| 2008.03.21 |
Finished Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System. I think Schoen's take is pretty close to right on on a number of points. I absolutely concur that the two major parties in the American political system represent extremes, and that the majority of Americans cannot wholly identify with one or the other. I also heartily agree that most Americans vote by holding their noses and casting their ballots for the lesser or least of the evils in an array of imperfect candidates. And though Schoen may be right about the time being absolutely right for an Independent to ascend to the White House, it won't happen in 2008 because we're too far into primaries and caucuses that nobody expected would drag out this long. Happily, asses and elephants alike have candidates that seemed close enough to the middle of aisle to make cross-party voting plausible. (I think McCain is wooing conservatives enough now that he's got the Republican Party nomination sewn up that he's moving away from center.) Anyway, I recommend Schoen's book to anyone who believes our political system does not truly reflect the values of the majority of Americans.
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