Third Party Candidacies & Un-intended Consequences

 2010 IAI Research, Immokalee Acquisitions, Inc.

Strong third party challenges gave America its most damaging presidents of the twentieth
century. We had two instances of popular, and competent, candidates (Teddy Roosevelt in 1912
and Ross Perot in 1992) running against existing, but flawed, incumbents. In both cases, the
incumbent was defeated and their opponents took office with a decided minority of the vote.
The consequences were grave in both cases. In 1912 Woodrow Wilson, an inexperienced
governor and perhaps the most damaging president in history, was elected president. While his
domestic policies resulted in the firm, and failed, entrenchment of government in every aspect of
our lives, it was his foreign policy that doomed the world to the most devastating events in
history.

Wilson was narrowly re-elected in 1916 on his claim that he had kept us out of the Great War in
Europe. The next year he chose policies that lead to unnecessary clashes with Germany and then
pushed through war resolutions to lead the country into this very conflict.

One must remember that what became known as World War I was not the same type of conflict
as the later war against Fascism. None of the principal actors (Germany, France, or Great
Britain) were evil. They were simply nations fighting over traditional disputes between “great
powers” of the day. By 1917 both sides in the conflict were worn down, lacking resources, and
had lost the popular will to continue the fight.

By entering the war, Wilson provided the resources to defeat Germany. Had America not
entered, the war would have soon ground to an end. The most probable outcome would have
been stalemate with little advantage to either side. Germany would have remained in much the
same political condition as before the war, yet wary of future battles and perhaps with a
weakened imperial leadership. Should the Germans have won, it would have been at best a
hollow victory, with some territory taken from France and little permanent damage to Britain.

As the result of America’s unneeded intervention, Germany was soundly defeated. Vindictive
allies ignored Wilson’s naïve desires for a gentle peace and imposed humiliating terms on the
Germans. These terms soon resulted in the rise of Fascism, Adolph Hitler, and ultimately the
Second World War with all its consequences.

Similarly, in 1992 a strong third party candidate caused the defeat of the incumbent and the
presidency of Bill Clinton, another weak governor whose legacy we do not yet fully know. We
do know that partisanship, fabrication, and personal vindictiveness entered American politics to
an extent unknown in the twentieth century.

Unlike Wilson, Clinton’s unwillingness to defend real American interests (he made no
meaningful responses to the several terrorist attacks on America during his tenure) resulted in the
events that led to our required involvement in the current world-wide war. We are still too close
to his reign to fully understand the impact of the Clinton presidency, but are suffering its impact
on the American political process.

Third party candidates are often personally appealing, and in the nineteenth century they focused
the country on important issues. However, the impacts of their crusading appeals have been
unintended and devastating to America’s interests.

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