When both parties act and vote alike, what do you have?

[madfloridian]

You have a government with a one-party system.

:(

[brainshrub]

1. You have the United States. (nt)

[redqueen]

2. Yep

And you also have a system wherein the one candidate who would be most likely to bring about substantial positive change is called 'unelectable' fifty kajillion times a day.

[Maple]

3. Concensus?

.

[redqueen]

4. Not exactly

There is a kind of consensus, yes... the consensus of the corrupt.

The PEOPLE are left out altogether, so it's not a 'real' consensus.

[madfloridian]

6. No, not concensus.

Power. When you vote against your constituents so blatantly, you must not be afraid of them. Why? I don't know. Our congress has done that over and over now.

It has nothing to do with consensus.

[sangh0]

10. Yes, concensus

Having both parties vote similarly does not necesarily mean that they are "voting against their constituents". It only seems that way because the Republicans are so far to the right. However, there was a time when there wasn't a significant difference between the two parties. They often voted together without betraying their constituents.

[DulceDecorum]

5. And "selecting" candidates

consists of picking the smallest pile of poop.

It's called FREEDOM.

"Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things," Rumsfeld said. "They're also free to live their lives and do wonderful things. And that's what's going to happen here."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/04/11/sprj.irq.pentagon/

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

7. Plutocracy

Government by the rich.

[sangh0]

8. a dream?

because I know that ain't reality

[sangh0]

9. The 50's and the 60's,

decades that saw the greatest improvements in the standard of living of most Americans. There were also some gains in civil rights, IIRC.