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Ignoring how this comes about, imagine the US somehow ended up with a multi party system more like more like Germany or New Zealand. A proportional system. Here's a defintion:
"an electoral system designed to represent in a legislative body each political group or party in proportion to its actual voting strength in the electorate"
So imagine instead of two, but three or four parties dominate US politics. What do you think these parties would be or look like? Where do you think they would dominate? For example, libertarian party popular the rockies? A more fiscally conservative blue dog republican party being popular in New England? A socially progressive party like that of Bernie Sander cohorts doing well in the Northeast and other rust belt areas? More evangelical party in the south and some areas of the west. Get the idea? How do you think collation governments would look(two parties choosing to work together due to the fact that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament)? If somehow a two party party system prevailed, do you think the two big parties dominating would be different then the ones now?
The US is so big and diverse, that I find it hard to believe all political though it easily divided into Republican vs Democrats. Tell me your thoughts or ideas.
Well. First the main political parties would either collapse or evolve into something else. The Democrats and Republicans are both big tent parties. I could see the GOP splitting into 3 main parties. Libertarians, some sort of Christian conservative party, and a moderate party. The Democrats would likely split two ways, the farther left progressives and socialists go together, and a liberal party. They would then form coalitions to create a government. The coalitions probably wouldn't be too much different then the Democrats and Republicans we have now, but it would create some interesting elections at all levels. The conservatives would hold large areas of the south and Midwest and some scattered areas out west. They would have little influence in the NE. Moderates would hold many rural areas in the NE and scattered areas across the country, especially suburban areas. Liberals would hold onto most cities, some suburbs, and many rural areas that are minority majority. Socialists would hold a few city centers, probably the PNW and a few others scattered about, they would likely be the smallest party. Libertarians would hold some rural areas, especially in the inner west and Great Plains. They would be the second smallest party, their advantage over the socialists is that they would control large low population areas which will likely be over represented. They could probably even get partial control over some mid sized cities in the inner west like Reno or Las Vegas.
It would be interesting for sure, but I'm not sure if it would be better.
"what do you think that would look like?"
a much longer paper ballot.
"Which party would you like to see?"
the After Party.
seriously,
i would "like" to see a split in the Democrat Party
which has 46% registered. GOP has 24%.
so divide the D by 2 = 23 for one side,
and 23 for the other. that would come
close to equality for all three.
"what do you think that would look like?"
a much longer paper ballot.
"Which party would you like to see?"
the After Party.
seriously,
i would "like" to see a split in the Democrat Party
which has 46% registered. GOP has 24%.
so divide the D by 2 = 23 for one side,
and 23 for the other. that would come
close to equality for all three.
yeah, the democrat party needs to split but a moderate democrat is a moderate republican. the far left and the far right will dislike both
We're not designed that way and for good reason. I'd rather have a two party system, versus some other system where 30% or less of the voting population elects leaders (Canada for example).
We have the most stable system of governance compared to almost every other peer nation.
I don't know about ideology specifics, but I do feel each would have to court a larger base. Right now, it's "vote 'your' party or 'they' win" like it's some sinister Super Bowl or something. And nobody even has to pretend he or she is going to attempt to lead and cater to all of America anymore. With three or more parties, there would be less President Camacho*-style campaigning and something more of an old school approach where the U.S. was presumably "us" again and so on...
Now, the actual parties...I guess since we have Mood Swing Left and Mood Swing Right then a third party would have to be at least vaguely centrist...right? Personally I'd love that. I wish we had a more normal and less hysterical option. I want an adult in the White House and in charge of nuke codes, you know, stuff like that. But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
Need more than either-or. Multiple choice would be a huge improvement.
But the old establishment parties will go out of their way to poo poo a third party run. That's why they tolerate more extreme members of their party because they don't want them going third party.
I had a Kiwi co-worker when I worked down in Antarctica and mentioned to him, I would love 4 or 5 major parties in the US, instead of 2, since I thought there would be more compromise among politicians and he said, there wouldn't and he's lived in New Zealand his whole life, 60 years!
I'm not even sure that we have actual parties at this point, as much as we have illusory mechanisms of control. Obviously there's a difference between the leadership itself and the voters broadly writ, but that distinction is evaporating as the masses become evermore deranged by their algorithmically-driven echo chamber of preference. Everyone seems increasingly willing to sacrifice their ability to think critically and compromise as long as there's a tacit promise that they'll get to have their fist vicariously clenched around the government gun. That worries me more than almost anything, to be honest.
A pro-worker labor party to help fight the constant suction of wealth towards the top and the weakening of the working class's bargaining power.
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