US Voters Increasingly Alienated by Two Major Parties

7 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2012-03-20 07:00

Dale N. Gandurski

Story: US Voters Increasingly Alienated by Two Major Parties: Atlanta Progressive News

All is not well in America, it seems. More U.S. voters who identify as independent than as Democrats or Republicans, despite the fact that the two major parties maintain their virtual stranglehold on U.S. politics and, so far, on the 2012 presidential election process.

America has been through five different Party Systems, each time consisting of two major parties:

1. Federalist Party vs. Democratic-Republican Party

2. Democrats vs. Whigs

The third fourth and fifth systems had parties called the Democrats vs. Republicans but they were different in each time, and different from the modern era. The Democrats I think were originally further to the right of the Republicans, and the Republicans were originally abolitionist and more to the left.

Maybe a 6th Party System is in the works?

Issues Pages:

US Politics

Tue, 2012-03-20 10:29

Gaian

One could bog down in the intricacies of politics at the time of the republic's founding. The conservatives of America wold just love all discussion to return to the Constitution.

But why wouldn't a rational beginning for discussion best be with recognition of the degree to which religion and individualism wearing a libertarian cap have taken control of all "thought?"

Why would a cross-section of America have allowed the growth of debt and Wall Street greed to accumulate to the degree seen in this new millenium unless they were in thrall to "the good life" for the majority...the ones who vote?

Tue, 2012-03-20 11:25

Bec.De.Corbin Bec.De.Corbin's picture

The Cat Party vs the Dog party?

Tue, 2012-03-20 16:00

Fidel

It's like right wing Dixiecrats versus the left-er wing Republicans except it's the post civil war era and roles are reversed somewhat. Acshully I think they've come full circle. And it's high time the Yanks took their country back.

Viva la revolucion!

Tue, 2012-03-20 16:29

milo204

and when you compare the policies voters support versus the policies that any party supports the gap gets even wider, and what's worse, it's not just in the US it's every major country...political parties are almost always way to the right versus the population.

this shouldn't be surprising, given the traditional role government has played in society, mainly assuring that the rich get their way...

Tue, 2012-03-20 20:57

JKR

FairVote has real solutions to these fundamental problems.

fairvote.org

FairVote supports Choice Voting / preferential voting.

Tue, 2012-04-10 15:03

Caissa

Santorum has suspended his campaign according to CBC radio.