If there is no progressive or liberal party, what is the use of

[mmonk]

a conservative two party system? Does it not become a defacto one party system? How long can such a system hold up? What is its correcting mechanism?

[treestar]

1. Having voters behind you?

You have to have to votes. Just demanding that this party come out of nowhere does not work. You have to get enough people into your third party.

[mmonk]

3. Who said anything about a third party?

I was talking about a two party system effectively becoming one. What is its purpose? What choice does it offer?

[Ozymanithrax]

2. Well, if they don't extend debt limit in April, the dollar will collapse...

followed by the economy...
followed by the U.S. Government.

That is a corrective mechinism.

[mmonk]

4. But we know they will. They have won their cuts.

And we'll finance it all through China as usual.

[Ozymanithrax]

5. I don't think that is a given.

Though if you are right, it will only delay things. The tax cuts enacted by Bush did not create a vibrant economy, but proved an enormous drag on the economy leading to stagnation of wages and loss of jobs.

It isn't going to get better over the next 2 years, and the slight stimulative effect of taking 2% form social security as a sort of temporary tax holiday just means more must be borrowed.

At some point, the world will say no. The reserve currency will finish shifting to someone else, probably the Yuan, and a loaf of bread will cost a hundred dollars and fruit won't be available at any price.

We can not grow ourselves out of this slump.

I am demoralized.

[msongs]

6. thank the flying spaghetti monste,r we have lots of fruit trees here lol nt

[Ozymanithrax]

9. Most of the fruit sold in stoers is imported.

As the dollar degrades it will no longer be feasable to import fruit.
Actually, I have fruit trees in my yard. So I will be OK, though I may have to can fruit like my grandmother did.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. You want a historic answer? Because we have been here

it was called the Gilded Age... oh around the 1880s.

Not a popular one around these parts...

Granger MOVEMENT...

Now read the last word, capitalized... MOVEMENT...

They created a third party, that actually elected people... and it was out of their efforts that social security first took form.

Of course we also need workers to once again organize and for people to look BEYOND the two party system.

So your answer is... movement politics.

[mmonk]

8. I agree change will have to come from movement politics.

[unblock]

10. the correcting mechanism is for liberals to form a new coalition with another faction

but of course that only works if liberals and these other factions can produce a movement strong enough to damage what's left of the existing coalitions. not clear on how that happens or who the other factions are.

[David__77]

11. Same as always, the Democratic Party must be taken over.

[BzaDem]

12. Right wing Republicans say there are just two liberal parties. n/t

[stray cat]

13. Palin in 2012 is as good as any democratic candidate who could win ?