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Posted on 11/28/2023 5:20:13 AM PST by FarCenter
Next year could feature a six-way race for the presidency.
Democrat Joe Biden is certain to be renominated for a second term, while Republican Donald Trump is poised to lock up his party’s nomination. Jill Stein has once again announced her intention to seek the nomination of the Green Party. Cornel West is running as an independent. So, too, is Robert Kennedy, Jr. And No Labels has signaled its intention of fielding a bipartisan ticket fueled by millions of dollars in dark money.
Not since 1860 have we had such a splintered contest. Back then, Abraham Lincoln won, but with only around 40 percent support.
Today’s polarized politics is reminiscent of the extreme polarization that dominated U.S. politics in the decade leading up to that historically significant 1860 election. Racked by the issue of slavery, the two-party competition between Democrats and Whigs broke apart, and in 1854 the Republican Party was formed. Six years later, the Whig Party was no more, and the familiar Democrat-versus-Republican contests became the norm.
In subsequent decades, the two major parties cemented their hegemony. Single-member electoral districts, the Electoral College, ballot access restrictions, direct primaries, campaign finance laws, the exclusion of third parties from most presidential debates gave them a monopoly on acquiring political power. Also a help was the propensity of voters not to “waste their vote” on “spoiler” candidates.
Nonetheless, Americans have fallen in love with the idea of third-party candidates.
A 2023 Gallup poll found that 63 percent believe a third party is needed because “the two major parties do a poor job of representing the American people.” And a September Fox News poll found 50 percent of voters “dreading” a Biden-Trump rematch. In 2024, Joe Biden would be 82 years old and, if reelected, would leave office at age 86. Donald Trump is not far behind, turning 78 in 2024. Given such a scenario, could the two major parties disintegrate, and would that disintegration be permanent?
Your vote doesn't affect the electoral college count unless you are in a purple state.
The sooner, the better.
total BS, every presidential election dozens of nobodies run.
True that. And besides, do we really want to have tons of parties like other nations have? How’s that working out for them?
Until voters have the choice of “none of the above” on every ballot, we’ll have selections of one of two Uniparty candidates, not elections.
Primaries allow the voters to shape the two parties. Most other countries do not have the equivalent of primaries, the party leadership or members (a small percentage of the voting population) choose the candidates.
If you think the Republican party is not conservative enough, vote for a more conservative candidate in the primary; think the Dems are too left wing, vote for the more moderate candidate in the primaries.
A third party Trump bid in 2016 would not have won but because he was able to use the primary system (Rep powers that be could not block him) he was able to win.
The two party system polarizes the election. Runoffs, if they aren’t rigged, can do the same. The problem is that with rigged elections, a multi-candidate race can hide cheating.
And Trump (probably with Rudy’s urging) blew up the best opportunity in my lifetime to bust up this two party cabal. He had the chance but was too narcissistic to make use of it.
A choice between a turd sandwich and a giant douche.
So is "voting".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy:_The_God_That_Failed
An article that completely misunderstands or intentionally misleads why the two-party system exists!
The U.S. does stand out as the world’s only two-party democracy.
Some so-called democracies are one-party dominant. But, other than the U.S., if you have more than one, you have many.
Canada, to our north, has the Grits (Liberals), Tories (Conservatives), New Democrats, Quebecois, and Greens, to list only the parties with representation in their parliament.
Mexico, to our south, has seven parties in the lower house of their parliament.
As to why we uniquely have a two-party system, is an interesting question. But, among the consequences are (1) many Americans vote for the lesser of two evils instead of a candidate they actually support, and (2) many of the state and local jurisdictions of the country are one-party dominant.
Why, yes, of course. The one party State is best. The fundamental transformation of America continues.
“Vote or Die.”
So you think Republicans in blue states should not vote for Trump as a protest? Why the hell are you here?
“”””2024 will be a good opportunity to vote for a third party candidate””””
Which one will you be voting for?
Which one have you voted for before?
No, the whole setup of the government encourages a two party system. So that’s what we will always have, unless we fully devolve into a tyranny.
The only time it looks like we are moving away from a two party system is periods when one of the parties is dying. Then we’ll have a short scramble before another party replaces it, and it’s back to a two party system again.
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