Abolish the Two Party System

[-Grey-]

Politics in the US today are a tragic farce of democracy due to the zealotry of far right and far left wingers enjoying tremendous support which places little incentive on cooperation or compromise, leaving the moderates in both parties to carry all the weight for their respective party as they toil in the background with minimal recognition while the zealots espouse all the glories of their platform in the media with little, if any, acknowledgment of the need for anyone in Washington that doesn't share their affiliation.

It's political bigotry on both sides of the aisle, folks. It's ugly, it's hateful, it's counterproductive, and it's damaging to the morale of the country.

The solution to this detriment is to reach out to the moderates in both parties. Liberate them from the chains of their political oppressors, and offer them another way. A better way. A third mainstream party that espouses shared goals between the two existing major parties and compromise on the hot topic differences that divide our country today.

Leave the unyielding zealots in the obsolete dinosaurs that are the Republican and Democratic parties, and watch them flounder as they are no longer supported by the workhorses in Washington that do what needs to be done to effect meaningful change.

[-Grey-]

Anyone that wants to ridicule my politics can refer to this thread instead of take blind guesses as to which of the two parties I support.

[Majiffy]

Yes we're coming to that give it time.

One of the two parties will splinter first. Probably the Republicans, still, although it looked more likely before Trump won.

[McMenno]

Anyone that wants to ridicule my politics can refer to this thread instead of take blind guesses as to which of the two parties I support.

libertarian

[-Grey-]

Anyone that wants to ridicule my politics can refer to this thread instead of take blind guesses as to which of the two parties I support.

libertarian

Closer than the bullshit that was spouted recently.

[zoraster]

It's possible the two-party system will fracture, but it's likely to be only temporary, probably only a couple of presidential cycles worth perhaps less.

Take the Presidential Election of 1912. There were three candidates that got over 20% of the vote and another that got 6%. Compare that to the Election of 1908, where the two candidates accounted for 95% of the popular vote, and you might think "oh. the two party system finally was dead!" But of course that's not what happened.

By 1916, the two major parties were back to getting 95% of the vote.

Before that you have to go to 1860, where the Democrats split their tickets, North and South. 1856 also provided three parties getting over 20%. Of course we know how that turned out, and by 1964 (without the Southern States), we were back to a two-party system. This represented the end of transferring the party system from Whigs vs. Democrats to Republicans vs. Democrats, but that's still a two-party system.

Anyway, my point is that party realignment could theoretically happen, but given the electoral system we use (First Past the Post reinforced by the Electoral College), a three party system is unstable and will quickly shed one or the other. You might get a system that isn't Republicans vs. Democrats, but you'll end up with a system of Democrats vs. Tzarists or Republicans vs. Ninja Party or whatever. But it's still a two-party system in the end.


Third parties aren't some panacea. You talk about the moderates forming a third party together, which is kind of flawed for other reasons, but in reality it's just as likely to make extreme election results more of the norm.

[zoraster]

If there is a party realignment happening, I find it implausible either the Greens or Libertarians will capture that.

[-Grey-]

Republicans vs. Ninja Party

Presidential election 2020.

[-Grey-]

Anyway, my point is that party realignment could theoretically happen, but given the electoral system we use (First Past the Post reinforced by the Electoral College), a three party system is unstable and will quickly shed one or the other.

I mean, I thought it was self-evident that the creation of a serious third-party platform would mandate an overhaul of the joke that is our electoral process, as well.

[Majiffy]

No FPTP and the electoral college needs to be replaced with MMP and a preferential voting system in order to affect any real change.

CGP Grey does a good number of videos on political systems and some of the troubles we and other democracies (notably the UK, where he now lives) face. Check it out on Youtube if you have some time to burn.

[Annadog40]

Change the voting system cause right now, a third party vote is like not voting at all.

[Accountant]

Personally, I think that the best way to ensure that the political infighting, tantrums, bigotry etc. that you are unhappy are dogging down a smooth an efficient political process can be best solved by instituting a system wherein only one party is allowed to run for election. To my mind, a smooth and efficient system is better with one centralized government that is all on the same page rather than two or three bickeing factions. In this manner, the zealots of the single party have nobody to grandstand to and will finally sit down and do some work.

Every politician claims that they want to unite America, but to my eyes this is the only way to achieve true unity for America.

[zoraster]

Here you go: http://forum.mafiascum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=69492

[Accountant]

zoraster, please. It's on topic.

[shaft.ed]

if you think far left wingers have representatives in government, your premise is quite a bit off

[Flubbernugget]

Fitting in will always triumph beneficial intolerance of extremists

[Flubbernugget]

if you think far left wingers have representatives in government, your premise is quite a bit off

"Far" is a relative term

[SleepyKrew]

"liberate the moderates" you say? I agree.

[Accountant]

Moderates are so tedious and boring it makes me want to puke

[mykonian]

No FPTP and the electoral college needs to be replaced with MMP and a preferential voting system in order to affect any real change.

And this won't happen without some major problems that have to be solved. You'd need a crisis or some circumstances coming together.

[-Grey-]

No FPTP and the electoral college needs to be replaced with MMP and a preferential voting system in order to affect any real change.

And this won't happen without some major problems that have to be solved. You'd need a crisis or some circumstances coming together.

Crisis is always the catalyst for any meaningful change.

[RadiantCowbells]

If I argued with nuclear physicists that they should start a fusion reaction with helium atoms instead of hydrogen it would be on topic in such a thread.

[Kublai Khan]

far left wingers enjoying tremendous support

[Drench]

needs to be replaced with MMP

great we gotta deal with this bullshit

[LlamaFluff]

It probably wont happen. I think that more likely we end up in a situation where each party gets pushed so far right and left that eventually one party either puts up a centralist candidate and blows away the competition or a very good independent runs.

The problem is the further away from center you go, the more you are unwilling to just stick to party lines in order to not vote the other guy. To break a two party system from doing that you eventually need a very good third party candidate who the leaning dem/rep will vote over party lines. Think last election, lots of people voted against Trump/Clinton instead of for them. To have a third party that wins you need that to happen, and a great middle ground party who are more afraid of the opposition instead of happy with their candidate will vote.

A bigger question is would a third party candidate winning (or not winning but taking about 20% of overall votes with an even split) make it a three party or four party system.