These days, Americans are eager for a change from politics as usual. According to a USA Today/Gallup poll from late August 2010, 58 percent of Americans want a third major party to rise to power and challenge the domination of Democrats and Republicans. The rise of the Tea Party movement over the past year clearly demonstrates that. But while Tea Party devotees are often criticized for their extreme views, they’re not even close to the craziest third party on the political block. The United States has hosted a surprising number of fringe groups that are determined to get their unique (to put it politely) off-the-wall opinions heard. From yesterday’s Surprise Party to today’s The Rent’s Too Damn High Party, bizarre political groups have been attempting to shake up the system—and succeeding at raising many eyebrows—for years.
1. The Surprise Party
Back in 1940, Gracie Allen, wife and comedy partner of George Burns, ran for president under what she called the Surprise Party. It started as a joke announcement on their radio show, but the publicity stunt gained momentum when Allen toured the country and gave speeches about her party’s platform, which included being proud of the national debt because “it’s the biggest in the world!” She withdrew her name from consideration after a surprisingly successful candidacy (one town actually wanted to elect her as mayor if she didn’t win), but thousands of people still wrote her name on the ballot in the real election.
2. The American Vegetarian Party
John Maxwell, an eighty-five-year-old vegetarian restaurant owner, and Symon Gould, an editor for the publication American Vegetarian, ran for president and vice president, respectively, in 1948, as members of the Vegetarian Party, which was formed in 1947. Not surprisingly, its platform was the promotion of vegetarian ethics. For example, Maxwell and Gould wanted to limit the amount of time farmers could spend raising animals for slaughter. They didn’t think animals should be used for food or fashion. The party pushed presidential candidates in the next four elections, but when Gould, one of the founders and the man chosen for the 1964 ticket, died in 1963, the American Vegetarian Party fizzled as well.
3. Youth International Party
Also known as Yippies, this organization was founded by infamous activist Abbie Hoffman and his cohorts in order to spread their anarchist and radical ideals. They made their public debut at the 1968 Democratic Convention, offering up a presidential candidate by the name of Pigasus the Immortal (it was a two-hundred-pound pig). The Yippies were anti-war, anti-establishment, and in favor of things like co-ops and alternative media sources. They used public pranks to garner attention and mock society at large. Unfortunately, these efforts didn’t always turn out well—a “Festival of Life” planned during the ’68 convention turned into violent clashes between members and the police. The party isn’t nearly as active today as it was during the ’60s and ’70s, but it still exists; there’s even a museum and café in New York dedicated to upholding its history and principles.
