Reply #16: In our electoral system, parties necessarily are coalitions.

[eallen]

Even the GOP is a coalition. It is more unified, in that it unites fewer groups of larger size, primarily the religious right and the neocons.

It's unreasonable to expect a majority of citizens in a nation as diverse as ours to have a truly unified view. Instead, there are some number of viewpoints, none having a true majority. To get parties that more closely reflect political groupings, we would have to modify the voting mechanisms that lead to a two party system. In particular, we would need to move away from geographic, winner-take-all districts and to some form of proportional representation for the House of Representatives and for most state legislatures. As an independent, I think that is a good idea. What makes it difficult is that it is anathema to both major parties, since it would weaken their political power. The one thing on which both the GOP and Democratic Party are in full agreement is that the two-party system has to stay.