I really don't understand, how come in US are only 2 political parties???
967665
Yura,\n\nThe explination is simple.\n\nThe found fathers set up a system whereby it was easier for only two political parties to exist.  In most European countries, congress is chosen by percentage of votes that your part gets in the entire country, so when you vote for the person, you are actually voting for the Party.  Take this note for example:\n\nLabor - 37%\nConservative - 25%\nCommunist 15%\n\nThe seats would be apportioned in the House by total percentage of the vote.  However, the system here does not follow those same guidlines.  We have a direct democracy.  Back in the 1990's Ross Perot advocated an indirect democracy.\n\nYou are recognized in this country as a major political party only when you get a certain percentage of votes in major Presidential elections.  The independent Party came the closest with Perot in 1992 and 1996 but failed to run a candidate after that.\n\nOver the years there have been elections with many major candidates.  Weird party names - the Bull Moose Party for example.  It is only within the last 30 years that the now traditional two party system has really took hold.\n\nIn order to become a nationall recognized party, start in your own districts, name your party whatever you want, get people to join, start winning offices, then someday, your Party will be at the top of a ticket.
1170689
The two party system works great when a spirit of compromise exists.  That is what is lacking today.  There is no commom ground.  Our representatives seek our votes on election day and have us believe that we choose the candidate who best serves our interests but as soon as they are elected they serve only the party and the big money lobbyists.  It costs so much to get elected now that one pretty much must sell his soul to the devil just to get his or her message across , let alone to get elected.  We have created a government of extremes where the vast majority of people are centrist our political system represents only left and right it appears.  The question should be not why do they do it but how can we stop it?  Vote, vote against every incumbent and keep kicking the bums out until they get the message
258807
Yes both parties are run by morons. As the 21st. century rolls on I think you will begin to see our alternative parties gain strength as people can only take so much. Even drug addicts of many years eventually become sick and tired of being sick and tired, we are rapidly approaching that point in this country, I hope to see the beginning of this revolution in my lifetime and thus a fundemental change in our political system, one that actually works and serves the people. Maybe i'm wrong and we'll just kill each other, time will tell.
852396
I'd say it is time for a complete political party overhaul.  In reality, neither party is really concerned about those they supposedly represent.  Unless you are talking about those who are in their pockets of course.  Both of the two major parties platform is not what they can do, it is based on what the other side didn't or couldn't do.  Empty promises from all sides.
565321
Because the United States is a generally stable country in which the preferred pace of change is gradual and in which radicalism has never found favor for very long.\n\nNew ideas are implemented slowly and tend to be appropriated by one or both of the major parties which gradually change their political postures. \n\nFor the most part, both parties are "big tents" which tolerate a wide variety of opinions amongst their members and have no fixed ideological perspective. \n\nFor most of its history, for example, the Republicans were the more progressive of the two parties and the first attempts to legislate racial justice and women's rights were Republican initiatives. As late as 1964 the landmark civil rights Act of that year received proportionately more Republican than Democrat votes. Obviously things have changed but are just as likely to swing back in the other direction as not.\n\nSince each of the parties stands for whatever its membership at any moment wants it to, voters are not as motivated to leave and form a new party. Rather they either switch parties or work to change the policies of the party they belong to.\n\nFurthermore, the American system of government with its "winner take all" type elections makes it difficult for a new party to gain traction. Every institution of government has developed procedures to accommodate two parties and a new party finds itself without any role other than gadfly or spoiler.
1121176
It has to do with many factors. Mainly the representative system. Since we have only a "winner takes all" Congress (meaning that only one person represents a district instead of a proportional representation system) a tow-party system tends to arise since only one can win the prize. For that reason parties tend to be center oriented, trying to attract the highest possible amount of voters. In a proportional representation system more parties would arise since the chance of getting a share of the prize is higher.\n\nOf course, while in theory American parties are center-oriented (and in practice they are), the fact that we have a low voter turnout, especially in mid-term elections can lead to a small share of the voting public to elect some wacko to the House of Representatives.\n\nAnother reason is that our institutions have been rigged by the historical two-party system and while we have many political parties in America we only have two national parties, and those parties have made it difficult for emerging political parties to become part of the game.
