Mickey Edwards, meet Teapot Tommy Friedman

On the Atlantic website, the former Oklahoma GOP congressman posts a meaningless paean to centrism in politics that needs a thorough deconstruction.

Much of it is focused on the evils of the modern political primary system causing candidates who are more partisan.

As opposed to this list of pre-primary era presidents:
1. William Henry Harrison
2. Zachary Taylor
3. Franklin Pierce
4. James Buchanan
5. Ulysses S. Grant
6. Benjamin Harrison
7. Warren G. Harding.

Of course, all of the "war hero" candidates above might have been nominated in a primary system anyway. But, it points out that, at least in presidential candidates, the "golden days" weren't.

Beyond that, in a four webpage essay, you'll not find ONE WORD about third parties. Because of that, you'll not find one word about instant runoff voting or similar ways to bolster third-party power. You also won't find one word about money in politics, public financing of congressional issues, or other actual changes we need.

And, when a former capitalsit insider like Jeffrey Sachs starts talking about the need for a third party, the Mickey Edwards of the world should listen. Here's Sachs:

Who runs America today? The rich and the multinational corporations. Who runs the White House? David Plouffe, whose job it is to make sure that ever word, every action of the president is calculated for electoral gain rather than the country's needs. Who runs the Congress, on both sides of the aisle? The lobbyists, who win in every negotiation. And who loses? The American people, who have said repeatedly that they want a budget that sharply cuts the military, ends the wars, raises taxes on the rich, protects the poor and the middle class, and invests in America's future not just in Obama's speeches but in fact.

America needs a third-party movement to break the hammerlock of the financial elites. Until that happens, the political class and the media conglomerates will continue to spew lies, American militarism will continue to destabilize a growing swath of the world, and the country will continue its economic decline.

A secular amen in spades.