What kind of parties would you like to see in American politics?

[AGA]

A lot of people don't like the two-party system, but what kind of system do you think would be better? Ignore the practical concerns with FPTP.

I think a five-party system would be better. Moderates in the Democratic and Republican parties could break off and form a Liberal Party, sort of like Lib Dems in the UK. The remaining Democratic party would be for progressives like Sanders and AOC. The Republican Party would just be pure Trumpism (not too different from now tbh). The Green and Libertarian parties would retain their ideologies, but be much bigger and have more influence.

[brucejoel99]

The Rent is Too Damn High Party.

[Tiger08]

A four party system like France had in 2017 would be a great system IMO, but I agree with AGA that a five party system would be preferable. A right wing populist party (hopefully with a messenger not as bad as Trump for the sake of the country), a somewhat traditional conservative party (would probably be my party), a progressive party (the Democratic Party to the left of Obama), a center-left party with large numbers of minority and perhaps some ancestrally Dem WWC-to-middle class voters (probably socially moderate, economically left but not socialist), and a liberal/centrist party with the Clintons, Bloomberg, Kasich, Romney, etc (probably like the Lib Dems or En Marche). Could be wrong, maybe neocons and neoliberals are too dissimilar to be in the same party. Don't know which one Obama would be in.

[AGA]

I noticed that only one of the parties I mentioned is socially conservative. Perhaps there could be a party for religious conservatives who aren't ecstatic about Trump (ex: Mormons).

[Agonized-Statism]

Direct democracy, but America could have been a lot more tolerable if a labor party had been allowed to emerge at some point. It's much too late for that now.

[Hope For A New Era]

Direct democracy, but America could have been a lot more tolerable if a labor party had been allowed to emerge at some point. It's much too late for that now.

Well, different parties have held that role at different points in our history. The Reagan Era had no labor - it was all corporate. As we're reaching the end of that era, now both parties are trying to become sort of labor-ish.

[Agonized-Statism]

Direct democracy, but America could have been a lot more tolerable if a labor party had been allowed to emerge at some point. It's much too late for that now.

Well, different parties have held that role at different points in our history. The Reagan Era had no labor - it was all corporate. As we're reaching the end of that era, now both parties are trying to become sort of labor-ish.

No, they haven't. Neither of the two leading parties have ever been a party for labor in America, nor are they headed that way. Labor unions were only a voting bloc in a broader New Deal Coalition.

[Beet]

Progressive Party- Sanders/AOC
Center Left Party- Biden/Klobuchar
Center Right Party- Romney/Flake
Conservative Party - Trump/QAnon

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Obvious answer is obvious, a real communitarian party.

[VPH]

Obvious answer is obvious, a real communitarian party.

Same, and it exists but it's just tiny. The American Solidarity Party!

[DaWN]

I'd love to see some really good fancy dress parties

[RINO Tom]

Broadly something resembling the 1950s, with obvious adjustments for the times (specifically on race matters).  In other words, two big tent parties with the GOP broadly representing a sort of "measured conservatism" that doesn't rely TOO heavily on nativism, and the Democratic Party broadly representing a redistribution-minded coalition.  Some notable changes would be not having any one party region like the South and no Cold War to take center stage.

From everything I have studied, our democratic republic functions best when our two parties represent outlooks rather than a specific set of policy ideas, set in stone.  This allows various initiatives that garner enough bipartisan support to succeed (e.g., the Civil Rights Act).

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I noticed that only one of the parties I mentioned is socially conservative. Perhaps there could be a party for religious conservatives who aren't ecstatic about Trump (ex: Mormons).

Yeah, there needs to be some sort of Christian conservative party (that is very distinct in priorities from ultra-nativist voters) in a multi-party system.

[Alcibiades]

Broadly something resembling the 1950s, with obvious adjustments for the times (specifically on race matters).  In other words, two big tent parties with the GOP broadly representing a sort of "measured conservatism" that doesn't rely TOO heavily on nativism, and the Democratic Party broadly representing a redistribution-minded coalition.  Some notable changes would be not having any one party region like the South and no Cold War to take center stage.

From everything I have studied, our democratic republic functions best when our two parties represent outlooks rather than a specific set of policy ideas, set in stone.  This allows various initiatives that garner enough bipartisan support to succeed (e.g., the Civil Rights Act).

Broadly speaking, what would the electoral map look like under this system? I would imagine that like in the second half of the 20th century most states would potentially be swing states (although each party would retain some strongholds) and there would be much more ticket-splitting at the state and congressional level.

[Agonized-Statism]

Maybe neocons and neoliberals are too dissimilar to be in the same party.

I always saw them as more or less the same group swept in by the Reagan Revolution, matched in the Democratic Party via Bill Clinton and the DLC, and only split during the Iraq War over whether to take a unilateral (neocon) or multilateral (neoliberal) approach. Since Iraq is winding down, the cause for their schism isn't there anymore, so it's not unreasonable to paint them with the same brush nowadays. The Bidens and Harrises of the world have inherited the Project for a New American Century.

