Would America benifit if it had a stronger third party to break up the two party dominance? what do you think?
953101
I think it it would force the parties to understand they have to start working together.\nCurrently both parties are focused on what is best for the party, NOT what is best for the people, a third party would force an end to this abomination.
857798
Third parties are a bad idea. With a three party system, the winner is usually elected with a less than majority vote. Clinton won in 96 with a majority of people voting against him.
224471
Third party candidates don't have much of a chance.
827287
This was certainly America's frustration of Republicans. Had a decent moderate third party been available neither party would be in charge at the moment. However America has accepted this one party short of totalitarian government system and has only the option of giving back power to the party it fired in 1994.\n\nThe Democrats certainly have been given a gift from the gods same as the republicans in 1994. For the remainder of the Bush Administration look for them to be model citizens and solidify their power by returning back to their roots of being the party of the people. This is going to be one of the most politically active times in the beltway's history.\n\nBut should a Democrat win in 2008... expect  a lot of the same from them as we have recieved from the Republicans over the last six years.
805598
Of course. I think the 2 party system sucks but it kinda works that we have to extreme parties that tend to balance each other out. The weaker side always has to be more relentless to somewhat keep that balance.
962742
There are many more than two parties.  Some of the others have been elected and hold office locally and nationally.  The big two tie up most of the money and have the PR firms to groom their image, speech writers and campiagn managers to distract you from the issues.  The rest run on issues, which most people don't seem to understand.  Also Americans have an awful habit of wanting to vote for a winner instead of who they beleive would do the best job.  The two parties dominate because we are lazy voters.
146186
Having only two powerful parties helps politicians keep the illusion that if you don't support the party in office, you have to support the main party in the opposition. For example, the illusion now (but of course not the truth) is that the only way not to be a Republican, is to be a Democrat.\n\nLittle by little, many people will stop supporting Bush and will turn to the Democrats. And when most people shift, the Democrats will win again.\n\nBut in the shifting, some people don't just go from one party to the other. They go to third parties. One of them will eventually grow big enough to substitute for one of the two main parties, and the two-party political system will be kept, only that now, with a different pair of parties.
439317
We don't need stronger republicans.  We need ones that can fend off the media's rhetoric.  That is where Bush is having trouble.  People believe what they read.  Some politicians are better than others at this, and it often determines what they can get done.
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/
724657
Depends upon what you mean by the "fall" of the US. If you mean a departure from the Representative Republic that the Constitution and was based upon.....Quite possibly. The people of this nation were once a very independent and self reliant people. Now, with current politics as they are and politicians "buying" the vote with social welfare programs and the generalize apathy from the public I could easily see it happening. Without a strong 3rd party political party, I do not see a change from the course we are on.
394698
The 2 party system was not the idea of our founding fathers. George Washington was actually VERY opposed to it. There have been some contenders recently who has challenged it, Ross Perot and Ralph Nader most recently. I, for one, am sick of being forced to vote for either idiot #1 or idiot #2 when there is not really all that much difference between them. I don't think we need to strengthen the 2-party system. I think we need to abolish it and start over.
328162
It would be nice, but no. These two parties are too powerful and have too much money for a third party to compete. They will try, as they have in the past, but they won't succeed. I don't like to believe that any vote is "wasted" but I do believe that voting for the third party just increases the chances of getting someone like Bush in office again. I find it apalling that anyone could still support this man or the Republican party after all they have done to damage our country.\n\nI have voted for a third party in the past, but as I've grown older I realize that it just did more damage than good, so I will remain a democrat. The only way I would vote for a 3rd party again would be if I saw (through the polls) that the person running clearly had a chance, and if they ran on a platform I could really support.\n\nBut don't ever not vote. Don't ever believe that your vote doesn't count. We have a responsibility to vote for the person we believe should be in office, even if you do vote for a third party candidate.
950465
there is too much confidence in american systems. experience shows that american elections should be monitored by independent outsidersas well. who cares. even poor countries benefit from good american government. having only two parties battling it out brings alot of mistrut. three is better to avoid marriage of convinience.
945612
I have wondered that and kind of would like to see that day.  It wont happen until a third party stops trying to win at the top of the ballot and learns to win at the bottom.  Americans will not vote for someone they havent heard of for national office.  I was thinking about how a major third party could have changed the outcome yesterday.  If no party received a majority, two parties would have to come together and form some sort of coalition for the purpose of leadership votes, who gets chairmanships, etc.
1064699
A two party system can't really represent a population as diverse and huge as the US.  There are other parties, but most people are creatures of habit and do not want to stop doing what they've always done, picking Dem or GOP at every election.  The major parties focus on important political issues because they want to gain seats in congress, but they don't necessarily focus on issues that really matter in the lives of Americans, because those might not get as many people to the voting booths come november.\n\nI hope that people will seize on any curiosity caused by this question and check out some third parties.  Even if you never vote for a third party member, it's good to get another perspective on the issues that face the US today.
771553
America is not the one in charge of the two party system.
414320
America is currently facing many problems, however a drastic decline in it's power is doubtful.  According to most rankings that take into account all aspects of a nation, The usa is by far the most powerful, and is more powerful than the second and third most powerful countries combined.  However, if our country continues on its current trend yes there will be problems.  Our currency is depreciating, and the gap between rich and poor is growing under the current administration, and there is also talk of starting our third war in this regime.  The only reason why i think that America won't decline though is because the Republicans will have nobody else to blame after this term, and once they are voted out these problems will be addressed.  The republicans control everything now and have lost their scapegoat.  The only people they have to blame our themselves.