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I think Duverger's Law [1] is applicable here. The dominance of two primary parties is an emergent property of the rules for how candidates in the U.S. typicall
by davidrupp 3y ago
I think Duverger's Law [1] is applicable here. The dominance of two primary parties is an emergent property of the rules for how candidates in the U.S. typically win elections ("plurality wins" as opposed to "majority wins"), not an ab initio "scam".
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law
- khazhoux 3y agoIndeed. And much like the TV show "Survivor", the factions continuously shift so that they remain balanced at nearly 50-50 over time. People who are in the majority but "at the bottom" jump to the other team, which re-balances the two parties. A good example is how 30 years ago the Democratic party was solidly identified as the champion of the "little guy." But since then, the working class has felt abandoned by the Democratic party and now somehow they look to the GOP and Trump for help. It would have been inconceivable in the mid-80s that a state like West Virginia would become a Republican stronghold.
- Gud 3y agoYes, and who makes those rules? Neither the republicans or democrats are interested in changing it to a more democratic system.
- lightbritefight 3y ago"Changing it" woukd require a constitutional amendment, which is a near impossibly in today's landscape. When the corrective mechanism is nearly impossible to invoke, it doesnt really matter who wants what.