spouting anti-vaccine statements. A video has come out with Rita Palma, state director for the Kennedy campaign in New York, told a Republican group that the campaign’s “no. 1 priority” is to “get rid of Biden” and help trump get elected (God forbid!). And, if neither candidate gets 270 Electoral College votes, the election goes to the Republican-dominated House of Representatives-and trump gets back in. (https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/08/politics/rfk-jr-new-york-biden-trump/index.html)

Kennedy has expounded certain conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the January 6 insurrection didn’t count as “true insurrection,” and complained about the “weaponization” of the federal government to repress opponents, also proclaimed by the trump campaign (https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/05/politics/rfk-jr-january-6-statement); as well as stating the racist idea that the COVID-19 virus was engineered to attack everyone except Chinese and Ashkenazic Jews. (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rfk-jr-accused-making-antisemitic-racist-claims-covid/story?id=101323851)

One of the funders for the Kennedy campaign has been Timothy Mellon, an important Republican donor, along with Gavin De Becker, who has served as a consultant to Jeff Bezos. (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/republican-megadonor-fuels-rfk-jr-super-pac-rcna97195) (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/31/rfk-jr-super-pac-gop-donor-00109101) RFK Jr’s campaign isn’t so much a grassroots upheaval as it is a scheme to get trump back in the White House.

Jill Stein is once again running for President on the Green Party ticket, announcing her fight against “the two wall Street parties,” and addressing excessive military spending and rising income inequality. (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jill-stein-green-party-2024-presidential-candidate_n_654d3a2fe4b0373d70b15fff) Democrats have accused Stein on taking votes away from Hillary Clinton in 2016, thereby sticking the nation with trump. After the election of 2016, Stein raised funds for a recount of votes in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, promising to let her donors vote on which voting-rights organization would get the excess money (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jill-stein-announces-plans-for-leftover-recount-money/) ; however, a portion of the money went to cover Stein’s legal fees concerning charges that Russian intelligence sources donated funds to her campaign, thought Stein wasn’t charged with any illegalities.  (https://www.businessinsider.com/jill-stein-still-owes-fec-campaign-finance-penalites-2020-10) (https://www.thedailybeast.com/jill-steins-recount-cash-pays-for-her-russia-legal-defense)

Cornel West has been running his own presidential campaign, first under the “People’s Party”; then he allied himself with the Green Party, which has organizations in several states and ballot access; (https://theweek.com/2024-presidential-election/1024333/what-is-the-peoples-party-that-launched-cornel-wests); now he has organized the Justice For All Party, campaigning on voting rights.  (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/presidential-candidate-cornel-west-announces-new-justice-for-all-party/ar-BB1hJjOh) (https://www.cornelwest2024.com/justice_for_all)

No Labels, touted as a bipartisan campaign for “moderate” voters, failed to find someone as a credible candidate for President, so they have closed down. Such figures as former Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as candidates, have been floated as candidates, but none of them would accept the group’s nomination. (https://apnews.com/article/no-labels-2024-third-party-biden-trump-c7477857e1dd05535326b8850f4500a1)

The Libertarian Party will hold its national convention in Washington, on May 2426, when they’ll nominate their candidate for President. (https://ballotpedia.org/Libertarian_Party_presidential_nomination,_2024)

Again, the desire for change in our country lures voters to find alternatives to the same-old-same-old, and hence, they give third parties a try; but now is not the time for doctrinal purity. trump is a genuine threat to the country, with a fascist agenda (and I don’t use that word lightly) and his violent MAGA disciples; but third parties will take votes away from Biden, and we’ll have trump all over again, and this time he’ll be even more vicious and oppressive to his opponents, and would be a disaster for the country and the world.  Please don’t risk the future of the nation, please vote straight Democratic, reelect Joe Biden, and hit back at the fascist menace.

I’m John Oliver Mason, and I approve this message.