Forum Post: 2-party political system = BAD, multiparty political system = GOOD (Anybody else want to weigh in)??
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 25, 2011, 12:27 p.m. EST by slickrjt
(47)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
This isn't going to be a particular eloquent post; its more a matter of curiosity to me whether my opinion that our 2-party system is part of the problem is commonly held.
Think about it...how much more effective would our democracy be if we had more choices. I know, I know - technically we have more than 2 political parties but for all intensive purposes, Dems and Repubs are the only real choices we have. Moderate republicans have more in common with moderate democrats than they do with the right-wing tea party republicans of their own party - but partisanship stops them, even if they agree with each other, from cooperation.
Its a shame we can't use the antitrust laws to break up the Democratic and Republican parties into smaller, more ideologically homogeneous independent parties to force them all to compete with each other (and compromise) and give the American people more options in the voting booth.
Just a thought I was having...
Proportional Representation is a way to go. It has been used before. and the fact that it takes governing coalitions to get stuff done it is more in line with democracy. although, I believe we have the technology to see Direct Democracy rise from the ashes of Republicism.
I agree entirely - the Electoral College is a system from an age where direct democracy was impossible, or at the very least impractical. And yes - multi-party representation FORCES the government to compromise, seek middle ground - which is what democracy is all about. We have the technology...but it is clear that archaic traditions of congress (i.e. the filibuster - a congressional tradition that serves only to impede a vote on an issue) are slow to die.