...to people who aren't Americans.
You have two parties here who embrace somewhat differing interpretations of the same political ideology (liberalism), and those two are the de facto ruling parties in the "two-party system". Furthermore, they both embrace increasingly right-wing policies even as a whole segment of the media and political class is more worried than ever about "socialism"-and this is long after the real socialist movements in the country were ruthlessly extinguished.
On top of all that, you have the pervasive presence of Christianity in a political system that is legally secular, with the organized power of far-right charlatans (aka fundamentalists) being a major power in one of the two major parties.
Finally, you have people who start whole political movements because they're peeved that the "losers" of the debtor class would possibly be "bailed out", but then those same people get elected to the national legislature and take millions of dollars in campaign funds from the institutions and people who caused the biggest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression.
Add to all that people cheering the prospect of sick people dying in the street at a national political party debate, major political candidates questioning the loyalties and citizenship of the legally elected President, and the waging of huge emotional battles over issues like flag pins or creationism in the classroom, and you have one confusing political system indeed.
