Tom Tancrazy: The Not-So-Great 3rd Party Tradition

Only once in U.S. history did a politician abandon his major party base while still popular and successful: former president Teddy Roosevelt re-entered politics in 1912, narrowly lost the GOP nomination to incumbent President Taft, and then, openly angry at this perceived betrayal, ran under the banner of the Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party. After his strenuous campaign fell disastrously short (Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the electoral vote by 5 to 1) Roosevelt quickly returned to the Republican fold, strongly supporting its 1916 nominee and considering the GOP nomination for 1920 before his sudden death at age 60.

Misinformed zealots may insist that Abraham Lincoln offers another example of a successful politico taking chances on a third party, but by the time that Honest Abe reluctantly abandoned his long-standing Whig affiliation, that party had collapsed and Republicans had already taken its place. The new GOP dominated congressional elections of 1854 (electing a new speaker of the House) and 1858, while finishing second in a close 1856 presidential race — all before Lincoln won election as the first Republican president in 1860.

Politicians with the winning touch almost always shun fringe parties because chances of success are so small. The most admired American leaders take their place in an honorable pragmatic tradition, counting practical results as more important than showy gestures. The sad truth, so dramatically illustrated by Tancredo's egotistical campaign, is that third-party candidacies seldom demonstrate courage or commitment but almost always amount to illogical, revenge-fueled reactions to disgrace and failure — reactions that naturally ensure continued disgrace and failure for the deluded narcissists who pursue their self-indulgent efforts.