Comments on: The Two-Party System is Dead. Long Live the Two Parties. http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/ The Best, The Worst, and the Utterly Shocking of Virginia Politics. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:54:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Geoff http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/#comment-23672 Geoff Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:59:18 +0000 http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/#comment-23672 Kenton, I think you are correct to observe that the Republican party has a lot more disagreement in it right now than the Democrats. So we agree on the premise of this argument, but not the conclusion -- you think it is a weakness. I see it as a strength. I see it as an indication that there are more ideas fighting one another inside the Republican party. Take Ron Paul, for example. Where is the Ron Paul on the left? The candidate bucking the trends of the others? I think that for a party concerned with diversity, the Democrats actually possess very little of it when it comes to ideas. That will be a weakness in the longterm. Kenton,

I think you are correct to observe that the Republican party has a lot more disagreement in it right now than the Democrats. So we agree on the premise of this argument, but not the conclusion — you think it is a weakness. I see it as a strength. I see it as an indication that there are more ideas fighting one another inside the Republican party. Take Ron Paul, for example. Where is the Ron Paul on the left? The candidate bucking the trends of the others?

I think that for a party concerned with diversity, the Democrats actually possess very little of it when it comes to ideas. That will be a weakness in the longterm.

]]> By: novamiddleman http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/#comment-23650 novamiddleman Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:21:45 +0000 http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/#comment-23650 Kenton, Well-thought out post. However the two parties never go away the other one always takes its place. With congress at the high teens this propably doesn't make a whole lot of sense but bear with me. It takes about 1 million bucks to run a house campaign. The two parties know this. The only way a third party would ever come about is if people were able to self-finance. Even if a decent amount of people were elected then what. What would be the platform? How would it feed itself? What about a " " national committee. Additionally there are never truly open seats. If one of the two parties is weak in a district the other party pours in money to take over the seat while the incumbant party pours in money to try and keep the seat which makes it even harder to run as an outsider. So getting back to the original. The democrats will have there say just like the Republicans did from 1994-2006. Then probably around 2020 or so the pendulum will shift back the other way. Its just human nature. Its the reality that the middle 50% or so majority of Americans doesn't like the D or R agenda and they gradually shift between the two. So conceivably someone/organization could galvanize the middle 50% but due to the challenges presented above this is highly unlikely. Kenton,

Well-thought out post.

However the two parties never go away the other one always takes its place. With congress at the high teens this propably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but bear with me.

It takes about 1 million bucks to run a house campaign. The two parties know this. The only way a third party would ever come about is if people were able to self-finance. Even if a decent amount of people were elected then what. What would be the platform? How would it feed itself? What about a ” ” national committee.

Additionally there are never truly open seats. If one of the two parties is weak in a district the other party pours in money to take over the seat while the incumbant party pours in money to try and keep the seat which makes it even harder to run as an outsider.

So getting back to the original. The democrats will have there say just like the Republicans did from 1994-2006. Then probably around 2020 or so the pendulum will shift back the other way. Its just human nature. Its the reality that the middle 50% or so majority of Americans doesn’t like the D or R agenda and they gradually shift between the two. So conceivably someone/organization could galvanize the middle 50% but due to the challenges presented above this is highly unlikely.

]]> By: Joel Rutstein http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/#comment-23648 Joel Rutstein Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:50:02 +0000 http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts/2007/06/29/the-two-party-system-is-dead-long-live-the-two-parties/#comment-23648 If the neocons with their failed imperial aspirations and the dwindling social conservatives with their ignorance just faded away, it could leave the Republican Party consisting solely of moderate types who could fit on the right wing of the Democratic Party. In fact, they probably would be so few in number that to survive they'd have to join the Democrats. The party that could emerge to oppose the new Dem behemoth might be a strange combination of Greens and 21st century conservatives like Justin Raimondo at antiwar.com. If that party could be better on women's issues and somehow convince the Pat Buchanan types to be less afraid of immigrants, it might be able to peel away progressives from the Dems. Just some early morning pipe dreaming. Great little essay. Thanks for the inspiration. If the neocons with their failed imperial aspirations and the dwindling social conservatives with their ignorance just faded away, it could leave the Republican Party consisting solely of moderate types who could fit on the right wing of the Democratic Party. In fact, they probably would be so few in number that to survive they’d have to join the Democrats. The party that could emerge to oppose the new Dem behemoth might be a strange combination of Greens and 21st century conservatives like Justin Raimondo at antiwar.com. If that party could be better on women’s issues and somehow convince the Pat Buchanan types to be less afraid of immigrants, it might be able to peel away progressives from the Dems.

Just some early morning pipe dreaming.

Great little essay. Thanks for the inspiration.

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