Posted on 01/06/2025 12:19:55 PM PST by DBCJR
The USA needs a 4 party federal political system aligned across two spectrums of a Cartesian Coordinate plane:
1) Liberal vs Conservative
2) Establishment vs Populist
The four parties would thus be identified in each of the four quadrants as:
1) liberal establishment
2) liberal populist
3) conservative establishment.
4) conservative populist.
In this way, it were more closely align political interests to party affiliations.
In addition, it would necessarily take caucusing of 2 to 3 parties to establish a majority.
No one party would be able to dominate the political agenda. This system would more likely achieve with the founding fathers had intended with our Democratic Republic, a system that forced compromised solutions.
1) Liberal vs Conservative
2) Establishment vs Populist
The four parties would thus be identified in each of the four quadrants as:
1) liberal establishment
2) liberal populist
3) conservative establishment.
4) conservative populist.
In this way, it were more closely align political interests to party affiliations.
In addition, it would necessarily take caucusing of 2 to 3 parties to establish a majority.
No one party would be able to dominate the political agenda. This system would more likely achieve with the founding fathers had intended with our Democratic Republic, a system that forced compromised solutions.
I disagree. Read the history of post-WWI Germany. While we do not have a Parliamentary system of government I think the same kind of political breakdown would happen here as well.
-SB
Where the greenies are perpetual kingmakers.
USA today proposes this after Kamala lost her ass in the election. “There is no such thing as a coincidence” is rule #39 of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’s rules from the TV show NCIS.
Why stop at four? Shouldn’t we aspire to be Italy or Israel?
If there were decent “middle of the road” candidates, they would run away with every election. But politics has changed so much it’s more like fantasy football these days.
That isn’t going to change for a long time.
No, all you will create is a system where the weakest party will have the most influence and the worst ideas get the most play.
Such systems end up making the smallest party the kingmaker as noted in a post already made here. They align with whatever party will cater to their interests. Parliamentary governments are all failures when it comes to individual rights and national exceptionalism.
what we need is a no party establishment electoral system, as designed by the Founders.
in other words, outlaw all references and perks to parties from all law and statute in this nation. for example, party primaries of any stripe need to be outlawed. if people want to have a faction let them form one entirely outside the official system, then let them put forth their candidates through any private process they want.
then take all comers for an office of whatever backing in one winner take all election on one day. let the citizens vet and decide, who’s independent and honest or bought and paid for by a faction or billionaire, etc.
“While we do not have a Parliamentary system of government I think the same kind of political breakdown would happen here as well.”
Because we have a single elected president we would avoid the main problem of parliamentary systems which is when they can’t get a majority to form a government. In fact there have been many times where at least one bit of congress was held by the opposing party to the president.
And there were long periods where southern conservative Democrats allied with Republicans on some issues so having more than two parties in Congress would not be that destabilizing.
I propose this 20 years ago
Oh, I see you don’t give a hoot about the Bill of Rights which guarantees are right to freely assemble. That means we can associate with whomever we want and if we want to have 400 parties or just two parties, that is up to the people. You can’t legislate parties. Go home.
If Liz Cheney didn't destroy your faith in political parties, I don't know what will.
I oppose a one party state regardless of the party. And I believe that the issues we face are too complex for a two party system.. What is occurring is that one party is dominant and the struggle for power within the party takes place in caucuses and primaries.
IMHO what we need is a return to the original Constitution for voting rights, landowners, men with maybe some small tweaks like completed honorable service.
It makes no sense that anyone gets a vote when they do not have an active stake in the system. If you can’t be or ever have been eligible to be drafted no vote, if you have no property to protect no vote if you do not pay real taxes at an equal percentage to everyone else no vote etc.
To get that you need a parliamentary system. When it’s winner take all, single member seats (”first past the post” some people call it), two parties are likely to form. In much of the country, though, we have a one party system. Try getting elected in the Northeast corner of the country as a Republican.
It’s been said for some time that we in effect have a 4-party system. 60 years ago, the talk was of the congressional Republican Party (very conservative), the presidential Republican Party (moderately conservative), the congressional Democrat Party (moderately liberal) and the presidential Democrat Party (progressive, very liberal).
Those divisions between presidents and congresses are gone and the more moderate members of Congress are gone (especially on the Democrat side). The fourfold division is still around, only now (as then) it’s unofficial.
I don’t care how many parties we have. Runoff elections will fix a lot of issues.
We need more than that. We’re only a 2 party system because the 2 parties say so. Used to be way more open. And that’s how it should be.
i’m not sure that you are appreciating the dynamic of a four party system being distinctively different than a parliamentary system. However, you have caught the intended forced collaboration, and thus compromise. What has occurred in our political system today is hyperpolarization, where our “winner take all “ system makes compromise unnecessary. thus demonizing, the other side becomes viable political option in winning the election without regard for having to work with the other side post election. We have to get away from such polarization because our country is being torn apart. We need more than one party, a venue for differences of opinion.
untenable. The two coordinate spectrums were strategically identified.
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