The Two Party System

[DarkSoulCrusader]

Hi Guys!
I'd like to know what you people think could be done about the two party system here in the U.S. We all know that we will only have twiddle dee and twiddle dumb to choose from every 4 years. Thats mainly because we have gave into this. We know that the politicians from either side don't invite us to their meetings. They invite the corporate CEO's to see them because that politician can better them for whatever reason tax breaks, imports/exports, outsourcing; what have you. I'd like to have more choices at the polls. Maybe someone to represent the middle man. How do you guys think we could deal with this? :wall:

[Reno]

Indepedant and third parties are set into the US political system. Though its true that they are hard offset due to the US\' 2 party system, its very reasonable to beleive that if a candidate for an independant of third party where voted by a majority of the voters, an independant candidate will be selected.
There really isnt anything FLAWED about the 2 party system, even though it forces a higher standing to the 2 main parties.
Just because it is a 2 party system does not nessiccarily mean that we will be getting 2 morons to run for the presidency. Registering within either main party means that you can attend the party primary and vote for that party\'s candidate. The biggest issue now and days, is that more and more people are registering as independant or a third party, thus excluding themselves from the political primaries(as they are closed primaries, meaning that only those registered under that poitical party can go to the primary and vote for a candidate), and while its true that each person has a right to their own opinion, this can lead to what you say, where the candidates are selected for what they can give to the people paying for them into office(another point about the US political system, but thats for another time) If we where to have those not under a independant party listing, or get those who dont vote, to vote for a candidate for the primaries, you have a much better chance for getting the morons excluded from running the country, or, as you say, get those who are under a third or independant party to vote for their representative. who knows, a independant, non-main party could replace one of the main parties, giving that middle man a better chance to speak for himself(its happened before, look at the republicans)

Anyways, what this incredibly long rant shortens to, is this: its not the fact our system is flawed, but many people not taking the effort to decide for a decent person to run the country.
well...yea....ill just leave it at that then.
-Reno out

[The_Punisher]

Most people forget that the most important thing about the two party system are the primaries.

In a two party system, the members of the party have to choose who they wish to represent them. Unfortunately, most often a person is chosen for how he acts (or lack of acting ALA 2004 Demo primaries) as opposed to what he actually believes.

[DarkSoulCrusader]

Thanks for your input guys. You\'re right about the primaries being an important factor in the two party system. Howard Dean looked like he was going to be the Dem\'s front runner for a while. I live in FL where the registered democrats outnumber the republicans. I have reason to believe that some voters that are affiliated with the opposite party that they support just so they can cast their vote in their primaries to the select the lesser candidate to represent that party, and come election time they vote for the party they do support. It\'s so strange how that goes. I\'m sure some people do it on both sides of the spectrum.

[Yellowbelly]

No real success ever came from a third party. In the election of 1892, the populist party was at its peak and it scored more than 1 million votes which is huge for back then. It took like 15% of the vote. But since then, it\'s been republicans vs. demos ever since. Funny, I look back what the parties stood for back then and the rep. and dem. are exactly opposite of what they are now. The switched sides.

[Reno]

They did.
But if a third party has a message that people actually agree with, and the majority vote for him, he will win. theres nothing stopping that.

[The_Punisher]

Not quite. If a third party has a really popular Idea, one of the major two parties will use that idea and become more powerful.



Plus cross party primary voting barely happens at all, much less to the scale at which most people say it does.

[jones0430]

Don\'t forget that the current two main political parties in the USA both started out as third parties.

The dominat parties at the time that each came into being were not answering the voters desires, and so they were edged out.

When this happened (Republican and Democrat parties orginated at different times) the take over was swift and dramatic, no lingering on of the old party. They took over in the space of 2 to three years, primarily at the local levels.

[Sgt. Boomer]

Don’t forget that, historically speaking, democracy is still in its infancy. Universal suffrage is less than a century old. Things could be better. The two party system is kind of like a fixed menu at a restaurant, if you want eggrolls you have to put up with some hideous tofu dish :wacko: , and you can’t get ginger beef and lemon chicken at the same time :angry: .

Referendums (or ballot initiatives) are one way to go – but we would have to overcome the patronizing elites who insist that some issues are too important to be settled by the will of the people and must be ordained by the high priests of society, which at the moment is the Supreme Court.

Fighting for less centralization of power is another good idea. The more that decisions are spread between different levels of government the more likely that public input will influence decisions. And in a worst case scenario, at least you can move to a region where the government reflects your values.

Getting involved in either political parties or special interest groups is a way to at least feel like you’re making a difference.

But launching a successful revolution an installing yourself as dictator for life is the only way to have any real control… so that’s the strategy I’m going for.