Rift in the Democratic Party

[Belsnickel]

(07-09-2019, 05:35 AM)hollodero Wrote: But can't similar things be said about some GOP congressmen? Enbattled swing districts also do not need the extremes of a freedom caucus or (other example) a Steve King, and yet those folk, from equally safe red districts, do their thing.
That's actually one of the few things I find pretty cool about the US system... not so much Steve King, but in general, that congressmen stay individuals with individual ideas fitting their individual district. E.g. in my country everyone's position in parliament is exactly on party line, and that's not such a good thing.

As much as I (and others around here) rail against the two-party system, this is a product of that very thing. With a two-party system, both major parties have to be "big tents" and accepting of a wide range of ideas. Parties in this country also have very little power (contrary to what most people think). Sure, elected officials that were on the ballot with a D or an R tend to caucus together in the legislature, but they are just the largest caucuses, nothing more. There is no formal infrastructure for the parties in Congress. Out political parties have the sole purpose of getting people elected whereas parties in Europe tend to have a more hands on approach in the government.

Our current system has its pros and cons, for sure.

(07-09-2019, 08:13 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: That's frustrating.... How do you fix the system if the people who make the rules don't want the rules to be fixed?

What needs to happen is that in states that allow for citizen referendums there needs to be an effort to get it on the ballot. Not every state has that option. Virginia, for example, is a state where we have to rely on the General Assembly. But if enough states do what Maine did, then there will be a pressure wave for other states.