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Bill Kristol On The Potential For A Third-Party Candidate

Is a third-party candidate logistically possible and would an independent force Trump to become a more conservative candidate?

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The Editor of The Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol, joined the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss the potential of a third party candidate in the 2016 election, the tactical priorities of it, and some of the concerns that conservatives have about the future of the Republican party.

“I think it’s a good idea because I think people should have an alternative to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,” Kristol said. “It’s not too late to get on the ballot. It’s a little challenging in one or two states…but basically if you could raise money and have someone with some stature, it’s a doable.”

Kristol and Domenech discuss what they come to understand as the reason for Trump, including the desire for big change. “‘There is a big desire for big change and the other candidates didn’t capitalize on that enough,” Kristol said. “It’s easy to say well, ‘At least it’s big change, we’ll take the risk,’ but history suggests irresponsible ways of responsible to legitimate grievances… they can go pretty wrong.”

There is a general perception that the Republican Party is in crisis and that it lacks a sense of identity. While they’ve seen their share of failures, Kristol said he thinks there is enough data to show that conservatism should be stronger than it was 50 years ago. “I agree there is a crisis of self-confidence, and there also some of big things that haven’t succumb to conservative recipes or prescriptions,” Kristol said.

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