Two-Party Politics . . . Who's celebrating?

For much of our nation's history, two political parties have dominated the electoral landscape. Our "winner-take-all" voting system, also referred to as the "first-past-the-post" or "relative majority" voting system, tends to favor the two-party system, as voters are often discouraged from voting for candidates from smaller parties who they feel are unlikely to win. However, the actions of many elected officials often contradict the stated beliefs or positions of their respective parties, thus making party lines indistinguishable at times. These contradictions diminish the significance of political parties, relegating them to little more than fundraising machines for party favorites.

That aside, the two dominant parties typically represent diametrically opposed visions of America. Hence, if the preponderance of power or ideology is marginal or nonexistent, progress will often be marginal to nonexistent. This naturally leads one to ponder whether opposing ideologies should evenly share legislative control. More to the point