Talk:Two-party system

The disadvantages/advantages section needs a lot of work if it's going to stay. I'm sure if I were to forward this to the Election Methods List (http://www.eskimo.com/~robla/em), they'd have a field day with this. -- RobLa

Why don't you already, Rob? I'd love for them to whip up the entire voting systems section. DanKeshet 14:34 Feb 15, 2003 (UTC)

It would be more effective if you joined the list and brought up the topic, and I seconded it.  :) -- RobLa 01:59 Feb 16, 2003 (UTC)

Ha! Been there, done that, got an overloaded inbox. I still peruse the archives via the web, sometimes. Il send an e-mail to the list inviting them soon, though. DanKeshet 02:28 Feb 16, 2003 (UTC)

hee hee...that's what procmail is for  :) -- RobLa 05:16 Feb 16, 2003 (UTC)

Yes, I question the extent to which the listed "advantages" are such. - Montréalais

I have no idea if you have proposed a solution to "the money poblem" in any attempt to reform the "two party" morass.

Ever look at the "unopposed" Representatives? They stand immune to challenges because of thier "War Chest"

Eliminating unuse political campaign money unspent after an election would go along way to attractin viable opposition IMHO

Don AKA MAX founder http://www.wingsofanangel.com

common poster on alt.prisons ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

UK a two-party system

Should the UK really be listed as an example? It's more "two and a half" parties - plus, the predecessor of the Lib Dems "half" party, the Liberal Party, did hold power at one stage. In any case, there is no definite reason why the situation may not change, with the Tories becoming the "half" party. Certainly the trend seems to be for an increasing Lib Dem vote. I believe the situation if the local election results were repeated in the next general election, suggests a hung parliament (no party having an outright majority). I really don't think it's quite a two-party system like the US. Are there ANY non-Republicrats in the US government currently? zoney ███ talk 01:38, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

There is one independent (a Socialist, really) in the House of Representatives and one independent in the Senate. Your point is taken, though. Funnyhat 08:04, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

And what's funny is that they're both from Vermont, iirc. Wouter Lievens 22:25, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

"Examples" paragraph needs work

Here is how it presently stands:

The two-party system has historically been common in the so-called Anglosphere nations such as United States and United Kingdom, as well as in many small or newly independent countries such as Jamaica. While Americans and Britons often see the two-party system as natural, based on their long experiences with it, it is in fact a product of the particular rules in place. The two parties that dominate thus have an incentive to keep the rules as they are, so as to prevent electoral losses to smaller parties.

Exactly which rules are in place in the United States that keep the two parties where they are? The point made earlier in the article about plurality voting is not an issue; the two parties legitimately *do* receive portions of the vote comparable to their representation. (In the 2004 election, for example, Bush and Kerry combined to receive 99.0% of the popular vote.) It's not like there are a bunch of third parties getting 20% of the vote or whatever. ALL parties in the United States not named the Republicans or Democrats have extremely small membership. I'm sure that they are discriminated against in some form or another, but the article presently does not explain how this is so. Funnyhat 08:03, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Yes, the assertion is not justifiable as it stands. There may be a 'stable equilibrium' of its own accord, or there may be something constraining politicians into one of two camps, or there may be clear political polarisation, or the voting system may influence things, or there may be some sort of inertia. The UK and US experiences in the past half-century are different. And so on. Charles Matthews 13:52, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

One example of systematic bias toward a two-party system in the U.S. is the Presidential debates sponsored by an organization run jointly by the Democratic and Republican parties. The threshold for participation is that a candidate must be achieving at least 15% of the projected vote (not sure whether it's likely voters or all registered voters) in major public opinion polls. This practice has effectively kept out third party candidates polling in the single digits who might get some currency from such a debate. These changes I believe were brought about by the scare the two parties got from Ross Perot in the 1992 election. — Stevie is the man! ^{Talk | Work} 14:05, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)