02-17-2012, 07:29 AM
(02-16-2012, 09:55 PM)Jester Wrote: If I may reiterate my plea from many an earlier thread: The US does have a multi-party system. There is absolutely no legal barrier to the establishment of other parties: they already exist, from quasi-mainstream ones like the Greens and Libertarians, all the way out to Communists and Nazis.
The US only appears like a 2-party system because of the voting system. If you didn't have First Past the Post, and probably an elected presidency as well, you'd have multiple viable parties. As it stands, two is the equilibrium number. Even if an incumbent is "killed" by a challenger party, the 2-party structure will remain.
-Jester
Yes, but this is common knowledge. We just call it a two party system because that is what it practically is.