Forward Party

Forward Party
Party Information
Name	Forward Party
Founded	2021-10-05
Founders	Andrew Yang
Type	Political Action Committee (plans to grow then petition FEC for recognition as a political party)
Location	United States
Headquarters	River Vale,  NJ
Areas served	United States
Leader	Andrew Yang
Core principles	Effective & modern government Fact-based governance Grace & tolerance Human-centered capitalism Rank choice voting & open primaries Universal basic income
Motto	"Not Left. Not Right. Forward."
Ideology	Economic reform Electoral reform Human-Centered Capitalism
Website	ForwardParty.com

Background

The Forward Party is an American social movement and political action committee that seeks to form a political party that alleviates political polarization and reforms the political and economic systems of the United States.

The movement, which was founded by entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, is based upon the core tenets of alleviating political polarization and modernizing the government. The Forward Party was officially formed on October 5, 2021, for the purpose of providing these registered voters with an alternative to America's two-party system.

Origins

In his 2021 book Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, Andrew Yang announced the creation of the Forward Party writing "we are witnessing a cascade of crises [and our]... democratic institutions are faltering right and left, and our systems are not designed for speed or significant change." Yang also criticized American political leaders writing "our leaders are rewarded based not on solving problems but on accruing resources and retaining office."

Andrew Yang said that the need for a third party has been exacerbated because of the state of news media, social media, political stress and reject political violence. Additionally, because of state of American politics, where 83% of members of Congress are in safe seats, elected officials are rewarded for polarization and characterization of the other political side as evil given that the primary is the de facto election.

Andrew Yang said that part of the reason why he wanted to start a third-party, rather than a caucus within the Democratic Party, is that a majority of states with ballot initiatives are red states and that efforts to institute electoral changes would be partisan and not system wide. Yang also said that the two-party is too fragile, especially in comparison to countries in Europe like the United Kingdom or Sweden where there are multiple political parties, because if one party becomes too fringe, then half the system fails. To illustrate this point, Yang cited the growing influence of "hardcore Donald Trump supporters" within the Republican Party and the power lobbies such as the pharmaceutical industry and teachers unions have over the Democratic Party.

Founding and future

The Forward Party was officially founded on October 5, 2021. Andrew Yang stated that he would have liked to have implemented the Forward Party's platform within the Democratic Party. However, he felt that the implementation of ranked-choice voting and open primaries would be difficult to get the Democratic Party to support.

24 states have ballot initiatives and the Forward Party is organizing people to get initiatives, similar to Alaska Measure 2, in support of ranked-choice voting and open primaries on statewide ballots in 2022. The Forward Party will also be endorsing candidates, running as both Democrats and Republicans in the 2022 midterms [United States 2022 elections], who support open primaries, ranked choice voting, fact-based governance and modern effective government.

Andrew Yang stated that the Forward Party is not interested in running a candidate for president, but is focused on trying to decrease partisan gridlock within Congress and state legislatures. However, on the Forward Party's website, the organization has stated if there was a demand amongst American voters for a third party presidential candidate it would look to address it. The Forward Party has stated it may hold its own primary process to nominate a candidate prior to the 2024 United States presidential election.

Political Positions

Six-Core Principles

The Forward Party is focused on its six-core principles: open primaries, ranked-choice voting, fact-based governance, universal basic income, human-centered economy, grace and tolerance, and modern effective government. The Forward Party did not take a stand on many social issues.

Bureaucracy

Economic Issue

Individual Rights

Term Limits

Voting and Electoral Reform

Reception

The Forward Party faced criticism from some Democrats, who believe the Forward Party could have a spoiler effect and benefit Republicans. Others praised the Forward Party, including opinion writer for the New York Times,  Kara Swisher, who said "Yang does not just give us a laundry list of intractable problems, but shows how we can find solutions if we think in new ways and summon the courage to do so."

Andrew Yang contests that the Forward Party will not serve a spoiler because it will endorse any Democrats and Republicans who support the Forward Party's platform. The website of the movement also states that until the voting system is reformed, any candidates affiliated with the Forward Party will likely run as a member of one of the two major parties. Additionally, the Forward Party is in favor of open primaries and ranked choice voting, which also would end the lesser of two evils mentality when voting. It will also exist as a social movement, in support of the Forward Party's principles, open to Democrats, Republicans, and independents without registering as a member of the Forward Party.

Additional Reading

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