"Third-Party" May Become the New "Moderate"

 A majority of American voters want a party that's neither Democrats nor Republican, and the duopoly has taken notice. 

The tactic has long been to ignore their existence (having influence/control of the media helps) but polls cannot be denied forever. The next-most-beloved tactic is a combination of infiltration, acquisition, and outsourcing.

While the country has have third-parties for a while (see Green Party and Libertarian Party) two newer parties have entered the scene: [Movement for a] People's Party and the Forward Party. Like the Green Party and Libertarian Party, the two new parties are not perfect alternatives to the duopoly at the moment. 

The People's Party was born out of disappointment with Bernie Sander's two failed presidential campaigns, and is headed by Nick Brana. While there is enthusiasm for the young party, they have no candidates and their only consistent spokesperson is Brana, which is...problematic.  

The Forward Party is identified as a moderate party welcoming both Democrats and Republicans with Andrew Yang at the helm. They have the funding and political experience, but they seem to lack substance and don't appear to be policy-driven.

That being said, Americans need to be politically vigilant and aware of a two-front attack from those who favor, support and depend on the duopoly. From one end, there will be those who swear up and down that the two-part system is the best we've had and ever gonna get and therefore the idea of entertaining third parties is a distraction that will let the "other side" win and make things worse (they ignore how both parties have contributed to how bad things are now). From the other end, there will be those who will use the concept of third parties to either funnel despondent voters back into the duopoly or filter them out of the democratic process altogether. 

Sadly - regardless of their intentions - their flaws make these newer parties susceptible to the two-front attack. The Forward Party has just enough Democrats and Republicans to be co-opted (assuming it hasn't been already) and even without factoring in the hold Brana has on the People's Party, having no candidates for local, state or federal offices (outside teasing Jimmy Dore as a potential presidential candidate) sets them up to be a big disappointment for those looking for a viable option. 

As for the Green Party and Libertarian Party: while not as wide-spreading in influence, there are enough pockets across the country to provide voters with alternatives. 

And if alternatives don't exist where you live and you want some, you should figure out how to make that happen.