Two Party System: Has It Failed?

[Liriena]

Yeah, I believe it has, not just in the US, but in any country that embraced that system.

My own country tried to emulate the Democrats-Republican dichotomy once, and it resulted in exactly the sort of vicious cycle that eventually stagnates the entire political process, down to the rhetoric employed, and aleniates far too many voters. Two parties endlessly bickered, acting as if the existence of any other political parties were downright inconceivable, while having hegemonic control over the fate of the nation as a whole, and ultimately staying in power, not because a majority of voters believes in their respective platforms, but out of fear at the possibility of the "other" party gaining power, as the populace divides itself, not based on their actual ideologies, but based on their loyalty to one party or the other.

[Ifreann]

Two party system, you say?

I specifically mean the US Congress

There are two independents in the Senate.

---

Two party system, you say?

Do you think any of those parties will ever elect a president? Only Republicans and Democrats hold any real power, hence “the two party system".

There's nothing stopping people from voting for another party. Give it a try sometime. Maybe if you abandon the idea that only two parties can have any power a third party could get into power.

[Greed and Death]

The problem with the two party system is the choices forced to be made.

I either support the party that wants to protect my right to bear arms and ban gay marriage or the party that wants to protect gay marriage and acts as thought the greatest sin in the world is questioning them on the assault weapons ban.

If I support gun rights over gay rights I get accused of not supporting the subjectively more important right, if I support gun rights over gay rights I am accused of not supporting the right clearly written.

[Valaran]

Perhaps, but I would also caution against multi-party democracies being a panacea - this may simply encourage partisanship and so forth, since smaller parties would only have to look after their own bases and not to a wider electorate (and so have less incentive to moderate their views). The counter argument to that would be that no one is moderating their views right now anyway.

Perhaps a bigger issues are gerrymandering and the role of money in politics?

[Dumb Ideologies]

I wouldn't say that it has failed - FPTP is designed to produce a two-party system and that is what it has done. That's not necessarily a problem, you just have "catch-all" parties with various factions vying for control and experimenting with programs to see what is capable of securing a large enough share of the vote.

[Zurkerx]

It's going to be a while before we overcome the two party system.

[Bojikami]

Yes. It is a farce to democracy itself.

[Valaran]

The problem with the two party system is the choices forced to be made.

I either support the party that wants to protect my right to bear arms and ban gay marriage or the party that wants to protect gay marriage and acts as thought the greatest sin in the world is questioning them on the assault weapons ban.

If I support gun rights over gay rights I get accused of not supporting the subjectively more important right, if I support gun rights over gay rights I am accused of not supporting the right clearly written.

Perhaps, in this dilemma, one could question how far gun control legislation could actually get, given the GOP controlled Congress & Senate, even if there is a Democratic POTUS. So on this (and other issues), maybe do it on who is more likely to actually pass the stuff you do like/stymie the stuff you don't like - I know I used a pro-Democratic example, but it won't always be that way round.

[Valaran]

There's nothing stopping people from voting for another party. Give it a try sometime. Maybe if you abandon the idea that only two parties can have any power a third party could get into power.

So, in essence, what you are saying is stopping a more complete (for lack of a better word) multi-party system existing is simply the perception that this could never happen, and that if this mental-block is overturned in a critical mass of people, then this is the solution?

[Tagete]

So as you all know, the United States is probably the only country in the world that has a two-party system. Pretty much everywhere else in the world has a multi-party system, which means multiple political parties are in the country's legislature. i just wanted to know whether you think the US should have more parties in Congress?

US May use the Instant Run-Off voting sistem, like in Australia, and establish the two terms limit for US representatives and US senators.

[Rena Ryugu]

With this election cycle? I'd say more about the American political process than just the two-party system has failed.

[The Princes of the Universe]

Two party system, you say?

How many of them have you seen outside local government lately?

Back to the OP... It has failed spectacularly. It artificially restricts the number of overarching viewpoints that actually get considered in the crafting of policy and stifles national discourse. This might not be quite as bad (though still absolutely undesirable) if both of the major parties weren't essentially different variants of the same general lines of thought (jingoistc authoritarian neoliberalism).

