From The WSJ, But This Finding Is Significant...

[WillyT]

Debt Anger Imperils GOP, Democrats Alike
SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

<snip>

As dark as the political picture is for President Barack Obama right now, Republicans aren't exactly basking in a healthy glow either, suggesting that some wild and unpredictable political forces have been unleashed across the land.

<And...>

He thinks the summer's debt-ceiling wrangling may rank right up there with the Iranian hostage crisis, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of financial markets as a defining political moment.

"We are entering a new phase of the American political dialogue that has been irrevocably shifted in a way that will prove difficult to predict," Mr. McInturff wrote in a memo last week. "Historically, though, this type of deep voter anger, unease, and economic pessimism leads to unstable and unpredictable political outcomes."

<And...>

So, whom do Americans blame? In a nutshell, everybody in Washington. President Obama's approval rating in the new poll drops to 44% the lowest of his term, and the approval rating of Congress drops to 13%, near a historic low. A whopping 82% disapprove of the way Congress is doing its job.

<snip>

More: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903648204576552371834713688.html

:shrug:

[ixion]

1. The Era of Party Politics needs to end... fast

if we want to have any chance of working our way through the SNAFU that is unfolding.

[villager]

2. Absolutely -- surprising that 3rd/4th parties aren't rising, but the two corporate parties

...make that hard, of course

[Curmudgeoness]

3. Good point. You would think that there would be 10 parties

out there right now. And with the low approval of both parties now, it appears that this is a perfect time.

[ixion]

4. There are more parties, but they never get a seat at the table

because the Big 2 have it all locked up. But even if, we don't need parties. We need people who are truly interested in fixing things and moving forward working for the Common Good.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. I went through a time when I believed that the only way to

get things cleaned up was to work within the system. Then I changed my mind. The system is broken.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Winner takes all and 51 state elections

We need changes that will be hard to implement

That said there are third and fourth and fifth parties out there

[Curmudgeoness]

8. The independent parties don't have to go for the presidency,

they can start taking other offices first. Presidential election, no chance. Not now, not yet. But other countries do have several parties, and somehow it works.

Another thing that would shake up the two parties would be if independent parties start to get more votes---they know these votes are votes that they would have gotten if the people were not so disenchanted. It might get their attention.

I am not advocating voting for independent party candidates though, only because I have done it, and I still believe that I was part of the reason things went the way they did. I will not do it again and hand over power to the Reps. But for people who are seriously going to sit home instead of voting, I think it is another option to get their attention.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Yup, they have

Proportional representation. There are less than five democracies that still have our system. There is a reason for that. I like to joke...that John Stuart Mill was born seventy years too late...but if we adopted this, it will change the dynamic overnight. It needs an ammendment though. Winner takes all is in the founding document. By the way factions took the founders by surprise.

[Donnachaidh]

6. I've been saying this for some time

Remember the poutrage from the admin about the *shellacking* they took in the 10 elections? Despite the *vote for the lesser of two evils* arrogance that the Democratic party seems to be counting on -- people are ANGRY and desperate - and pissed off enough to stay home without some serious ACTION before the next election.

ACTION. Not well executed *fiery speeches* followed by business as usual - tax cuts for the wealthy, shuffling money around from one program to a newly named program labeled *historic* which doesn't do much than provide yet another photo-op for politicians. Trade agreements that suck even more jobs over the border, etc.

This election is going to be a very REAL crapshoot for either side. And if the Dems don't REALLY start doing something of substance for the middle class, and really start going after the banksters that destroyed the economy -- they will only be able to blame themselves.

You can only ignore people for so long. They get the message, and stay away in droves. :shrug:

[nineteen50]

10. This is all part of the plan to fix the vote.

Make everyone think it's all unpredictable then fix it.

[emulatorloo]

11. Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Jounal

I think you have a very good point.