Finest hour or worst nightmare

[SoutherDem]

The next 7 days will have major consequences for both parties. This may even be the beginning of the end of one or both parties. This may be the straw which breaks the camel's back. For once a third party may be able to do more than swing the election to the candidate most opposite their position.

[Lorien]

1. I hope that alternatives rise up after this, because the status quo isn't working

for anyone except the richest 1%.

[unkachuck]

2. our two Partys....

....appear to be at odds with each but are actually too closely aligned....they only differ in detail not substance, being controlled by the same corporate interest....Americans are beginning to see the Parties, political process and country for what they are, broken....

"For once a third party may be able to do more than swing the election..."

....I totally agree with you and it may become the ONLY solution to our problems....

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. Because Ross Perot and Ralph Nader showed us how workable that is

and those were before the explosion of the internet...

Sorry

/GlassHalfEmpty

[unkachuck]

5. I guess....

....we're going to have to do better than Perot and Nader if we hope to regain control of our country....

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. I am open to suggestions

Ross Perot was right about the 'Giant Sucking Sound' of NAFTA, but wrong on so, so many other things. Ron Paul is right on ending the wars.

That said, broken clock candidates (right twice a day) would likely be more problem than they are worth.

[kelly1mm]

7. I think the problem with both the Perot and Nader runs were that they were personality based,

rather than issue based. An issue based party (not candidacy) may be able to be successful, especially in the age of the internet.

[Ruby the Liberal]

9. Sadly, I thought I belonged to an issue-based party.

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Some people say we need a third party

I wish we had a second one.
— Jim Hightower

[bigwillq]

8. I don't think the two-party system is working anymore.

Don't think it's worked for a long time. Constant division. Not sure if a third party or parties will help or not, but I don't think it can hurt any more than the mess we're in now.

[saras]

10. The two-party system is working great, the way it has always worked...

...which is to limit the scope of "legitimate" political debate to a narrow part of the spectrum, excluding either progressive or populist voices. There's a reason that Dems and Repubs have worked together since the sixties to limit third-party access and to increase, where possible, the spoiler effect.

It's important to remember that America wasn't always a "two-party system" even when it had primarily two parties.