Gallup: Majority of Republicans Foolishly Think a Third Party is a Good Idea

I am, of course, paraphrasing Gallup:

A majority of Republicans said for the first time that a third party was needed in American politics, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Fifty-two percent of Republicans, and an even stronger number of Tea Party supporters, support the creation of a major, third political party, underscoring the occasional tensions between grassroots conservatives and the GOP establishment.

An overall majority of Americans, 52 percent, said that a third political party was needed; the most profound shift has come among Republicans.

The number of Republicans who said that a third political party was necessary was at an all-time high since Gallup first began tracking opinion on the issue in 2003. And while support for a third party has crept steadily upward in the GOP, for the first time, it represents a majority opinion.

Supporters of the Tea Party are even more likely to back a third party, the poll found. Sixty percent of Tea Party supporters back a third party, while 32 percent say the existing two parties are adequate. By contrast, 47 percent of Tea Party opponents said the bipartisan system is adequate, and 44 percent favored a third party.

A couple of thoughts:

• Third parties are guaranteed losers and only benefit the opposition.  A conservative third party will guarantee the election of Democrats.
• You don't win by claiming some sort of moral high ground and then losing as a result.  You only win by winning.
• Whose idea was this poll?  Sounds like news only Democrats could enjoy.
• This could have a positive effect on the GOP, reminding them that the voters who gave them an overwhelming victory in November should not be taken for granted.  They better start listening.