James Joyner has a piece up at TCS Daily discussing why it was inevitable that America would end up with two dominant political parties, and why it’s unlikely that a true third party will ever develop:
Money quote:
The Libertarian, Green, Constitution, and dozens of other parties that most have never heard of are far more interesting than the Republicans or Democrats. They are also more intellectually coherent and ideologically principled. Their adherents tend to give better speeches and write more interesting public policy essays. Alas, none appeal to more than a sliver of voters. So, while one of their standard bearers may win the occasional city council or state legislative seat — or even, once every few blue moons, a U.S. House seat — none will ever be elected president, much less elect a majority in either house of Congress.
The idea that either the Democrats or Republicans are likely to either fall apart because of bickering among the numerous factions that make up the alliance or by pushing their ideological preferences so far as to alienate the country is also incredibly far-fetched. To be sure, there is frequently an argument to be made that, if present trends continue, one or both parties will do precisely that. Unfortunately for the hopeful, however, those trends don’t continue very long.
The Republican Party has been around for more than 150 years, the Democratic Party has existed since the time of Thomas Jefferson. The idea that one or the other is going away any time soon is absurd.
Further discussion of the article at Outside The Beltway
