If Teddy Roosevelt couldn't break up the two-party system, I'm not sure anybody can[1]. Political parties aren't even necessarily about policies at this point,

If Teddy Roosevelt couldn't break up the two-party system, I'm not sure anybody can[1]. Political parties aren't even necessarily about policies at this point, I'm afraid; they seem to have turned into badges of identity such as religions once were. We're not quite there yet, but calling oneself a Republican or a Democrat is starting to feel like identifying as Lutheran vs Catholic during the wars of religion in the 16th century. For an example of how awful that kind of dynamic can go, particularly with an extra-radical fringe element stirring up populist sentiment, I would suggest Dan Carlin's podcast on happenings in the city of Muenster in that era[2]. It's thought-provoking. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_(United_States,_1912) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_(United_Stat... [2] http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophets-of-doom/ http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophet...