Top Ten Short Lived Political Parties

The newly formed "Tea Party" is now a political Cinderella success story, but will the party last or will the Tea Party disappear faster than a full pitcher of iced tea at a picnic on a hot day? Surprisingly, a number of other popular political parties have come and gone over the years in the United States, proving that their popularity is fleeting. Ten once popular political movements from years gone past are listed below.

1. The Quayle Party. Founded by Dan Quayle in 1994, this political party had two goals broad goals: to eliminate the national education spelling curriculum out of the belief that computers would one day spell for us, and to promote the vision of Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle, the former vice president who misspelled the word potato as "potatoe" was widely criticized in the press for making this elementary mistake. His political party never took off and was disbanded half a year after it was formed.

2. The Snowmobile Party. Before the Tea Party, before Barack Obama was elected, and before John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, the former governor of Alaska with her husband Todd Palin attempted to form a conservative party which believed in the right to kill even endangered species and the right of Alaskans to secede from the Union. This political party didn't survive in Alaska's frozen tundra, but Palin has become a regular Tea Party spokesperson.

3. The Party of "No". Before democrats forced this label on to the GOP, toddlers around the country organized a political party to say "No" to vegetables, bedtime, and baths. Organized by B ert and Ernie on the Children's Show "Sesame Street", this political party was viewed by many political observers as nothing more than a publicity stunt.

4. The Mainstream Americans For Italy Association, or M.A.F.I.A. was a political party which sought to loosen up the prosecution of the mob in northeastern states. It failed to gain traction when it was realize that this political family was run by the family.

5. The Minutemen Party. This party was formed by citizens afraid that the U.N. would ship them to prison camps after a UN troop invasion of the continental United States. This political party advocated forming civil defense units to fight off foreign invaders. The party was disbanded when its leaders were threatened with arrest and exile in Cuba by the CIA.

6. The Starbucks Party. Supposedly founded by yuppies living in Seattle, this political party coalesced around ideas of socialistic capitalism. A well formed network of "town hall meetings" in Starbucks spread the political party's ideals around the country in a matter of months. The movement lost steam when it was discovered by the FBI to be nothing more than a Russian front dedicated to overthrowing the federal government.

7. The United National Pet Party. In 1982, during an economic recession, pets such as dogs and cats were abandoned by their owners in record numbers. Instead of becoming just stray animals, the pets formed their own political party to demand a "Bill of Rights for Pets", which included suitable living conditions and healthy pet food. The party fell apart due to infighting between dogs and cats who couldn't share power together.

8. The "UFO" Party. Founded after a supposed alien space ship landing in 1947 in Roswell New Mexico, this political party was formed by men and women who believe that aliens are among us. The party wanted to legalize marriage between extraterrestrials and humans, and to grant their offspring special "Citizenships of the Galaxy" which would allow them to live in Utah and hold citizenship on Jupiter's moons as well. Interest in the party eventually petered out.

9. The Milkshake Party. A group of retirees in Florida, who were nostalgic for the 1950s, started this political party in 1991 to promote a "return to the age of drive-in theatres, malt shops, jukeboxes and vinyl records. It quickly fizzled after the group refocused their attention on restoring antique cars.

10. The Sponge Bob Square Pants Party. This political party was started by Hollywood directors, producers and actors who wanted to see another one of their own become elected president. They pinned all of their hopes on the actor who voices the popular cartoon character "Sponge Bob Square Pants", but the effort failed when it was revealed that the voice actor was Canadian.

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Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement