Israeli General Election: April 9, 2019

[Progressive Pessimist]

This is one of those elections that makes me glad that the United States doesn't have a parliamentary system. In spite of all the numerous faults in our political system, we would be even worse off if we had elections like this.

I also must say that it's disturbing how tolerated corruption lately has become in our world and its politics. It's yet another election that is just way too typical for our timeline.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This is one of those elections that makes me glad that the United States doesn't have a parliamentary system. In spite of all the numerous faults in our political system, we would be even worse off if we had elections like this.

I also must say that it's disturbing how tolerated corruption lately has become in our world and its politics. It's yet another election that is just way too typical for our timeline.

Parliamentary systems are actually pretty resistant at preventing huge takeovers from undemocratic forces compared to two-Party systems. It allows for more debate and nuance in coalition buildings that the strict orthodoxy of a two-party system doesn’t allow for. It also allows for breakaway factions and coalition disbandment if the government starts to slip up against the constituents interest.

Look at how Trump or Modi rose through for the ills of having no parliamentary system, two very baggage-heavy candidates, who got propelled merely because of tactical nose holding in a FPTP system. Look at how the Canadian Conservatives are going to win with 35% of the vote, even though 50-60% of the vote will go to a centrist party and two center-leftist+ parties. Look at how awful most FPTP political scenes actually are.

What you should really be blaming is the Israeli electorate for sucking on the teats of Reaktion, not their parliamentary system.

I just think that a larger party system and a need to form coalition governments would cause further partisanship than we have even now. Especially in a narrow election like this one.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This is one of those elections that makes me glad that the United States doesn't have a parliamentary system. In spite of all the numerous faults in our political system, we would be even worse off if we had elections like this.

I also must say that it's disturbing how tolerated corruption lately has become in our world and its politics. It's yet another election that is just way too typical for our timeline.

Parliamentary systems are actually pretty resistant at preventing huge takeovers from undemocratic forces compared to two-Party systems. It allows for more debate and nuance in coalition buildings that the strict orthodoxy of a two-party system doesn’t allow for. It also allows for breakaway factions and coalition disbandment if the government starts to slip up against the constituents interest.

Look at how Trump or Modi rose through for the ills of having no parliamentary system, two very baggage-heavy candidates, who got propelled merely because of tactical nose holding in a FPTP system. Look at how the Canadian Conservatives are going to win with 35% of the vote, even though 50-60% of the vote will go to a centrist party and two center-leftist+ parties. Look at how awful most FPTP political scenes actually are.

What you should really be blaming is the Israeli electorate for sucking on the teats of Reaktion, not their parliamentary system.

I just think that a larger party system and a need to form coalition governments would cause further partisanship than we have even now. Especially in a narrow election like this one.

Where's the incentive for further partisanship? In a 2 party system the only way to punish a party that is closer to you politically is to either not vote or vote for the even worst party which implicitly benefits the party you disagree with more incentivizing people to rationalize support for the party closer to them no matter how bad they are.

With more parties the price of defecting from your party is far less, if you are a right winger in a country with 3 different right wing parties you can safely defect from your own party to another slightly different party without fear that changing your vote will benefit the left. Seems pretty liberating to me.

Not for the left. I think there would be a lot of infighting even if a coalition of left wing parties were to form in our country. And that would not be healthy either, especially if that coalition is the one in power.

[Progressive Pessimist]

What's the over-under on Trump taking credit for the right's victory? Will he go as far as to claim to be the Jewish messiah? I wouldn't put it past him.