[Ifreann]

There's nothing stopping people from voting for another party. Give it a try sometime. Maybe if you abandon the idea that only two parties can have any power a third party could get into power.

So, in essence, what you are saying is stopping a more complete (for lack of a better word) multi-party system existing is simply the perception that this could never happen, and that if this mental-block is overturned in a critical mass of people, then this is the solution?

As others have noted, a FPTP system does tend towards two big parties, but people telling themselves that there's a two-party system isn't going to help matters.

[Diopolis]

Saying it failed implies there was ever success.

[Novus America]

So as you all know, the United States is probably the only country in the world that has a two-party system. Pretty much everywhere else in the world has a multi-party system, which means multiple political parties are in the country's legislature. i just wanted to know whether you think the US should have more parties in Congress?

Only country in the world? If the world is Western Europe. Two party systems are very common throughout the Americas, Africa and East Asia.

That does not make it good, but your assertion of only is patently false.

[Savoy-Habsburg]

I dont like bipartism anyway. Third parties and ideas should be able to compete too...

[The Greater Union of Kinnota]

Two Party system sucks yes. By extension, FPTP sucks as well. It's very limiting and undemocratic. It can't really be overcome in places like the US where it is so deeply ingrained in the political landscape, but I'd think the FPTP systems in Canada and the UK would be easier to reform, seeing as the Two-Party system hasn't really dominated as much as it has in the US.

[Ratateague]

Two Party system sucks yes. By extension, FPTP sucks as well. It's very limiting and undemocratic. It can't really be overcome in places like the US where it is so deeply ingrained in the political landscape, but I'd think the FPTP systems in Canada and the UK would be easier to reform, seeing as the Two-Party system hasn't really dominated as much as it has in the US.

I agree. We're pretty much stuck under Duverger's Law until one of the current political parties implodes, and that would be a far greater likelihood than seeing a third party through electoral reform.

[Greed and Death]

The problem with the two party system is the choices forced to be made.

I either support the party that wants to protect my right to bear arms and ban gay marriage or the party that wants to protect gay marriage and acts as thought the greatest sin in the world is questioning them on the assault weapons ban.

If I support gun rights over gay rights I get accused of not supporting the subjectively more important right, if I support gun rights over gay rights I am accused of not supporting the right clearly written.

Perhaps, in this dilemma, one could question how far gun control legislation could actually get, given the GOP controlled Congress & Senate, even if there is a Democratic POTUS. So on this (and other issues), maybe do it on who is more likely to actually pass the stuff you do like/stymie the stuff you don't like - I know I used a pro-Democratic example, but it won't always be that way round.

Get the democrats to stop running on bringing back the assault weapons ban.

[Valaran]

Perhaps, in this dilemma, one could question how far gun control legislation could actually get, given the GOP controlled Congress & Senate, even if there is a Democratic POTUS. So on this (and other issues), maybe do it on who is more likely to actually pass the stuff you do like/stymie the stuff you don't like - I know I used a pro-Democratic example, but it won't always be that way round.

Get the democrats to stop running on bringing back the assault weapons ban.

Probably won't happen anytime soon.

[MolokoPlus]

No. The US two-party system is superior.
The GOP needs superdelegates though.

Are you kidding?

Multiparty democracies not only offer voters more choices, but it ultimately has a correlation with greater bipartisanship, as parties are forced to work alongside one another.

Furthermore, the GOP does not need superdelegates. I want delegates to vote based on what the populace thinks, not based on what some lobbyists and establishment hacks think. Without superdelegates, Hillary Clinton would have an even tighter race on her hands.

[MolokoPlus]

I specifically mean the US Congress

There are two independents in the Senate.

---

Do you think any of those parties will ever elect a president? Only Republicans and Democrats hold any real power, hence “the two party system".

There's nothing stopping people from voting for another party. Give it a try sometime. Maybe if you abandon the idea that only two parties can have any power a third party could get into power.

Don't be snarky, you know well that those parties have severe limitations. Furthermore, you also understand why Americans don't vote for the third parties. Seriously, don't be that guy.