posted on Jul, 15 2009 @ 01:39 PM
Allow me to make a better argument for my first claim.
In the US the only time there had been viable third parties was just before the Civil War. Why? Because the US party system is built on concensus, as
opposed to a European national model where parties are built by exclusion and form coalitions afterward in government.
In the US 25.1% makes a majority so regions become dominated by single political views. If there is a concensus breaker, a third party, then regions
become even more dominated by their constituent majorities and their minorities become under represented.
That is the path to extremism and definitely to
civil War.
25.1% does make a majority government int the US winner takes all system just look at the house of representatives.
50.2% of the house had to win 25.1% of the vote to beat their opponents.
This is vastly different from parliamentary systmes so you can't say "well multiple parties work over here."
This is why the Us works best with a concensus, two reconcilable and sufficient minorities make a majority government of divergent but compromising
view points.
The Democrats made the last concensus before their communistic policies lost the conservatives.