Post # 236, Bob McKnight's Florida Commentary
Forming a new "Consensus" Party would not be as easy as it may sound.
To this student of Florida politics, one thing is very clear after the overwhelming loss of former Congresswoman Lynn Chaney to Former Republican President Donald Trump picked candidate in Wyoming. The Republican Party is that of one person and one person only--Donald Trump. If you are uncomfortable with Trump, his actions, his pronouncements, his lies, his intellect, his values and his integrity, your option is to select a political party other than Republican. Since you are probably conservative, the Democratic Party would not be a good fit for you. So your real option is probably a new Party largely embracing the values and principles of what the Republicans stood for before Trump.
On the Democratic side the split among the left and center is almost as pronounced. Some argue the chaos among the Democrats is that President Biden is not a strong leader in the mold of President Obama or even President Clinton. Ironically, a favorite potential leader among some of the Democrats is none other Republican Liz Chaney.
There are many people talking about a new "Consensus" Party, but there will probably not be a serious discussion of a new party until after the 2022 Mid Term elections, if at all.
If such a discussion were to happen, here are the principles and values the new "Consensus" Party would need to address to gain members:
Republicans:
Conservative
Patriotic
Pro Military and Law Enforcement
Non-Legislative Court
Pro Business
Environmental Support
Self Responsible
Respect Tradition
Integrity
Help Others Help Themselves
Support Civil Rights
Support Balanced Budget
Eliminate Waste in Federal Budget
Support Wall Street
Contract for Private Education
Precise Separation of Church and State
Democrats:
Support Civil and Immigration Rights
Environmental Support
Support Obama Care
Support Entrepreneurial Funding
Support Agriculture
Support Public Education
Support Organized Labor
Support International Peace
Support for Rehabilitation
Support for Women's and Minority Rights
Clear Separation of Church and State
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Independents:
Support Bi-Partisanship
Contrarian and Independent Philosophy
Support People, not Parties
For such a new "Consensus" Party to become a reality, it would have to draw Americans from both existing parties and independents. Some of the principles and values among the three groups conflict and even contradict with each other. A consensus would require strong and respected leadership. But it was possible before when there were majorities in both parties at different times. Perhaps the strongest motivation to look seriously at forming a new Party is a strong disdain for the composition and performance of the two dominate parties we have now.