With the two dominant parties losing power and the loyalty of American voters, third party movements are gaining momentum. As Senator Bill Bradley said during his retirement announcement, neither party is doing a good job addressing the needs of the people. In the shadow of this neglect, third parties are popping up like dandelions in an abandoned wheatfield. Here are a few we picked:

Communist Party U.S.A.

Yes, they're still around. Their site includes some helpful information on platforms, commissions and other resources. It also publishes an online edition of their paper, People's Weekly World. The Communist Party isn't currently floating a candidate for the presidential election, but if and when it does, you'll find the details here.

Democratic Socialists of America

Co-founded by Michael Harrington, author of the seminal book on poverty The Other America, the DSA seeks "democratic empowerment, in the economy, in gender relations, and in culture." Their site contains all the relevent info on membership, publications, and platforms.

Common Ground Declaration

Not precisely a party, but the result of a symposium of 11 parties and a dozen activist organizations. In June, the group met in Washington DC met to discuss a possible platform for a new political movement: the result (which you can see by clicking on the above link) is a socially progressive, economically responsible statement of purpose. A second conference is planned in January. Hang on to your voter registration cards, folks; we think they mean business.

The New Party

A self-described progressive version of the Christian Coalition, the New Party has been quietly winning lower level elections at an impressive rate. The New Party's principles are a "Real Democracy," and a "Fair Economy." Pet issues include campaign finance reform, improving public schools, and universal access to health care. Their bottom line: "We think ordinary people, not corporate hotshots, should be running the country."

Natural Law Party

This may be the only party that puts footnotes on its position papers. Using the sledgehammer logic that if people wouldn't get sick Medicare costs would sink, and that if people weren't so stressed crime rates would go down, PhD/Presidential candidate John Hagelin's platform is bulletproof, if a bit naive. "Promoting Conflict-Free Politics for a Problem-Free Nation" is their slogan. In these cynical days that's a pipe dream, but pretty noble as pipe dreams go.

Patriot Party Home Page

This movement is very similar to the New Party, emphasizing economic issues a bit more. They have a very detailed set of policy initiatives, including tax reform, term limits, and the imposition of market rate fees for the use of the natural resources of public lands.

We The People

While Jerry Brown isn't considering another presidential run, his radio show and political organization, "We the People," are still going strong. Drop by for bios and Real Audio clips.