Bernard Tamas

This should be a great talk by Bernie Tamas, a leading scholar on third parties.

Hi there, I'm not the author of the starter pack, but please feel free to connect with @scholars.org to be included in it. (You may also need to be an existing member of one of SSN's state/local chapters. Information about membership/joining SSN: scholars.org/membership)

Please register and join us on Tuesday, October 14

Elon Musk claims his America party will change US politics. Experts disagree The billionaire says the America party will challenge the system, but third-party bids rarely make it far in the US

Elon Musk claims his America party will change US politics. Experts disagree

Can Elon Musk buy success for his 'America' party? - ABC listen Tesla CEO Elon Musk has rapidly moved on from his public break-up with President Trump, announcing on X the birth of his own political party, The America Party. But while money certainly talks in Wash...

Radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: I'm not currently convinced that #ElonMusk is serious about mounting a 3rd party challenge. It could, however, change & this is what to look for: Is he making an organized & visible effort to get on the ballot in all, or a few, states?

Can The America Party Work? | SiriusXM Elon Musk's Third Party: The America Party

My interview today on "The Dan Abrams Show": How Elon Musk's third party could succeed, and what might cause it to fail www.siriusxm.com/player/episo... (subscription to SiriusXM is required) #USthirdparties #elonmusk #theamericaparty

Therein also lies a fundamental dilemma for any 3rd party that is to be led by Musk. How does Musk distinguish his party's agenda from the GOP's? Eg: if the GOP loses voters owing to Medicare cuts, those voters aren't likely to flock to a billionaire who has called social security a "Ponzi scheme"

Current GOP is more like a movement - unified & moving to the extreme. Current Dems are more a coalition of interest groups. This makes the GOP an easier target for a moderate 3rd party to attack. Bigger-tent Dems are harder for a 3rd party to challenge (e.g. Greens vs Progressives within the Dems)🧵

How Elon Musk's third party threat could disrupt US politics – DW – 07/01/2025 Elon Musk wants to shake up the two-party system in the US after clashing with Donald Trump — but history hasn't been kind to third parties.

Deutsche Welle interviewed me for their article on Elon Musk's on-again, off-again, third-party ambitions: www.dw.com/en/donald-tr... #thirdparties #elonmusk

As it turns out, fascism, massive economic uncertainty, & dismantling the federal government is not especially popular with investors

Third Parties in American Politics | Professor Bernard Tamas | YDHTY, Episode 50 Why aren't there more third parties in American politics? Blame Television.

blog.ydhty.com/third-partie...

This is a venn diagram showing how 69 Trump actions map onto domains covering: undermining democratic institutions; suppressing dissent and media; dismantling social protections; attacking science and education; destabilising the global order. A table version is available here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LZN7QnbSyFfUZJG8Sn1MWpK0VnfBtb0OSyZ1jxP3xBk/edit?usp=sharing

🧵"So this is how liberty dies..."

Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.

I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9

The 3rd party vote in congressional elections peaked in 2016, but then dropped in the the next 3 cycles. Libertarians were in a strong position in 2024 to capitalize on GOP's MAGA shift, but instead appeared to self-destruct from internal conflict, including an attempted takeover by a MAGA faction

Thanks for highlighting this. That was a really engaging podcast w/ @dansally.bsky.social back in 2020 - which described a lot of what we're witnessing right now. And yes, fully agree about the need for third parties to run. Especially a centrist challenge against MAGA at the congressional level

Report and thread 🧵
thehill.com/business/509...

SSN starter pack: Democracy & Governance Experts bsky.app/starter-pack...

This is great — thank you and followed. Also adding @jennifermccoy.bsky.social @mevanspolisci.bsky.social @pamelametz.bsky.social

Thank you for putting together this initial starter pack of @scholars.org colleagues.
Reposting, and adding @jennifermccoy.bsky.social @mevanspolisci.bsky.social @pamelametz.bsky.social

How Political Polarization Ends History shows that, if left untreated, extreme political and social divisions are a mortal threat to democracy.

The U.S. is facing political polarization post #2024Election. In this OpEd, @jennifermccoy.bsky.social writes that proportional representation & better incentives for leaders could help break the cycle of political polarization.

Read more in @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

As professors, mentoring students is a big perk of our careers. An even greater perk is when we get to work with diligent students who are equally invested in the mentorship. Alyssa Archer is an impressive researcher with a bright future ahead of her #PoliticalScience #polisciresearch @scholars.org

www.nyu.edu/community/go... on Dec. 12 in DC and via Zoom.

Weak autocracies are far more common than strong autocracies.

They are also often far more dangerous and damaging than strong autocracies.

Never take hope from an autocrat’s weakness. Instead, prepare for the worst.

A 🧵 based on 2 of my books: (1/N)

Anti-racism campaigner’s London book events cancelled amid threat of far-right violence Freedom of speech groups alarmed after events to promote book by Hope Not Hate employee are called off

Anti-racism campaigner’s London book events cancelled amid threat of far-right violence Freedom of speech groups alarmed after events to promote book by Hope Not Hate employee are called off

Third parties could take enough votes from Trump or Harris to affect election In nail-bitingly close race, protest votes for Jill Stein or RFK Jr – who ended his campaign – could be deciding factors

Besides the potential impact of 3rd party votes in an election likely to have very tight margins, might we also see a "Nikki Haley voter" effect? Brief quotes from me in this Guardian piece, which also carries a good analysis of strategic voting for third parties when it comes to the Gaza crisis

Our amazing team at the Georgia Chapter of @scholars.org co-organized this timely, bipartisan event on "Election Protection in Georgia"

YouTube video segments of the main discussions are posted below #USElection2024

Additional coverage of the event: georgiarecorder.com/2024/10/17/i...

In a Tight Presidential Race, Third-Party Candidates Present a Wild Card In every battleground state this year, there is at least one third-party or independent candidate on the ballot. The Democrats have been more openly concerned than Republicans.

Includes latest data showing ballot access for the main third party candidates by state
@juliaazari.bsky.social and I are quoted in this piece on the potential of third-party 'spoilage' www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/u...

safevotegeorgia.com
"Safeguarding our Democracy: A Bipartisan Discussion on Election Protection in Georgia".

Please attend and/or spread the word about this event in Atlanta, on the work being done to ensure a free, fair and orderly election (co-sponsored by the @scholars.org's Georgia chapter)

One of the best panels at #APSA2024 Standing room only, and that too at 8 am on a Sunday. tinyurl.com/2ygwy92b Excellent papers and discussions!

RFK Jr. quitting the race wasn't surprising. He ran a campaign antithetical to 3rd party strategies. Policies were confusing & progressively became indistinguishable from Trump's. No distinct or galvanizing issue. My take on News Hour (Al Jazeera English) mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/zvZHRG...