Time to Have Honesty in Our Party Monikers.

[20score]

Since the Republicans have abdicated their implied pledge to stay within the bounds of sanity and far too many Democrats regularly go against what their constituents want and vote the corporate line every time, those two parties should go the way of the 1920’s slang and - 23 skidoo. The two parties can take their bases and form new parties to represent their respective interests. Say the Progressives (true moderates) or OD’s on the street…yo, representing the interests of the Democratic base, the BS Party, standing for Bat Shit in some quarters and in polite company, But Socialism!, representing the old Republican base. And for true truth in advertising, the Corporation Party taking numerous politicians from both parties who represent what their name implies.

It’s a win-win-win for everyone. No longer will corporatist Democrats have to pretend they care and dislike the bill that’s on the table, before they inevitably fold and vote for it as they have one thousand times before. No longer will sane but greedy Republicans need to pretend they believe in the War On Christmas. The left will have representatives who will vote for their interests without handing-ringing and selling out… and the label of “weak” will disappear. The right can go full-till bogie and have wage wars on every imaginary enemy they can think of. Plus real enemies like, science, thinking, reality and the like.

What do you think?

[Countdown_3_2_1]

1. Divided we fall. Better to primary the corporists out. nt

[20score]

3. I agree. Just felt like making a joke.

[Old and In the Way]

2. I think they should wear coats in the Senate with badges from their sponsers

If they don't take corporate pledges, they can wear a nice plain suitcoat. Otherwise, the bigger the contribution, the bigger the badge. That way, when they are arguing policy on the floors in Congress, we can judge the strength of their argument from their ownership badges.

[20score]

5. That's good.

[tavalon]

10. Hell, a lot of them would need flowing trains to carry all of their badges

And this is the best idea ever. Granted, I mentioned it years ago and many, many others have. But great minds sometimes think alike and there are a lot of great minds on DU.

[RickFromMN]

4. Honest question please: why are we stuck with a two party system while other countries have more?

If I'm not mistaken, and I might be mistaken, isn't the current ruling group
in England a Tory, Liberal Democrat coalition.

Haven't there been other coalition governments in other parliamentary systems?

What is inherent in our system that makes us have a two party system?

[Old and In the Way]

6. Very good question. Tradition, I guess?

There's never been a really strong 3rd Party to challenge the 2 Party system as far as I know; certainly in the past 100 years or so. I think the 2 parties have protected their franchises pretty well by setting up tough hurdles at the State and local levels for entrance. You usually need a fairly significant % of voters from the previous elections to get ballot status in the next election. And I think the rank-and-file of both parties tend to look at 3rd Parties as threats to undermine their blocs with some justification (Perot in 92 / Nader in 2000). Typically, 3rd parties seem to try to build from the top down...they are focused on the Big Prize, rather than building a long term foundation from the bottom up. Perhaps the latest version, the Koch/corporate sponsored Tea Party will be successful. If they are, that should be good news for the Democratic Party.

[tavalon]

9. See my other reply further down.

It isn't tradition by a long shot. I'm in the middle of reading Howard Zinn's The People's History and it has been, clarifying to me.

[tavalon]

8. TPTB want it that way and they've wanted it that way for more than 200 years

They are masters at getting us to fight with each other so we don't notice that they've rigged the system. While I feel that many teabaggers are just KKK redux, I'm getting to the point where I don't care. This is a class fight and the oligarchy is winning and that just makes no sense. The enemy of my enemy is weirdly my friend. Sort of. I'm just not going to play the game anymore.

You're regular class or you're upper class. And if you are upper class, you are my sworn enemy because you've proven it to be so. I will now link hands with the regular class in solidarity and they will hear us roar. If we do this determinately but peacefully, we will win and we will end their reign of terror. If we give in to the violence that is sitting just barely under the surface, I think we lose. I know we lose a lot of blood and a lot of life, neither of which I desire.

[mstinamotorcity]

12. I can feel

it in the air also.

[suede1]

7. Funny!!

[punkin87]

11. Had to look up 23 skidoo. LOL

[20score]

13. It doesn't come up much in conversations.