[darklordoftech]

I’d love to see an “anti-soccer-mom”, pro-civil liberties, and pro-criminal justice reform and police reform party, regardless of its stances on anything else. This party’s policy goals would include ending civil forfeiture, ending zero tolerance school policies, banning the “troubled teen industry”, legalizing marijuana, public drinking, and female toplessness, taking the FCC’s censorship powers away, repealing zoning laws, ending the PATRIOT Act, ensuring the school leaving age is no higher than 16, and ending the issueing of student loans.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Progressive Party- Sanders/AOC
Center Left Party- Biden/Klobuchar
Center Right Party- Romney/Flake
Conservative Party - Trump/QAnon

In no universe are Romney and Flake center right, what you're looking for is "Trumpian, non-Trumpian"

[KaiserDave]

Progressive Party- Sanders/AOC
Center Left Party- Biden/Klobuchar
Center Right Party- Romney/Flake
Conservative Party - Trump/QAnon

In no universe are Romney and Flake center right, what you're looking for is "Trumpian, non-Trumpian"

I don't want to live in a world where Jeff Flake is centre right.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I’d love to see an “anti-soccer-mom”, pro-civil liberties, and pro-criminal justice reform and police reform party, regardless of its stances on anything else. This party’s policy goals would include ending civil forfeiture, ending zero tolerance school policies, banning the “troubled teen industry”, legalizing marijuana, public drinking, and female toplessness, taking the FCC’s censorship powers away, repealing zoning laws, ending the PATRIOT Act, ensuring the school leaving age is no higher than 16, and ending the issueing of student loans.

TRIGGERED S019 INCOMING

[darklordoftech]

I’d love to see an “anti-soccer-mom”, pro-civil liberties, and pro-criminal justice reform and police reform party, regardless of its stances on anything else. This party’s policy goals would include ending civil forfeiture, ending zero tolerance school policies, banning the “troubled teen industry”, legalizing marijuana, public drinking, and female toplessness, taking the FCC’s censorship powers away, repealing zoning laws, ending the PATRIOT Act, ensuring the school leaving age is no higher than 16, and ending the issueing of student loans.

TRIGGERED S019 INCOMING

What is S019?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I’d love to see an “anti-soccer-mom”, pro-civil liberties, and pro-criminal justice reform and police reform party, regardless of its stances on anything else. This party’s policy goals would include ending civil forfeiture, ending zero tolerance school policies, banning the “troubled teen industry”, legalizing marijuana, public drinking, and female toplessness, taking the FCC’s censorship powers away, repealing zoning laws, ending the PATRIOT Act, ensuring the school leaving age is no higher than 16, and ending the issueing of student loans.

TRIGGERED S019 INCOMING

What is S019?

Wait, what?

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?action=profile;u=23080

[RINO Tom]

Broadly something resembling the 1950s, with obvious adjustments for the times (specifically on race matters).  In other words, two big tent parties with the GOP broadly representing a sort of "measured conservatism" that doesn't rely TOO heavily on nativism, and the Democratic Party broadly representing a redistribution-minded coalition.  Some notable changes would be not having any one party region like the South and no Cold War to take center stage.

From everything I have studied, our democratic republic functions best when our two parties represent outlooks rather than a specific set of policy ideas, set in stone.  This allows various initiatives that garner enough bipartisan support to succeed (e.g., the Civil Rights Act).

Broadly speaking, what would the electoral map look like under this system? I would imagine that like in the second half of the 20th century most states would potentially be swing states (although each party would retain some strongholds) and there would be much more ticket-splitting at the state and congressional level.

Very hard to say.  Places like, say, Lake County, IL that used to vote for Republicans don't so much seem to be bringing their exact set of views into the Democratic Party but rather adapting their views to fit in with "the new team."  In other words, they're not really split-ticket voting that much or anything, and they're largely okay with a Democratic economic message that hasn't really moved right at all, even with an influx of former Republicans.  Similarly, despite all the Hawley drooling and stuff like that, former Democrats who've flocked to the GOP are marching lockstep with a Trump campaign that is promoting traditional right-wing policies.  What this says to me is that we are so divided that people would rather shift their views a little to remain opposed to "the bad side" than be swing voters in many cases.

I suppose if I tried to imagine it in like twenty years or something, though, it would result in "Whites without a college degree" AND "Whites without a college degree" being about 55/45 GOP-leaning groups (remember, several Boomer voters would have died off by this point, and a very large chunk of this group would be Millennials), with where they live (city/inner-suburb vs. outer suburb/exurban/rural) being a deciding factor, not so much due to cultural things but due to the economic needs of those communities.

It's way too hard to predict a map, but I would like states like Arkansas (large "WWC" population, a lot of conservative voters, decent Black population) on one hand and Minnesota (decent "labor" tradition, traditionally conservative suburbs, traditionally liberal city, swing voters throughout) on the other to be the main battlegrounds.  A state like Kansas (ancestrally Republican with a huge chunk of votes in relatively affluent suburbs) should not be anything but reliably Republican with a functioning center-right party, and a state like Mississippi (large Black population, large "WWC" population, a lot of conservative voters) should really be within reach for a Democrat winning comfortably nationally.

[DINGO Joe]

Open bar

[RINO Tom]

Open bar

The bipartisan hero who can end polarization right here!

[Statilius the Epicurean]

I think the German political system is the best at producing a balance of substantial ideological blocs while preserving enough choice for the voter. If you're on the right there's the liberal party, the 'populist' party and the mainstream conservative party, if you're on the left there's the eco-liberal party, the vaguely socdem party and the radleft party.

An of course highly imperfect analogy to US politics would be if the Libertarian party was slightly larger, and the hardcore Trumpists were split off from the Reagan-Bush conservatives; and on the left the Bernouts had their own party while the centre-left was covered by an old-style New Deal coalition party and a more upscale Obama coalition liberal party.