But would it make sense?  It seems to me, and this is just my humble opinion not being a political follower, per se, that it is because so many people choose to not take sides, to not get involved with not even their local city, county and state politics why there are so few to choose from when it comes to the choices that are aviailable.  How many do not participate in anything, when it comes to making decisions on a local level in their constituence to make a difference, even if it is one voice, how many do nothing?   Doing nothing on election day might seem justified, believe I understand the thought behind it, but if the last 8 years as shown nothing else, it is that SOMETHING needs to be changed?!

The fact of the matter is that the only thing our two parties ever work together on is bills and reforms to squish third parties and anyone more centrist.

Most Republicans are too far over to stupid-crazy Christian Right.

Most Democrats are too far over to "socialize everything" left.

I think most common people are in the middle, but there's no middle parties.

I wish the majority of people thought like this.

~Zoo

Well said.  And Donna, well said as well.  There is NOT enough involvement at a local level.  And this is yet another symptom of the problem I'm pointing out.  We aren't a team anymore.  And we ought to be.  And we ought to be without having to have some degenerate blow something precious into oblivion.

To Iceciro, lack of "Middle Parties" (I think that phrase oughta be coined and credited to him) is exactly the issue.  And it isn't that there aren't any Middle Parties, it's that Middle Parties can't compete because politics has become business where capital to sell the product is required, and no one can compete with the already established parties because they have way greater capital.  The Sherman Antitrust Act should be brought to bear on Republicans and Democrats who have a co-monopoly on who our next president will be.

We really need to get back to some sort of grass roots basis for electing our candidates, or what makes America the best country on the planet is going to get lost forever.

As far back as 1992, Ralph Nader has proposed the addition of a NOTA option at the bottom of all ballots for each race - in other words, you vote for none of the schlubs.  He wants this to be a binding vote.

And the best part?  If NOTA wins with the most votes, scrap the whole damn thing and start all over again with NEW candidates.

Maybe after seven or eight NOTA victories, people will start to get the drift.

I'll just be glad when this election shit's over.

Well said, and before I forget to mention, great article and some great points as well.  You do say what a lot of Americans are feeling these days, and it is not a good thing politics these days.  The good thing about politics here is the democracy, being able to choose, freely, without physical undue influences, including threat of life.  So many places in this world where the people don't have a voice, or they are too scared to have a voice.  So many Americans need to realise what a feedom it is to do what we do.

Here's the problem.  In fact, the Democrats and the Republicans are more center than many other parties out there.  They have to be because they have to appeal to half of the United States to get elected.  The Republicans are a Right/Center-Right Party and the Democrats are a Center/Center-Left Party.  In fact if you allowed third parties, many of them would be the assuredly left Green Party, extreme rightist anti-immigration parties, and a real Socialist party, instead of a party which everyone claims is socialist, but is simply capitalist and for a more progressive income tax. 

   So, allowing third parties would, in fact, expand the right and the left, not the center.  In other words, the crazies of both parties, the ones you mentioned, would leave the two main parties and join others, making the George HW Bush and Bill Clinton more representative of the Republicans and Democrats, instead of George W. Bush and Howard Dean.

The only solution I can see then is that we all just hang ourselves...

(but then...I'm already hung! lol... )

Okay back on topic.  I still feel a sense of community where I live.  I think we tend to idealize the "good ol' days" when honestly things weren't all sunshine and roses back then either.  I think in general Americans are a friendly, caring bunch.  Though I will admit that putting them in a car on the highway brings out the worst in a lot of people.  

As far as the political, yes I find myself growing increasingly disenchanted with the whole system.  I do wish we had a middle of the road Reasonable party to join. I get tired of the simplistic view of Republican good - Dem's bad or Dem's good, Republican's bad philosophy.  It's just not that simple.  Of course, I think the answer is to become more engages not disengaged.  I can see the temptation to just unplug from the whole disaster though.   

Center, in this case, is a relative term.  Center relative to what?  Let me rephrase my point.  A good candidate should not have to be a member of ANY party to hold office, and maybe at some lower political eschelons, they don't.  (I don't have any examples, I just am guessing it would be easier to get away with not being a party member when running for Mayor of Fudpucker, Tennessee)

Today, a good candidate HAS to be either Republican or Democrat to even be seen.  There's something wrong with that.

They also have to have a shtiload of money.

~Zoo

Bleh.  Once this Federal election's over, we here in the Commonwealth of Virginia get to do this crap all over again for the Governer.    Between the 2 year cycle for Congress, the 4 year cycle for President, and the 4 year cyle (offset by 1 year from the Federal cycle), we're putting up with political garbage 3 years out of 4.  And with the tendancy now to start the Presidential cycle over 12 months in advance ... we don't even get that reprieve.  Sheesh.

WTB some sanity .. mine's leaked out my ears over the last 19 years in Virginia. 

The problem is the money.  Get the money out of politics and people have to run on ideas, character, and trust instead of marketing campaigns.  Of course, that only begs the question - how do you get the money out of campaigns?  Well, taking away the financial incentive of donors would be a start. 

Two places to start:  Make a system of taxes (flat tax, sales tax, or make your own) where the tax code is stable and congress can't tinker with it.  Restrict congresses ability to regulate businesses and create loopholes in the regulation for their favorates.  Those two changes alone would cut some of the wind from the sails of the RNC and DNC. 

Agreed on both counts.  Politically speaking, good ideas have no retail value, and while I don't mind if some rich dude makes it to the WH on his good ideas, I don't think that lots of money causes good ideas.  We're missing a whole crop of people with good ideas simply because they aren't rich enough to compete.  That's the problem in a nutshell.