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Third parties do little more than skew elections

So-called "third parties" don't have a very good record in American history. Their effect on the political process usually has amounted to nothing more than skewing elections in ways even their own adherents regretted.

That would be the case next year if Pat Buchanan, currently seeking the presidency as a Republican, bolts the organization to join the Reform Party.

Buchanan reportedly is considering such a move seriously and has laid some of the groundwork. He says his reasoning is that the GOP no longer is a stalwart supporter of certain conservative ideals. Reform Party members fit his ideology better, says Buchanan.

Clearly, Buchanan's lagging performance in initial indicators of popularity as a Republican candidate for president also has entered into his thinking. Texas Gov. George W. Bush is the clear front-runner at this point, with Elizabeth Dole and Sen. John McCain also in contention. Buchanan simply doesn't consider himself to be a viable candidate within the party he has supported for many years.

That's not a good reason to leave the GOP, however. The party still matches Buchanan's brand of conservatism on most issues. On some, Republican leaders indeed have softened their stances &emdash; but politics is the art of compromise and effective leadership sometimes requires recognition of what it takes to prevail.

Buchanan must understand that a Reform Party candidacy by himself would have much the same effect as Reform Party founder Ross Perot's bid for the presidency in 1992. Perot managed only to siphon so many votes away from then-President George Bush, father of the current candidate, that Bill Clinton managed to capture the White House. Clearly, the one American most in favor of Buchanan mounting a Reform Party effort this year and next is Vice President Al Gore, who would dearly love to watch conservatives split their votes among candidates from the Republican and Reform parties.

Buchanan has no more chance of winning the presidency as a Reform Party candidate in 2000 than did Perot in 1992.

If Buchanan truly wants to do the best he can to promote conservatism in America, he will stay with the Republican Party.

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