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I would also argue that the paranoid style is the natural consequence of the fully sorted national two party system competing in a “first past the post” winner
by burlesona 6y ago
I would also argue that the paranoid style is the natural consequence of the fully sorted national two party system competing in a “first past the post” winner take all electoral system.
Multi-party democracies with proportional representation tend to be more civil, as the presence of multiple factions to negotiate with means you need allies, and you may find yourself allied with one party on one issue, while you’re aligned with another party on another issue. The requirement to operate by coalition makes demonization of the other party a bad strategy.
For a deep dive on this I highly recommend this book: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44244963-breaking-the-two-party-doom-loop https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44244963-breaking-the...
- dalbasal 6y agoIDK about that. Plenty of multi-party systems get vitriolic. It's true though that the campaign itself, in a two horse race, tends to be more negative.
- js2 6y agoNot just muliti-party, but also with proportional representation. I listened to the author in an interview[1] and he claimed there is less conflict on average in countries that use such systems. New Zealand was one example the author gave. I assume the book has citations. 1. https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-ezra-klein-show/e/78074997 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/vox/the-ezra-klein-show/e/7...
- AniseAbyss 6y agoWhat characterizes the US is that whoever wins gets a LOT of power for 4 years. Especially if god willing someone on the Supreme Court dies.