61760
This pretty much explains it:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Political_Parties#Historical_political_parties
840220
Because they want to live simple. Too many political parties can weaken the current governments and create the political mayhem and disasters.
506423
There's no need to "establish" a 3rd Political Party to do these things...There's already one:\n\nTHE CONSTITUTION PARTY\n\nhttp://www.constitutionparty.org/
788296
What I worry about more than the two political parties is the possibility that the whole system--all the parties, whether the two dominant ones or the several smaller ones--"don't get it" in the sense that they have become so wrapped up in their own agendas that they've lost track of the actual thoughts and fears and needs of the man in the street.\n\nWhat I worry about more than even that, however, is the apparent reality that the population as a whole seems to be more worried about their own personal peace, prosperity, privilege and power than they are about what is best for the country as a whole.\n\nI also worry about the possibility that a large number of individuals cast their votes based on labels that have but limited real content (Like Democrat and Republican: as the asker observed, there is considerable overlap), and ignore the voting records and behavior of those for whom they cast votes.
199708
Yes, they are both useless.\n\nPolitical parties were not part of the vision of our founding fathers, and are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. George Washington actually opposed the formation of political parties. \n\nWe are taught in school that the strength of the American political system lies in the fact that we have a "two-party process." This is akin to teaching that babies come from storks. It is a fairy tale we spin out to avoid messy details of reality we prefer not to face.\n\nThe reality is that America is now a one-party state. The Democratic and Republican parties have become nothing but two divisions of the same party. Both divisions are corrupted to the core, lap dogs for the special interests. No matter who wins, we always get more spending, more taxes, more inflation, more bureaucracies, and LESS FREEDOM.
713013
I don't know, but I don't like it.  That is why I oppose political parties.  If there were no political parties then polititians would be forced to tell people what they think on certain issues instead of just hiding behind the label of a party and having people vote on you based solely on your party.  Not to say that no one looks into a canidate before they vote but the number must be considerably small on both the republican and democratic side.  Because I know that America will never get rid of political parties I think that a third party is a good compromise because with a third party America is not split in half.  With a third party then all parties have more of a chance.  People will still blindly vote for their party, but this way at least every party would be more equal.
876409
If you go back and review the begining of these parties you can see the differences.\n\nRepublicans tend to be more concerned about religion and commerce.\n\nDemocrats are more concerned about civil liberties and human rights.\n\nThe other parties dont fail to attract more voters, theyres simply variations of either rep. or dem. parties. Thats why theyre absorbed by them, and supported by them.\n\nIts simply just two school of thoughts. much like there are tw school of thoughts in any other aspect of life.
340491
The is no 2-party system in the US anymore. What we have is Republican and Republican-lite, all the corruption with half the aftertaste. Two different flavors of the same crap.\nVoting for someone because they are "Republican" or "Democrat" is taking the easy way out. I have voted Democrat, Republican, Green, and Libertarian in my life. I don't vote on meaningless buzz-words, I vote on issues.\n\nI, too, am for a complete housecleaning. Throw them all out and start fresh.
574195
No, I'm not satisfied. But, there are other countries with multiple party systems(take Italy, for example). Those governments are very inefficient because there are way too many competitive blocs. This leads to coalitions that work towards each party's benefit. Not that great either, now is it?
793458
1.  Because most americans really ARE either a Dem or a Rep.\n\n2.  most countries end up falling into a two party system.  It's certainly better than a one party system, and with too many parties, they end up having to form coalitions to create a majority.  So- basically a two party system kinda' works.  Ya' can't give people too many choices.
1156269
I would say that the two-party system is certainly on the way to becoming obsolete. You have two extremes on everything. What is needed is a centrist/moderate party that could have a stand that is more moderate.