Politics ought to be a collaborative social conversation about how we want to live today and what kind of future we want to build together.

But in my home country, the US, it has been turned into a Red vs Blue team sport, like the Super Bowl, where team loyalty trumps all other considerations, and discussion is replaced by competition to win the game regardless of the platforms, ideas, behaviours, people, or the consequences.

What can dismantle this system and replace it with something humane?

@continuation
Start with more than 2 major parties. The two majors already have pseudo-parliamentary ops with their various factions, and we already know that one's been dominated by a small sideshow whiney faction.

With more than one major party involved, gerrymandering wouldn't be an issue because it will have lost the reason to exist at all.

@continuation @ClaraListensprechen4 Gotta fix the electoral system before you can have more than two viable parties.

@mathew @continuation
Sorry but that's recursive logic. We got our broken electoral system from the only two parties with automatic ballot access in all states.

Try again.

@ClaraListensprechen4 @continuation What do you propose the Green Party and Libertarian Party do to become viable, without change to the electoral system?

@mathew @continuation
It's the party system that needs to change, not the electoral system, and that begins at the state level--but since state governments are either one party or the other, therein lies the problem.

@ClaraListensprechen4 @continuation OK, so how do you get to the point where state governments aren't controlled by a single party, without changing their electoral systems?

I mean, I'd love to believe that some third party could break the duopoly without electoral reform, but I don't see how it can happen. Looking at history, even when one of the two controlling parties collapsed, it just resulted in a different pair of controlling parties.

@mathew @continuation
First, regard the electoral system as distinctly separate from the party system.
Second, recognize that sovereign states are in charge of their own electoral systems.
Third, recognize that the "two party system" is enforced by each sovereign state.

So--aye, that's the rub. Breaking up the duopoly begins with the states, then target BALLOT ACCESS. It's the dominant parties which control access, and the first step to 3rd party success is gaining ballot access in all 50 states, equal to the access of the duopoly.

@ClaraListensprechen4 @continuation Hmm, I dunno, even when third parties get ballot access at state level it doesn't seem to help.

In Massachusetts, for example, you can appear on the ballot to run for state government if you can get 300 signatures, and you can get your political designation of up to 3 words placed after your name even if it's not an officially recognized party. With 2,000 signatures you can run for US Representative. Apparently there are 30 designations at present, and the Libertarian Party is officially recognized. Meanwhile Minnesota has 6 recognized parties and only needs 1,000 signatures to run for Congress.

Sure, there are states like Texas where third parties are ruthlessly kept down, but it's not universal. Yet third parties don't seem to be able to break duopoly control even at state level in states like Minnesota and Massachusetts.

@mathew @continuation
Bottom line is that there are only 2 parties with automatic ballot access to ALL states.

You're gonna need to do work in mor than just Mass + TX + MN. You need ALL of them.