Crossposted from, and rooted in what was once the gestalt of, Docudharma

Its been quite a while since I have cast the Beauty Platform at Docudharma ~ nearly four years since Casting the Beauty Platform for the Afghanistan Quagmire (that cast for that one was "Retreat", by the way ... with no moving lines. Just Retreat. Pretty good call for $0.03).

But this morning I saw that Robert Reich had called for a Third Party.

Well, not really, what Robert Reich said was,

Democrats can't be trusted to control Wall Street. If there were ever an issue ripe for a third party, the Street would be it. 

This is "Calling for a third party!" like saying "ever stronger hurricanes would suck" is "Calling for action NOW on climate change!". Saying that the Democrats can't be trusted to control Wall Street is one of those "The Sky is BLUE!!!" statements that is only to any degree controversial to the extend that people have been following an American media debate whether the sky is red or green (complete with supporting daily kos essays about how is it OBVIOUSLY green and anyone who thinks its red is a traitor to the country).

Its an observation of the obvious, rather than actually arguing that a Third Party would be a solution for what ails us.

Still, it got me thinking ... what is the reading on the question? Is it time for a third party? As stuck in their various ruts the various established positions on the question are, this seems like an excellent question to reach for a response from the Book of Changes and reflect on the answer that results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Lines are cast from bottom to top.

First line: two heads, one tail, young yin: --- ---
Second line: one head, two tails, young yang: -------
Third line: one head, two tails, young yang: -------

first trigram: ☴ (Wind)

Fourth line: two heads, one tail, young yin: --- ---
Fifth line: one head, two tails, young yang: -------
Sixth line: one head, two tails, young yang: -------

second trigram: ☴ (Wind)

No moving lines.

Hexagram 57: "Ground"

Also "the gentle" and "calculations"

The Judgement

   The Gentle. Success through what is small.
   It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
   It furthers one to see the great man.

Penetration produces gradual and inconspicuous effects. It should be effected
not by an act of violation but by influence that never lapses. Results of this
kind are less striking to the eye than those won by surprise attack, but they are
more enduring and more complete. If one would produce such effects, one
must have a clearly defined goal, for only when the penetrating influence
works always in the same direction can the object be attained. Small strength
can achieve its purpose only by subordinating itself to an eminent man who
is capable of creating order.

The Image

   Winds following one upon the other:
   The image of the Gently Penetrating.
   Thus the superior man
   Spreads his commands abroad
   And carries out his undertakings.

The penetrating quality of the wind depends upon its ceaselessness. This is
what makes it so powerful; time is its instrument. In the same way the
ruler's thought should penetrate the soul of the people. This too requires a
lasting influence brought about by enlightenment and command. Only when
the command has been assimilated by the people is action in accordance with
it possible. Action without preparation of the ground only frightens and
repels.

Is Robert Reich making a clarion call to establish a third party?
Wait a minute, don't we have third parties. A not uncommon reaction to pointing out the existence of the Green party, the Working Families party, the Socialist party, the Peace and Freedom party and etcetera is that they are all small things ... only the Green party has a registration over 10,000, after all. Or, in the breathless way it might be delivered in some internet web fourms, zOMG we don't have any REAL third parties!!!

But is small bad? Is cobbling together a big registration base and building a big media profile and getting covered as the "next big thing" really the path to what successes a third party might achieve?

The reading says, no. Small can penetrate nooks and crannies that big cannot pass through.

Now, the images of the Book of Changes are, of course, images of their time. When I read the line, "It furthers one to see the great man", I do not think of finagling an opportunity to get myself in the presence of some local sovereign and presenting my case in hopes that he (almost invariably "he" in the time and place of the I Ching) will see its merit and back my plan.

Rather, when I read it, the emphasis falls on "see". In our networked mass media age, we look on all sorts of people presented as Great Men and Women. We look, but do we see? The constancy of purpose and constancy of effort required for Third Parties to experience success in our fight against the Corporatist status quo involves action for more than eight years, so action for more than any one Presidential Administration.

So we must not get caught up in the "Great Man" hoopla. We must not only look at the Great Man or Woman, we must also see him or her, take advantage of what opportunities he or she offers for meeting our objective, and avoid confusing the success of that politician's career with progress toward meeting our goals.

Or, in other words, an effective Third Party shouldn't get tangled up in Presidential politics. An effective third party won't be about getting somebody the job of President. Instead, it will be about getting something important accomplished.