WHAT IF we had a centrist party

[EXman]

Centrists are wishy washy flip flopers. At least I know what I get with 2 partys. I would like to see several parties. I guess one would be a centrist party but centrists would have a hard time because of a lack of passion.

 

[BeauJangles]

I wouldn't be interested because there is no way for a "centrist party" or "green party" or anything other than the Democrats and Republicans to survive based on the way our electoral system works. If you had fundamental election reform, then maybe it'd be possible for more than two parties to exist, but right now it is not.

 

[nageov3t]

do voters want centrists?

the liberal republicans have pretty much all been voted out.

 

[Praxis1452]

There will never be a viable 3rd party. The situation is not that people do not like choices, but that the current system of rules makes third party nonviable. It's just a fact.

 

[Atheus]

To the rest of the world the Democrats _are_ a centrist party. Republicans are generally considered pretty far-right due to attitudes toward homosexuality, abortion, race, immigration, etc.

 

[Vic]

do voters want centrists?

the liberal republicans have pretty much all been voted out.

Democrats are the centrist party these days.

 

[2L84U]

On a national level, and to a lesser extent on a state level, having two primary parties and some smaller fringe parties is really the only feasible way our system can work.
Not only is it doubtfull you can create more than two viable parties, its damn near impossible. Far to many people will vote against their own intrests if they have reason to believe that if they don't something even worse could happen, leaving in its wake a two party system.
In fact, the same reason we have a two party system is a big part of the problem with our current system. Just imagine how easy it would be to promote expanding an uninformed electorate under the guise of helping them, then vilifying the other party to make themselves look like the lesser of two evils.

 

[sao123]

Robor,

Who are you going to work for, but a corporation?

I'm just trying to know why you think Corporations are so evil.

You realize there are millions of Corporations, with competing interests?

-John

Coporations arent evil, but they dont define a nation or an economy.
Weve had countrys and economys long before we had corporations.
The population should be more important than the corporation, yet in todays governing we see exactly the opposite.

 

[Infohawk]

It's not a matter of willpower. Our electoral system will generally create two parties. If you want multiple parties, implement a proportional system (for example if 10% of votes are for communists, 10% of congress are communists). That tends to promote more instability though.

 

[Steeplerot]

America's parties are already right-wing. Why would we need another?

 

[Craig234]

It's not a matter of willpower. Our electoral system will generally create two parties. If you want multiple parties, implement a proportional system (for example if 10% of votes are for communists, 10% of congress are communists). That tends to promote more instability though.

I've long suggested the reform of 'ranked voting', so you can vote for your favorite third-party candidate, but still hve your vote count when two others are the top picks.

But this is pretty hard to get the peple from the two top parties to pass, since it directly attacks their votes.

 

[Nitemare]

I would like 3 turds to pick from every 4 years vs the two that we get all the time.

Although, I'd like to see it happen as I identify myself as a libertarian it will not happen in my lifetime. Why would the democrats and republicans relinquish control?

 

[recoil80]

It's not a matter of willpower. Our electoral system will generally create two parties. If you want multiple parties, implement a proportional system (for example if 10% of votes are for communists, 10% of congress are communists). That tends to promote more instability though.

That's right
In Italy we have about 10 parties and we struggle to have a government last for 5 years!
In the 80's and 90's with that kind of electoral system we had election every other year, the prime minister changed every six month and so on.
Now we have coalitions, so 3 or 4 parties get together to win the election and you have the right and left wing coalition. After the election each party wants its members to be ministers and they keep fighting until there's a crisis and eventually a new election.

If think two or three political parties are enough and I'd like to have your electoral system in my country.

 

[JoshGuru7]

"Fiscally liberal" vs. "fiscally conservative" isn't as meaningful as people think. Both sides are ultimately keynesian due to political necessity and in the long run it's really the same equation regardless of whether you increase spending or cut taxes. Sure the size of government and %GDP of the welfare state are moved in different directions - it's the only reason the distinction even exists - but this is small potatoes compared to potential economic growth. As skeptical as I am of any kind of forecast, it's hard to ignore the CBO projecting the deficit consuming 80% of GDP in 2080. It's also hard to ignore evidence that indicates that macro policy itself has been largely responsible for this.

 

[Siddhartha]

Most people in the US would describe themselves as a "centrist" and anyone who disagrees with them as being extremist.