Breaking the Two-Occasion Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America

American democracy is at an deadlock. After years of zero-sum partisan trench warfare, our political establishments are deteriorating. Our norms are collapsing. Democrats and Republicans now not merely argue; they lower off contact with one another. In brief, the two-party system is breaking our democracy, and driving us all loopy.

Deftly weaving collectively historical past, democratic idea, and leading edge political science analysis, Drutman tells the story of how American politics grew to become so poisonous, why the nation is trapped in a doom loop of escalating two-party warfare, and why it’s destroying the shared sense of equity and legitimacy on which democracy relies upon. He argues that the one means out is to have extra partisanship-more events, to short-circuit the zero-sum nature of binary partisan battle. American democracy was as soon as steady as a result of the 2 events held inside them a number of factions, which made it potential to assemble versatile majorities and saved the temperature of political fight from overheating. However as conservative Southern Democrats and liberal Northeastern Republicans disappeared, partisan battle flattened and pulled aside. As soon as the events absolutely separated, poisonous partisanship took over. With the 2 events divided over competing visions of nationwide id, Democrats and Republicans now not see one another as opponents, however as enemies. And the extra the battle escalates, the shakier our democracy feels.

Breaking the Two-Occasion Doom Loop makes a compelling case for big scale electoral reform-importantly, reform not requiring a constitutional amendment-that would give America extra events, making American democracy extra consultant, extra responsive, and finally extra steady.