[sourcery]

We are a REPUBLIC . Third, fourth etc. parties can NOT work in this sytem. They can and do, when there is a parlimentary system in place. Your suggestion is unworkable here and won't ever happen.

Being a republic is completely orthogonal to whether elections use 'winner take all' or 'proportional representation.' Third parties may not be viable in a winner-take-all system, but they work just fine in a proportional representation system. The suggestion is quite workable, the only issue is whether it can gain enough popular support to be implemented.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Being a republic is completely orthogonal to whether elections use 'winner take all' or 'proportional representation.'

Ummm.... yeah, "orthogonal"... what he said.

A far more linguistically-economic statement of the case than my #21.
But, same point... ;-)

[nopardons]

Nope; you are utterly wrong. Fringe parties must form a coalition, to make any difference , IF they get elected. They won't ever be elected to either House, nor to the presidency here , so that is a moot point.

We weren't set up to havce what you imagine it is that you desire . That too, makes it a moot point. OTOH, should ( GOD forbid ! ) you get what you claim to want, things would be untenable . Why ? Because the lefties would have more power than they do now, Conservatives ( and some socalled Conservatives ) would do what they ALWAYS do ; bicker / fight / get nothing done, and hand it all, on a silver platter, to the Dems/ Liberals / faaaaaaaaaar lefties. Doubt me ? Don't ! Look at the way the GOPers and the fringers fight on FR.