Party politics: Two small tents, with most Americans on the outside By Bill Schneider April 5, 201

[kpete]

Party politics: Two small tents, with most Americans on the outside

By Bill Schneider

April 5, 2015

The big tents are shrinking. Republicans and Democrats used to take pride in calling their respective parties “big tents” with room for a diversity of views. That tradition has ended for Republicans. It may be on its way out for Democrats as well.

Some liberals are celebrating the fact that retiring Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada will soon be replaced by Senator Charles Schumer of New York. That’s because Nevada is a swing state. “By choosing leaders outside the party’s home turf,” Ari Melber wrote for Politico in 2010, “Senate Democrats up the odds that their standard-bearers will be distracted by close races — caught between the politics of their constituents and the national party.” Reid squeaked by in his 2010 reelection race with 50.3 percent of the vote.

That’s not likely to be a problem for Schumer. New York is a deep-blue state. Schumer won with 67 percent of the vote in 2010.

The main reason the tents are shrinking is that the number of swing states is diminishing. Congressional Republicans increasingly represent red states and congressional Democrats blue states. Thirty percent of Democrats in the House of Representatives now come from just two states — New York and California.



more:
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/04/05/party-politics-two-small-tents-with-most-americans-on-the-outside/

[BeyondGeography]

1. An overview of American politics and not one word about money

Bill Schneider was always good at perspective-free analysis.

[libdem4life]

2. The largest, and maybe most influential, is the Party of IDGAS,

or "I Don't Give A Shit".

[MisterP]

3. "the tents are getting smaller? we have to move rightwards!!"

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. And, they wonder why people don't bother to vote or vote 3rd Party.