Mike Gravel Announces Third Party Bid; Why Ron Paul Will Be Next

Bless his heart. Mike Gravel, who is currently running for President as a Democrat, has already declared that he will run as a third party, and he hasn't even lost the Democratic nomination yet!

Call me old fashioned if you must. I am all for scrappy insurgencies trying to fight their way into America's two party system, but shouldn't Gravel at least wait until after he loses before quitting?

"Hold out your hand, take your thumb and connect it to your little finger. What do you get," Gravel asked his on looking audience. "A third party!" he answered.

"I'm running as a Democrat right now, and my string is going to run out in February. It's already run out; I just don't know it," Gravel said to a small group of supporters. "If I want to stay in this election all of the way until next November, I will have to make a decision: 'Will I go as a third party?' Obviously you can figure that out." The implication is that he will.

Gravel is entertaining a notion that he can approach established existing third parties, such as the Libertarians, Greens, and perhaps also the Reform or Constitution Party, and who knows what else, and unite them under one cause with himself leading the charge.

"We're going to coalesce ... we're going to take all of the other parties together," Gravel explains. "We'll go... you'll go to the Green Party, to the Libertarian Party. Let's coalesce, let's come together, we'll coalesce to win."

The notion is well and fine, but the Libertarian and Green Party are currently busy nominating their own candidates. And for that matter so are the Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Communist Party, Patriot Party, American Party, Reform Party, Populist Party, Personal Choice Party and even more.

Getting Republicans and Democrats to come together in harmony will seem like child's play compared to bring together socialists with libertarians, and greens with communists. To put it quite frankly, it's not a notion that is based in reality.

The Ron Paul Factor

Moreover, Gravel is ignoring the strong possibility that Ron Paul may make a run for the White House as an independent.