Voters, party chiefs say political system broke

[IDemo]

Is America’s two-party model a bust? Consensus builds toward yes

By Ron Fournier
Editor-in-chief
Updated: 2 hours, 8 minutes ago

It’s not just angry voters who wonder whether America’s two-party political system has outlasted its usefulness. Even party-bred politicians like Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, say the binary model is broken.

“The system has become so polarized it’s paralyzed” in Washington, the Republican told HOTSOUP.com community members via video. “You have parties that essentially don’t work together to solve problems, and I think people in America are not so much looking for an ideological government, they’re looking for a problem-solving government.”

Huckabee is one of five panelists answering this week’s Hot Issue question for the HOTSOUP.com community: Is America’s two-party system broken? “I think it arguably is because it’s not producing for us the kind of resolution of difficult issues that we need,” said former White House press secretary Mike McCurry, a Democrat. “I think what we need is a new politics of the center now, that with the right kind of charismatic candidate, could lead to the development of a third party. I think that may happen as we look ahead to 2008.”

Huckabee and McCurry are hearing little argument from community members at HOTSOUP.com, an issues-based social networking site. A regular at the site who goes by the username “ctbob” said there are a number of alternative parties, but the question is whether they can break the monopoly held by Democrats and Republicans. “I think yes if a party has the better widget. (Ross) Perot almost became president until he fell apart” in the 1992 presidential race. “I am convinced if there was really a better alternative out there, money would not be a problem.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16298036/from/RS.1/

[blm]

1. Now that Repubs are in deep shit, let's smear Dems right along with them.

That is exactly what the centrists intend to do. The Clintons and Liebermans of the party really want to paint the committed left as bad for the country as the RW.

[Nite Owl]

2. Sounds like a lot of bullshit

how do you compromise with people who are wrong? Just do a little less harm than the cons want, that isn't compromise it's giving up. There is a middle but they moved their middle so far to the right all it is is the old Republican party, the ones that didn't want things like social security to be passed, the ones that just want to concentrate on corporate power, the ones that want just a little praying in the schools, the ones that bash unions etc.

[AX10]

3. Now that the GOP has been crippled, the establishment centerists...

want the Democrats to play nice-nice.

:eyes:

What SHIT this is indeed.