The Two Party System

So first it must be said that, in my opinion, our federal government needs fundamental reform. This goes beyond any squabbling over the divisive issues of today such as taxes, immigration, or any issue that stakes the Christian Church vs everyone else. Those, I think are actual issues between liberal ideas and conservative ideas. The biggest problem I see with the current government is the two-party system. The only solution, therefore, is to completely abolish it; to see an election where we have more than two people in which half the country has to choose the lesser of two evils.

The problem I have with the two party system is that it creates a vacuum of individual ideals and pigeon-holes not only politicians, but also Americans. For politicians, who knows how many are lost or cut off the national stage because they aren't marketable. If you have a Republican with liberal economic ideas, but conservative social ideas, you aren't going to be funded. The Republican Party isn't going to support putting you on the ticket because you don't fully represent the party. And you're not going to get the same lobby support from oil companies if you have a liberal economic plan.

Furthermore, the American people should be spared the unrelenting duality of the system. At one point throughout the primaries in this past election, I'm sure that the American public would have been sufficiently divided between McCain, Obama, or Clinton. And I may even go as far as to put Romney in there assuming he had more time and assuming Palin stuck on with McCain. We have four candidates here who would've put up a better election than the two we had. Mostly because the general election solidly consisted of McCain contradicting himself and actually wearing down his own buzz words, and all Obama had to do was deflect the questions will holding out his Shield of Hope (that might actually be in D&D).

But that was just a recent example. Theoretically speaking, though, don't you find it logical that the more candidates you have the better chance of you being properly represented. After all, we have become a cynical nation. One in the ever widening middle of the road who has broken away from party loyalty anyway. The Average American falls well within the interquartile range (for those who took Stat in high school or college) in terms of political preference. As Chris Rock once said, "America is a nation in the middle". Though its not really our fault. We live in a society that judges wrong answers harshly, and therefore stifles opinion. Therefore, 1) People are afraid of being wrong, that's why Agnosticism is on the rise, and people aren't willing to become radical about ideas (which is good, anyway), and 2) The American People don't like those who are radical anyway. Look at Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Pat Robertson and anyone at the Democratic Underground. So why should a person step up to the polling booth on November 4th, and decide on a person who's too liberal or too conservative (Note: This is for all elections, not just the Presidential one).

For me, it doesn't make any sense. We've done it since the founding of our nation, even though it isn't even in the Consitutition. We've gone through Federalists, Democratic-Republicans (really?), Whigs, Democrats, Republicans, and yes i'll say it, Greens. The only President to not serve under a political party was George Washington. He was smart, wasn't he?